TWO

AVA

The smoking nail. It was the trademark logo of the shadow assassins. At the moment, it was tattooed against Venom's skin, the dark ink standing out against his pale skin.

"Cool tattoo you have there" I commented. He turned to look at me, a smile tugging at his lips.

"It's been a while since I got it. You like tattoos?"

"Yeah. I've never had a chance to get one."

He stared at me for a moment, and for every second his gaze lingered, I was painfully self conscious. There was something about him that made even my wolf to cower. I could feel an aura similar to the one that surrounded my brother, the Alpha of my pack. This made me think that he was either an acting Alpha or the true Alpha of a pack. If he was an Alpha, why would he join the Shadow Assassins?

"I'm curious about you, Ava" he suddenly said.

"Really?"

"I've met a lot of women but none of them intrigued me like you do. I like your choice of hair style by the way" he said.

I found myself blushing furiously. For Ava Morgan, this was very strange. I didn't think I would ever meet anyone other than Keegan, who would turn me into a blushing mess.

In preparation for my quest, I'd cut my hair to chin length and had dyed it rosy pink. My twin sister had been excited about it. She'd told me it brought out the sexy badass in me.

"What's your story, Ava?" Venom questioned. I couldn't let him know that I'd come to Silverfalls town to find Keegan. Therefore, I cooked up a story.

"I.. uh..I am looking for my twin sister"

He raised a brow, surprise crossing his features.

"Your twin sister?"

I nodded.

"I'm a twin. We got separated at the age of five."

"Oh..."

"I've been searching for her for quite a while now"

"You must have travelled far away from your pack"

"I don't have a pack"

"You don't?" Hayley and her brother echoed.

"I don't. My mother was a rogue. She died when I was eight"

"How have you managed to survive on your own?"

"I didn't. I had a group of five members. We were all born rogues. They all died a month ago during an attack" I mumbled.

"It must've been hard for you" Hayley said, placing a hand over mine.

It made me feel bad about lying to them. They seemed really nice.

"Come stay with us" Hayley suddenly told me. I stared at her, surprised.

"Hayley, I'm a rogue. No pack would..."

"Our pack is different. You will be accepted even if you're a rogue. So, please... come with us" she said. She had tears in her eyes and the pleading look on her face made my heart squeeze. She seemed... desperate.

"But.." I started to say.

"Hayley likes you. This is a first. Why not consider her offer?" Venom said. I blinked. I hadn't expected it to be so easy to convince them.

"V, convince her to come with us. I...I need her. She is the key" Hayley stated and Venom stiffened.

"Hayley, what do you mean?" He said, his gaze fixated on me.

"It doesn't hurt when she's with me. I don't know...I can't explain it...but... since she came to me, it no longer hurts. It's her energy. It's soothing"

I stared at Hayley confused. I had absolutely no idea of what she was talking about.

"Are you sure?" Venom asked, his eyes wide.

"I am."

"I'm a little lost over here. What are you talking about?" I said. Venom rose to his feet.

"Come with us. We need to talk in a more private place. It's important" he suddenly said.

Letting out a sigh, I stood up and left the restaurant with the siblings. This wasn't a part of my plan. However, I hoped that whatever was going on would work in my favor.

We ended up in Venom's truck. He drove us downtown and parked the truck in the parking lot of a motel.

Cautiously, I followed him into the motel. Once we had settled down in one of the rooms, he began to pace. Hayley was seated beside me, her gaze fixed on me.

"When she was little, she accidentally swallowed a crystal which contained the dark energy of a dark fae. She has been in pain ever since. It has as well hindered her from having her first shift. She's seventeen years old and her pain has been worsening. We were told that the only way to help her was to find someone with an energy different from the one in the crystal"

"Have you tried to get it out of her?" I asked.

"So many times. Each time we tried, we failed" Hayley said, her voice cracking with emotions.

"They told me I wasn't going to survive long enough to celebrate my twentieth birthday if I didn't find someone with a soothing energy"

"If you can stay by her side long enough for her to have her first shift, the dark energy will be dispelled. My sister would be able to live because of you" Venom explained.

"Please, Ava. Help me. I don't want to die" Hayley pleaded, a tear rolling down her cheek.

It was my chance to find Keegan. Like hell would I throw this opportunity away. I also felt sorry for Hayley. I hoped I could help her. Truth was, I had no idea that I possessed such energy.

"Fine. I don't really have anywhere else to go," I said. Hayley beamed at me, her eyes glistening with tears.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Ava."

...

The three of us arrived at the pack house the next morning. Venom took me to one of the rooms to help me settle down.

"You can freshen up in the bathroom. Someone will be here to take you to your assigned room" He said and I nodded in understanding. His overpowering scent lingered in the bedroom even when he was long gone. Stretching my arms above my head, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Alright, Ava. This twisted game is about to begin. You have to be smart about it" I muttered.

Finding Keegan had brought me to Silverfalls town. Once he'd rejected me, I would make sure to find my way out of town. I knew it was going to make Hayley feel sad, but I just didn't want to complicate the situation.

After taking a shower, I changed my clothes and proceeded to dry my hair using my towel. I was just about to peek out from the window when I heard the knock on the door.

So, I dropped the towel and walked towards the door. I opened it, a gasp escaping my lips. Although I'd been preparing for this moment for a while, I felt unprepared. Standing a little over six feet, he had the body of a warrior. His black T-shirt hugged his upper body and highlighted his muscled form. He used to have short hair. But, he had ditched it for longer blonde hair in a ponytail. When our gazes locked, a shiver ran down my spine. It felt as though he was a stranger because his eyes were no longer warm. They were as frigid as ice. There was no mistaking it because his face was tattooed in the back of my mind. It was Keegan, the man who had abandoned me.

"Keegan?"

If he recognized me, he did not show it.

"Do you not recognize me?" I asked and he blinked.

"Should I?" He deadpanned, his face expressionless. I knew in this moment that I was truly fucked.