Nova's eyes widened in shock. Her lips began to tremble. "I-Ian, what are you saying?"Ian let out a deep breath when he noticed how she was looking broken. It was not that he had any soft spots for her, but she was the beta's daughter. He did not want to mess with any official's family before inheriting the throne.He was not interested in leading the pack in the future. But, as the only heir, he was responsible for the pack.His great-grandfather won the Mystic Shadow Pack several decades ago. Following that, his family continued to run the pack, fulfilling all of their responsibilities and carefully protecting the pack members. They never disappointed any of the members and always made the best decisions for them.His father, Alpha Martin, was one of the most powerful Alphas in their pack's history. It was the reason why people had higher hopes for Ian.Because Ian would have to maintain the pack like him, Alpha Martin behaved strictly with him. He always tried to discipline him. H
Alpha Martin stared at his hand, which Ian had just removed from his collar."Ian, what's wrong with you? Is this how you will speak and act with your father?" Carolina said, scolding him."If my dad doesn't know how to be a dad, forget about my manners then. I am not anyone's slave."After saying that, he turned to face the staircase. He then made his way there."You! Now you are going to talk over your dad? This is how I raised you." Alpha Martin said it from behind. His eyes turned red with rage.Carolina held Martin's hand."Martin."Alpha Martin snatched his hand from his wife's grip and kicked on the table close to the couch."How dare he behave like that? Tell him that he is grounded for a week. I will stop everything that allows him to live a luxurious life. What does he think about himself? A bad boy who can do anything he wants? Is this how he plans to lead this pack?"Ian's steps came to a halt. But he did not turn to his father. He was not such a kid that his father could
Just as he thought he should not care about her, he saw a boy looking in Ava's direction."David, are you going to sit or not?" Another boy beside the boy asked him.'David?' Ian thought.He had heard the name somewhere before. He raised a brow as if he realized something. That boy and his friends were from his university.However, Ian wondered why those boys took a bus since every kid there was rich.He shrugged his shoulders and looked out the window. His ears perked up as he heard what David told his friends."No, I am going to sit there," David replied.Ian turned his head to look at him once again. He saw the boy pointing his finger in Ava's direction.As the bus started moving, the David guy moved forward.But as soon as he took steps closer to the empty seat next to Ava, he felt a leg and almost tripped on the bus.Ian got up from his seat and said,"Uppss, you nearly fell on your nose. I am kind enough to let you sit here. I can take the seat you are aiming for anyway.”David
Ava listened to Ian's voice, and her steps halted.She frowned when she realized that he was following her.But why?Last night, she was really upset with herself. But then she tried to handle herself, saying that she had warned Ian enough.However, today she met Ian again. She would be lying if she said she was not surprised to see Ian on the bus.She had been riding buses for a long time, but she had never seen Ian, even though her route was a few stops later than his house.Today she wanted to take a bus, though her parents said to take one car with her. She just wanted to go back to her old life for a while, where no one knew her and she could live carelessly.But now, everyone was aware of her identity as the Gamma's new daughter, and people liked to gossip about her a lot."Why did you get off the bus?"She heard Ian again. She turned around and looked at him."Are you following me?"Ian walked toward her, which caused her to take a step back.He noticed her reaction and said,"
Ava's eyes flung open, and she pushed Ian hard on his chest."What's wrong with you? Why can't you just let me live?" She asked with a disbelieving look.Ian appeared to be stunned. He did not expect her to push him that hard. He raised his hand to smoke the cigarette, which he was still holding between his fingers."You called me dirty last night. How can I let you go so easily, nerd?""Stop calling me a nerd. You are worse than those bullies," she mumbled, her eyes stinging with tears.But she was not going to let this boy see her tears. She would not let him make fun of her emotions again.Ian's gaze darkened as he replied,"You can change your appearance. But for me, you are still that nerd I rejected."She closed her eyes and turned around. She did not want to be with him for a single moment. She tried to muster some courage against him, but he was a cruel boy who only knew how to make her feel bad.She still did not know what he wanted from her.She had only one option, which wa
Ian began to walk toward the table where Ava and his friends were sitting.Ava gulped at his furious look. She tried to break free of Luke's hand, thinking that Ian would do something to Luke since he had warned her at the bus stop about Luke.But Luke tightened his grip on her hand. She looked at Luke, and Luke shook his head, indicating that she should not feel afraid of anyone.Ian shifted his gaze from their hands and glanced at Ava. She averted her gaze and ignored him.She was ready to yell at Ian when she assumed he would stop at their table.But before that, he walked past their table and stopped at the table behind them.Ava turned her head and saw Paul and Cyrus joining Ian to stand close to the table."I-Ian"One of the boys seated on the table spoke out with fear in his voice.Ian gave him no more time to speak before punching him, causing the boy to fall from his chair.Ava gasped in shock. The people at the other tables rose up from their chairs and began to gather aroun
Ava looked into his indignant eyes. She could not understand him. She started to feel that she should never have fallen for this boy before their rejection.Her secret crush on him broke her heart. She felt mad at herself for feeling something for this type of guy in the past.She was afraid of what would happen when he became the head Alpha. He would be the most unfair leader in their pack. Their pack was not safe in his hands.Ian turned to the boy who attempted to flee. He grabbed the back of his neck and was about to hit his head against the table when Ava grabbed his wrist."Please don't!"Ava said it in a shaky voice. She feared that the boy would die.Ian's hand loosened as he let go of the boy's neck. The boy ran out of the cafeteria, clutching his stomach.Ian's eyes shifted on Ava's hand which was holding his wrist. He slowly turned his gaze to her."Go and hold his hand, not mine," he said, yanking his hand away.Ava nearly lost her balance due to it.However, a pair of arm
"It must be a date! Oh, how foolish you are! Yes, it's obviously a date, Ava," Debra said to Ava.Abigail nodded her head in agreement.After attending their classes, the three friends were walking on campus."I am not a fool. I also thought the same. But he was casual and said that he just wanted to talk to me, so..."Ava paused, mumbling, as she reflected on what Luke had said to her.He said he wanted to take her to a coffee shop. He had something in his mind that he wanted to discuss. They were such good friends that she did not take it that way."Trust me. Luke likes you. I have seen it in his eyes," Abigail said."Me too," Debra added.Ava was stunned. She had never seen Luke that way before. He was her friend—a very good friend. She had never thought of him more than that."I-I..."Ava's lips halted as she glanced at Ian, who was walking out of a building where the head office was. The dean may have summoned him for what he did to the boy this morning.Abigail and Debra followe
Freya walked toward Ian and held his arm. It caused Ian to look away from the elevator door."Let's go."He began to walk and remarked,"Never ask me to come here with you again."Freya frowned at him and asked,"But you promised me that you would help me to get back my projects."“I don't need to see your Alpha's face again and again. I will speak with the sponsors directly.”Freya knew she was not the reason why Ian was here. He came here because of Ava. She was not a foolish woman.She kept quiet and decided to leave the company with him.While exiting the building, their gaze was drawn back to Dane and Ava.They had not left yet. Ava was sitting in the passenger seat inside Dane's car. Dane was standing outside, conversing with Griffin.Ian's steps came to a halt in front of his own car. He turned his head to look at the woman in his rival's car.She appeared careless and delighted. How could she be happy after cheating on him years ago?He got into his car and pulled out his phon
Ava had no idea how her heels twisted on the stairs. She reached for the stair railing, but her fingers slipped and she was on the verge of falling.Her body was waiting to hit the stairs, so she closed her eyes tightly.But before she could fall, a pair of strong arms encircled her waist.She was holding the person's sleeves tightly with her eyes squeezed shut.A familiar scent touched her nostrils, and she furrowed her brows. Her eyes sprang open in shock. She raised her head to look at the person. He held her in his arms and pressed her head against his chest as if to protect her.Ava froze when she realized that it was Ian.He slowly lowered his head to examine her face. Her brows shot up when she noticed a glint of softness in his eyes."Are you oka—"His gentle tone nearly shook her heart. However, someone turned him around before he could finish his sentence.It was Dane who reached her after Ian.Dane grabbed Ava's waist and pulled her closer to him. He pushed Ian's chest, gro
Days passed with Ava's hard work on the project. Ava had been working at the new office. There was no time for her to go home early.The relationship between her and Dane was improving, though. He looked after her at work. Always, he reminded her to eat regularly.He even agreed to go with her to the reunion party. Ava was thrilled about it. She was grateful that he had agreed.Dane said it was nothing to be thankful about. Since everyone was going with their partner, she also had the right to go there with her partner.Ava's daily life was going well because she had not seen Ian again.She felt relieved that Ian did not say anything to Dane about their past. But she made the decision to tell Dane everything. She was afraid that Dane would be mad if he got to know that she was with his rival in the past. It was the reason she always stopped herself from telling him about it. But she knew she could not hide it from him forever. Since she was not with Ian anymore, it did not matter at a
Hearing his assuring statements, Freya felt relieved. There was a grin on her face as she gazed at his handsome face.She noticed him raising the bottle and swallowing the drink. The movement of his Adam's apple caused her to move closer to him.She put her hand on his chest and fiddled with the button of his shirt. He cocked his head to the side in order to look at her face.While Freya was getting closer to his face, she began to unbutton his shirt.She tilted her head and kissed him on the cheek. She moved her lips close to his mouth and whispered,"It's been six months since we decided to live our life together in the future. But you never tried to kiss me."She closed her eyes, knowing their lips were only a few inches apart.As just her lips were about to touch his, he gripped her jaw, stopping her from kissing him.She was shocked by his action as her eyes flung open. She was startled when her eyes met his dark orbs."It's because I don't like it.""D-Don't like what?" she mumb
The night was completely dark. There was no moon to light up the ground. There was only darkness that was engulfing outside.Ian was sitting on the floor, with his back against the bed.There was an empty bottle lying on the floor. He held one bottle in his hand.The redness surrounding his dark orbs was maniacal. He was going through an emotional breakdown. A cold man like him could not cry. But his emotions were visible in his eyes.Bringing the bottle close to his mouth, he chugged a few more gulps. The bitter taste and the high level of alcohol burned his throat.But he did not stop drinking.In the last four years, Ian Dawson had made an image in the werewolf world. People knew the young man was cold and heartless. He showed no mercy and was ruthless toward others. He did not even let go of his own parents, mocking them if they opposed him.If anyone saw him in this condition, they would be shocked.He had the bottle in one hand and one hand that was resting on his knees. His oth
Because the car was silent, Ronald heard everything. His eyes were on Ian.Ian's eyes grew intense. His one hand, which was gripping the steering wheel, clenched tightly.Ronald's gaze moved to his other hand. His fingers were bleeding. Because of his pressure, the glass broke, and the sharp edges cut his fingers."Ian!"Ian removed the phone from his ear and threw it near the gearbox. Ronald gulped, not knowing how to calm his anger.He was surprised to know that Ava was with Alpha Dane. Wasn't it something unbelievable? He could never have imagined thinking like this before.Ian moved his leg away from the brake pedal and slammed on the accelerator.On the busy road, the car moved like the wind. The speed of the vehicle astounded the people.To get past every other vehicle on the road, the car swerved to the left and right.It was obvious to Ronald that his best friend would not listen. He recalled Ian's accident. He hurriedly pressed the emergency button, letting other cars behind
Ava said whatever was on her mind and walked out of the room. She felt her cheeks getting wet as she made her way to the canteen. Realizing that she had nearly revealed her vulnerability to the man, she quickly wiped away her tears.Crying was not a sign of weakness. She was in anger and she did not want to burn everything around her. That was why her anger flowed down with tears.She entered the canteen and took a seat at one of the tables.She looked out the window from where she sat at the table.She recalled the incident that happened many months ago.It was a night when she was partying with her friends at a club. It was a birthday party, so they had their own spot in the corner to celebrate while cutting the cake.She was drunk that night.She was not aware that a man was following her. In the name of helping, he led her to a room and began to open the button on her shirt.She was not in her right mind, but she understood that something was happening with her. She became traumat
Ian's hand had frozen around her waist. His muscles tensed as if someone had poured a bucket of ice water on him in the cold weather. That time the bone froze, and his hands also froze like that.Ava moved back and stood on her feet. She saw how he was unmoved. She slowly unwrapped his hand from her waist. She brushed his shoulder as if removing invisible dust."It's okay. That happens sometimes. Your reaction is so natural. But..."She looked into his eyes and asked,"Don't you think you are overreacting? I mean I thought you would be happy after learning that. You hate him and he got a whore like me-"She could not finish speaking as he grabbed her waist once again. This time, he spun her around and pressed her against the wall."What did you say?" he asked."Y-You heard me," she responded, taken aback by his unexpected action.She gasped when she saw how instantly his eyes turned red. She was not startled by looking at them. His red eyes were filled with something that looked like
Ava blinked her eyes when she heard Ian. She realized that there were so many things about her that he did not know. Everything had changed in four years. But she was surprised that he still remembered that she was afraid of darkness. She remembered once he told her, "Come to me whenever you feel afraid of the dark. I will always be there for you." Ava's face turned cold as she shoved the old memories. He was the man who put her in the darkness, the darkness from where she needed three and half years to come out. She gathered her strength and pushed his hand away from her mouth. "Alpha Ian, what the hell are you doing?" Because of her push, his other hand, which held a lighter, moved. The flame blew out. The room returned to darkness and silence. The man in the room expected her to ask him to light it again. However, she proved him wrong when she stated, "No, I am not afraid of the darkness. Not anymore." His brows furrowed as he was not expecting this. He was mad