Ava frowned at Ian. "What are you doing inside my house?"He folded his arms without responding to her. She could not see his expression. Only the moonlight that filtered through the slightly open blinds illuminated his silhouette."Where is everyone?"He let out a sigh and replied, "Stephen is sleeping in his bedroom.""How about my parents? How did they allow you to stay at our home?"He stepped away from the pillar and began to approach her. She did not take any steps back."For your kind information, this is my pack—""That does not make any sense. This house is not yours.""But the gamma that lives inside this house is mine," he stated, standing in front of her.In the dark, the tall figure towered over her. "You didn't answer my question. How was your dinner date? You were having a great time with him, right?"Ava scoffed at him. "Why do you care? He is my boyfriend; of course, I was enjoying my time with him."He turned silent for a moment, then spoke,"You are not in the Thund
Ava was shocked."Y-You did what? You broke your commitment? You are not going to marry her?"The sound of her voice was one of disbelief. After seeing that, Ian experienced a strain in his chest.He thought, though she did not like him, she would at least feel good for not seeing him with another woman. Was not this the reason she left the pack years ago?Last night was a shocking night for him too. It was unbelievable that he had become her mate again.But when she asked him to reject her, it was something that hurt him. Did she hate him so much that she wanted to reject this mate bond?Tonight he had everything planned for her. When he asked Stephen when she usually came home, he said it was around 8 p.m. But, since it was her birthday, he assumed she would arrive home before 10 p.m.He was able to get her parents out of the house, but Stephen refused to come out because he had already told him that he could no longer help him with Ava.So Ian basically did everything himself. Ther
Ava stared at Ian with wide eyes. Her eyes were fixed on his eyes. The pair of dark eyes were filled with rage, indicating that he was telling her the truth.She looked away from him and tried to push him. But his grip tightened on her arms."I don't care. Leave me," she said.He did not leave her but instead leaned close to her."Don't you dare get close to me; you know I can kill you," she warned him.He did not stop as his face got close to hers. She gulped as she smelled his alluring scent, which made her heart pound.She did not know why she was feeling weak in front of him tonight. She was actually feeling defeated by the sensation she was feeling inside."If you want to kill me, why don't you just stop warning me and kill me already?" he asked, tilting his head.She closed her eyes tightly when his breath touched her neck. The next moment, she let out a gasp.Ian put his lips to her neck.She opened her eyes and parted her lips in surprise. It was not only because of his audaci
Ava was shocked. Her eyes widened as she was frozen.When he began to move his lips over hers, she closed her eyes.She felt a trembling sensation develop on the inside of her body as she felt his lips move. She felt compelled to give him the same feeling in return, and it caused her heart to tighten.Ian was lost in the feeling. He had reached a point where he was so broken that he allowed his feelings to take control of him, and he needed to let them.This woman was no longer his ex-girlfriend but his mate. She could not say he crossed the line because he was no one to her. He was her mate, and that alone was enough to drive him insane.Her lips felt soft and smooth against his. He wanted to keep eating them for as long as possible.Taking her lower lip in between his lips, he started sucking on it while rolling his tongue over it.Ava let out a moan.It shocked her and brought her back to reality. She flung her eyes open.It was hard for her to believe that she had allowed him to k
Ava recalled once Dane had said that she should not lose her control and show her fierce side because it was terrible for others. Not everyone could handle fire and hurt others like that. Some other people could find her evil too. However, she only used her abilities when necessary.But she was surprised Ian thought it was pretty.She snorted back at him. "How cheap! You are calling pretty a horrible look? Perhaps you are mocking me."A thin line formed between his brows. "Do you think you look horrible? Who told you that?""Someone whom I trust the most," she replied, giving him a stern look.His eyes were clouded by darkness. His lips twitched when he realized who she was talking about. He just wanted to kill the man who called her horrible. How dared he? How dared he make her think like that?Ian lifted his other hand and rested it on her head."Don't be insecure with your looks. I saw it that day. You don't look horrible. You are stunningly beautiful. I am not lying. I have never
Ava blinked, not knowing what else to say.He did not care? How could anyone want someone who had been sleeping with his rival?Ian gritted his teeth and mumbled,"Why can't you understand? It is not just about having sex. It's about the feeling that another man sees my woman's precious body. But it was my mistake that I let you go. You had a life that you led all these years. I was not a saint to have the authority to ask you anything."He paused and pressed his forehead against hers, whispering,"I no longer care about anything. I just want to reclaim a place in your heart, and I know I will be able to do so someday. Until then, I will wait."Ian left the house, leaving Ava in shock and stressed. Her eyes welled up in tears.She shook her head and murmured,"I will never forgive you, regardless of how long you wait."With her head leaned back against the pillar, she closed her eyes. She thought of what she had promised Dane.She was grateful to Dane for reminding her of Ian's past a
After informing Dane of her departure, Ava left the company. He was in a meeting, so she texted him and told him she was going to her old university's campus for something.The only thing that Dane did was say okay because he was in a meeting at the time. He did not ask her anything during that time.The moment Ava arrived on campus, she made a beeline for the library to get that book.As soon as she walked into the library, many memories instantly appeared before her eyes. The sight of the table where she and her friends used to sit and read in the past brought a smile to her face. She and Luke used to come here almost every day to work on statistics.She turned around and recognized the familiar librarian. She walked toward her desk and said,"Hello."The woman raised her glasses to her nose and took a close look at Ava."Is the nerd back on campus?" the woman mumbled as she recognized Ava since she used to be a bookworm.Ava smiled at her and asked,"How are you?""I am good. As yo
Ava immediately moved away from Ian.She glanced at the door and noticed that she had forgotten to close it, so she did not realize when Ian entered the room."I-I was just..."She struggled to find words. Just now, she was caught!Ian smirked when he saw she could not reply. Ian had just come back to the pack house to take a file when the maids informed him about Ava.He was surprised to learn she was here. He was delighted that she had come to his house. When they told him she was in his study, he hoped she had come to see him.However, when he arrived here and found her attempting to obtain an ancient book, he was skeptical."Let me see what you were so eager to get," he muttered, taking a look at the book.He was tall, and it was easy for his long hand to reach for the book. He picked up the book and looked at the cover.He froze as soon as he read the title."The myth of Alpha's rejection"His voice sounded like a whisper. Ava raised her gaze and saw him holding the book in his h
Griffin suggested that they go to a club and have a drink. Ava agreed since she also needed to clear her mind.There was a club near the company, but Ava did not want to go because she might run into some of the employees. So they decided to go to a club that was quite far away."Isn't it the north side of the city?" Ava asked when she heard Griffin's suggested club."Yeah, but only wizards and witches go there. That can be our safe place."Ava turned to Griffin, who was sitting next to her in his car. "You almost forget you are a hybrid."Griffin grinned at her and nodded his head. "You are right. I shift a few nights a month. I enjoy my magic more."Ava patted her hand on his shoulder. "You should shift more because who knows when we will need your wolf to take over?"Being a hybrid did not mean only having two kinds combined. Their wolves were also very powerful."Okay, I will shift often."Ava and Griffin went to the nightclub. They got to know new people. Griffin introduced her t
Ava gave them a puzzled look. "Who?"Debra pushed Abigail and walked over to Ava and said, "Don't listen to her. She is just pulling my leg for nothing. Such a bad friend!"Suddenly Ava recalled the interaction between Stephen and Debra. She wondered if Abigail was talking about him.However, she dismissed the thought because she knew her brother would never chase any girl like that. After all, he was one of the members of the Power Gang. Those boys did not chase women; women pursued them.She was about to ask who it was again, but she stopped by a ringtone. She saw who had called her.She received the call and spoke, "Beta Bruno."Debra turned her head to Abigail, making faces at her. Abigail glared at Debra, indicating not to tease her.Ava smiled when she noticed her friends' silent bickering."Freya is coming back to the pack today. So I am not going to come to the company. Tell Alpha I would spend some time with her."Hearing about Freya, Ava felt awkward. She recalled the day wh
Ava left the office in the evening. She had nothing in her mind. She only wanted to go home and sleep. She had worked all day and eaten little. Dane's words kept replaying in her head every time she thought about her future.It looked like fate had never decided happiness in her life. All it wrote for her was suffering mentally.She was depressed and alone in this pack.On her way, Griffin called her, asking her to meet him. She refused by saying that she was tired. She said she would meet him tomorrow evening.The sky was slowly getting dark. The orange shadow in the sky faded into the darkness.Ava paid the cabbie and walked toward her house.It was a house with three bedrooms. Dane suggested this house, so she never considered moving out, even though it was too large for one person.She took out the keys and was about to open the door when she heard the sound of another car from behind.She turned around and was stunned.The car stopped near her house, and two people were getting o
ONE WEEK LATERAva awoke to the sound of a loud alarm. She opened her eyes and did not consider sleeping for a few minutes longer. She sat up slowly, grabbing the phone and stopping the alarm, which would continue to snooze if she did not turn it off.She glanced outside the window. It was early in the morning.Another day arrived, and she had to pass it. She believed she would have to cooperate with her fate without questioning it much.She left the Mystic Shadow Pack one week ago. She did not tell her mate before leaving. That was why her wolf was really upset with her, refusing to shift again.Ava was in real trouble. Her wolf's resistance was really hurting her, making her weak.All week, she could only practice her powers as a witch, but she could not shift and run.The last time she had shifted was when she met Ian and realized that he had become her mate.Ava's phone rang in her hand, drawing her attention away from the window.She received the phone call while getting out of t
"Ava, why did you decide to leave now?" Ava's mother, Angela, said with tears in her eyes.When she and Harper returned home, Ava said she was leaving tonight. She was shocked to hear that, as well as Harper."Mom, Dad, I told you that I would be here for my birthday. My birthday had passed, but I remained here for the competition. Since everything is over now, it's time for me to return to where I belong."Her voice was calm, just like her face. There was no emotion in her eyes that could show her inner feelings.Angela wondered if anything had happened to her daughter. She had spent her entire life protecting her daughter from the Thunder Howl Pack, convinced that Alpha Dane would force her into a relationship. However, after learning that Ian had rejected her daughter as her mate and that Dane treated her gently, Angela realized Dane was the ideal match for her. Ava and Dane were fated, and her ex-husband's decision was not wrong when he promised to marry Ava off to Dane."If you n
Dane's eyes darkened as soon as he heard Ava.Ava observed those eyes and scoffed at him. "What happened? Lost all the colors from your face?"He clenched his jaw and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him."You can't be with him."Ava looked into his eyes, noting his fury. "What's wrong? Why didn't you think about it when you spent the night with your mate?"Dane tried to compose himself, losing his grip on her arm. “Look, Ava. I never slept with her after we broke up. She tried a few times to seduce me when she was drunk. I always ignored my wolf and the desire to be close to her. But I lost myself in front of my wolf last night.”He let go of her arm and cupped her cheeks. She looked away from his face. Not wanting him to touch her, she attempted to push him once more.Her eyes landed on the hickeys Freya had purposefully left visible in his chest.If Dane had said that everything Freya said was a lie, she would have ignored it. But he himself admitted everything.Now what woul
Ava was in a really bad mood because she thought last night she almost cheated on Dane. She should have managed to stop Ian from kissing her or getting close to her.So today, in the early morning, she left her house only to confess what had happened and apologize to him.However, as soon as she saw Freya, she was shocked. Her shock turned into the endpoint when she heard Freya's words."Your m-mate? What are you saying?" Ava asked Freya with a confused look.Freya gave her a poker face. "Don't tell me you don't know that Dane and I are mates."Ava felt the ground slipping beneath her feet. She could not just believe it.Freya and Dane were mates?How come she did not know about it?Freya noticed her expression and scoffed at her. "Why do you think my brother despises you so much? Because you snatched his sister's mate away from her. You destroyed my life, Ava. I was so happy with him. But you entered our life and ruined everything."Ava blinked as she did not know what to feel. When
In a large bedroom,A woman was lying on her back, wrapping her body around a quilt. She opened her eyes and tried to move, but her bare arms brushed against a body, sending her butterflies in her stomach.She cleared her view and turned around to look at him. A smile was on her face, which indicated that she was pleased.She lifted her hand and caressed the face of the handsome man who was sleeping next to her. Her fingers brushed against his cheek.His brows furrowed in response. She hurriedly moved her hand away. She looked at her hand, assuming he was uncomfortable because of the bandage.She breathed deeply, inhaled his scent, and hugged him.The man finally opened his eyes. She smiled and rested her head on his chest, saying,"Good morning, Dane."He stared at the ceiling without responding to her. It was like he was in an inner conflict. Her smile faded when she observed him.She moved and sat up, holding the quilt against her chest.She hissed when she felt pain in her bottom.
Ava completely lost herself as soon as Ian moved his head and began kissing her back.She was in a moaning mess. She had no idea how he made her feel that way just with his kisses.As he rolled his tongue over her upper back, he gradually moved it down to her waist. Her eyes were tightly closed because she did not want to experience this sensation.However, her toes curled when his hand reached his ankle, moving inside her dress.Her dress slid up to her thigh, revealing her fair legs.Ian had already gone insane. He was no longer under control. He did not want to either.He kissed the back of her neck, turning her on. He flipped her body and looked at her.She looked fragile, ready to get ruined by him.With a slow motion, he swept his thumb over her lips."These lips are mine."He looked down at her body. Her dress loosened due to the back chain being opened, revealing her half breasts.He leaned down while looking into her eyes. He moved his lips on her half-exposed breasts and sai