Iris’s POV
The sound of the knife hitting the cutting board filled the kitchen, steady and slow. I wasn’t in a rush. Cooking had always been one of the few things that calmed my mind, and tonight wasn’t any different. The sky outside had already darkened, rain had started falling not too long ago, and the cold breeze slipping through the window kept brushing against my skin.
I could hear the soft sounds of gunfire and explosions coming from the sitting room. Zayne was buried deep in another one of his video games. His laughter would echo every now and then, followed by the sound of him trash-talking the other players.
In the corner of the room, Steve sat with his head bent over a pile of books, his pen mo
AVA'S POV“Disgusting stripper…” I heard one of the students bark as what seemed to be a rotten, large tomato splattered across my face. Laughter erupted around me, fingers pointing and mocking. Tears filled my eyes almost instantly; every step I took toward this humiliation felt more painful than the last.The abuse didn’t stop there. More strange objects hit me as I stood frozen in place, the sound of their laughter echoing in the room. My suffering was clearly entertainment for them. I felt filthy—not just from the disgusting object they had thrown, but deep inside, I felt filthy too.“Why are you suddenly crying? Isn’t this your job? Shouldn’t you be proud of it?” Vanessa sneered in my ear, forcing me to walk down the hallway while holding up a sign that read: The Packs’ Renowned Stripper Ava.I bit down on my lower lip, struggling to hold back more tears. It was harder than I had thought. I couldn’t stand up to Vanessa; I knew that would only bring me trouble, especially since sh
AVA'S POV“Mate?” Zach repeated, confusion written all over his face as he stared at me. That single word, the only thing he had said all night, left me even more confused.How could I be mated to Zach Storm? The only son of the renowned beta of this pack, and me—a nobody. At that moment, I didn’t know whether to feel excited at the thought of being mated to the most popular guy in school or terrified by the look Vanessa was giving me. It was as if I had committed a crime.“There’s no way!” Tracy shouted, looking horrified. “That’s disgusting, Zach. How can you be mated to her?”Zach said nothing, just kept his eyes fixed on me as he slowly rose to his feet and began walking in my direction. Fear took over me instantly. What was he going to do? Surely, he wouldn’t break the bond—finding a mate was rare, and everyone wanted one—but still, what was he planning?“Zach, this is ridiculous. She’s disgusting!” Vanessa intervened, jumping to her feet and hurrying toward him, trying to get hi
AVA'S POVI had heard of second chance mates. The odds of an alpha falling in love with an omega and marrying her were way higher than the chances of finding a second chance mate. In fact, the chances of the moon goddess herself getting married to a wolf were still better than ever finding a second chance mate.It was a miracle, something that only happened maybe once in a thousand years—well, for our pack, at least. And yet, somehow, I had a second chance mate. Not just one. Three.I sat there on the floor, staring up at them, wondering what god had woken up one day and decided to spend thousands of years crafting the most beautiful work of art I had ever seen. They all stood around 6'4". The one on the left had the most stunning green eyes, with rich brown hair styled just enough to make me want to run my fingers through it. His chiseled face looked like something out of a painting, each feature perfectly set.The one on the right... I wanted to say he was the typical handsome blond
Ava’s Pov“Can you get in the car?” Zayne asked, his piercing silver eyes locking onto mine. Just looking at him made my wolf stir. Something about him felt different from his brothers—was this the mate bond everyone talked about? I wasn’t sure, especially after last night. I hadn’t had time to figure anything out before I was being chased by whoever Vanessa, their insane sister, had sent after me. “It’s okay. No one’s going to hurt you. Please, get in,” Steve said softly, his gentle eyes meeting mine as he took my hand. The moment his hand touched mine, a strange sense of calm came over me. It felt like I could tell him my darkest secrets, and he wouldn’t judge me for any of them. His hand was soft yet firm, grounding me in a way I didn’t expect. My wolf stirred again, even stronger this time, just from the brief contact. I didn’t want him to let go. For some reason, I felt like I could trust him—unlike his brother, Zayne, whose stern and unapproachable look made me uneasy.
Ava's Pov My hands brushed over my lips as my mind kept replaying what had happened in the car. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, no matter how hard I tried. I paced back and forth in the massive room I had been given, trying to calm myself down. The memory of Iris leaning in, the way my stupid self had actually closed my eyes, waiting for the kiss, haunted me. “I’m so stupid!” I groaned, throwing myself onto the bed and letting out a deep sigh. How had I ended up in such a ridiculous situation? The brothers had assumed I was exhausted—and honestly, I was—so they had shown me to this room and told me we’d have a proper conversation in the morning. Now, I've been left alone for hours. At first, the TV had been enough to distract me, with different interesting shows playing. But eventually, boredom crept in, and my thoughts drifted back to Iris. The way he had touched my face, the way he had almost kissed me. It was all I could think about. But none of that mattered. I nee
Ava's POV. My breath hitched at his question. Did he truly want an answer to that? Should I tell him that I wanted him to let go of everything holding him back? “Ava…” He whispered, igniting a slow burn deep inside me. “Should I let go?” He repeated, and before I could say anything in response, something warm flicked against my neck My body stiffened as realization hit me. It was his tongue on my skin. A strange heat that I had never felt before rose within me as he traced a slow path from my nape to my collar. He pulled his lips away moments before pressing them against my collar. He began sucking gently on my collar. I had to bite on my lips to stop a moan that threatened to escape. “You're so beautiful,” He whispered. His voice was filled with desire as he slowly pulled the strap of my dress down and kissed my bare shoulder. The slow nibbles became rougher and sent shivers down my spine. My heart began pounding loudly that I was sure he could hear it. I was losing myself
Ava's POV. Were the triplets just pretending to be nice so they could crush me right after? Were they just deceiving me? I glanced at Iris again and wondered if I had misinterpreted the smirk I caught on his lips or if I was overthinking things. “Iris! I’m talking to you!” Vanessa yelled again and snapped me out of my thoughts. “Just shut up and get off my phone!” He retorted coldly. “Iris, I know you aren't stupid enough to be with a common stripper—”“I don't see anything wrong with being a stripper. It's a job and doesn't make someone less of a person. Stop your backward thinking!” He defended me. “You don't know what you are talking about!” She snapped. “Disconnect call,” Iris said, ending the call. I suddenly became confused. He smirked at her words but still defended me. “Don't take what she said to heart,” He whispered, facing me. “I'm used to it already,” I stuttered, looking away from him. “Don't worry, she won't bother you at all,” He muttered, his voice confident
Ava's POV. I didn't know how I did it, but I summoned the strength and struggled to my feet. Without wasting a second, I resumed running, and this time at a faster pace. I couldn't risk getting caught. I refused to die like this. I might be a poor and ridiculed stripper, but I still had dreams.Although those dreams seemed impossible, I still wanted to fulfill them. “Someone help!” I screamed, tears flowing down my cheeks. As I turned a corner, I realized that I had reached a dead end. There was nowhere else to run. I stopped for a moment and glanced around. I felt this sudden relief when I saw a door. I just prayed it was open; if not, I was good as dead. As I rushed towards the door and was about to grab the doorknob, it suddenly flung open. I gasped and almost fell back, but a pair of firm hands grabbed my waist. A forest-like scent, particularly sandalwood, wafted through my nostrils. It felt so calming and soothing to my soul. “Ava,” I heard a deep but soft voice that mad
Iris’s POVThe sound of the knife hitting the cutting board filled the kitchen, steady and slow. I wasn’t in a rush. Cooking had always been one of the few things that calmed my mind, and tonight wasn’t any different. The sky outside had already darkened, rain had started falling not too long ago, and the cold breeze slipping through the window kept brushing against my skin.I could hear the soft sounds of gunfire and explosions coming from the sitting room. Zayne was buried deep in another one of his video games. His laughter would echo every now and then, followed by the sound of him trash-talking the other players.In the corner of the room, Steve sat with his head bent over a pile of books, his pen mo
Ava’s POVTwo days had passed, but the weight on my chest only seemed to grow heavier. School hadn’t been any easier either. I spent the day dragging myself from one class to another, pretending to listen, pretending to laugh, pretending to be fine, but I know I wasn’t a little bit fine.I have found a way to escape from Vanessa's torment, but I can’t do that forever. I have to find a way to escape her finally. But how?I have stood up for myself the other day, but that can’t continue forever.I brushed the thought away, trying to ease myself before I’d get home. Knowing fully my stepmom is going to be sitting inside the sitting room waiting for the money I promised he
Ava’s POVI let out a long quiet breath the moment Vanessa was gone. My fingers were still slightly stiff from how tightly I’d held her wrist, and my chest ached from holding my breath too long.Even though Venessa walked away, I knew it wouldn’t be the end. I knew her well enough to know she’d come back harder. Vanessa wasn’t the type to lose and stay quiet. She’d wait for the right moment to make me pay for daring to stand up for myself.But even knowing that, I didn’t feel scared.I pulled in another deep breath, pushing my hair away from my face, and slowly turned back toward my locker. My legs felt heavy, like they wanted to give up, but I forced them to move.When I reached my seat, I sat down with a heavy breath, my eyes scanning my desk, the thought of Zach dropping another unrequited gift lump around me. I swallowed hard, my fingers hesitated on the lock for a moment before I pulled the desk open.The first thing I did was look inside. My eyes swept every corner, half-expect
Ava’s POVVenessa lifted her arms, attempt to slap me but before her hand could reach me, my hand shot up, fast, wrapping around her wrist so tight I felt her pulse jump beneath my fingers, my grip didn’t shake. I made sure of it.Her eyes dropped to where I held her, and for a second I saw the shift of surprise flickered, just barely, in her gaze before the anger came crashing back even harder.I know she hadn’t expected me to stop her…..I know, she thought I’d stand and take every of her shit, like I always did. But not again.“Let go of my hand Ava,” her lips clipped together, her eyes held mine.
Ava’s POVVanessa’s lips curled into a small, sharp snicker as she stared down at me.She didn’t say anything, She just stood before me, tapping her fingers against her folded arms, circling me like a cat deciding how long it wanted to play with its trapped prey. Every of her footstep adds to the tickling of my heart beat.I kept my head down, my fingers gripping the dirt-stained edge of my skirt, holding on like it was the only thing keeping me grounded. My chest rose and fell too fast, my heartbeat pounding inside my ears so loud it drowned everything else, but still, I couldn’t move. My body stayed frozen. Only my ears worked.Venessa suddenly stopped
Ava’s POVMy heart skipped a beat the second my eyes met hers.For a moment, I couldn’t move. My feet stayed glued to the floor, and all the air seemed to disappear from my lungs. Of all the things I expected to face this morning, Vanessa standing right there in front of me wasn’t one of them.My whole body tensed, and one single thought kept spinning through my head. Is this week going to be as fun as last week?Venessa stayed away all last week, and for once, I’d been able to breathe without the thought of her hanging over me.Last week was easier. I guess I let myself hope that maybe, just maybe I’d get a little more time
Writer’s POVMonday came with the usual noise of a new school week. The hallways were crowded with students.Vanessa walked into the school building, her arms folded on her chest.Her steps were slow, but her presence, as always, was impossible to ignore. Heads turned, some whispered, some stared longer than they should. She hadn’t been around lately, skipping school under the excuse of “needing to rest.” But no one dared question her too much, not when it came to Vanessa.The moment she stepped into the classroom, the student noticed her.Their faces lit up almost instantly, one by one, as if the sun
Ava’s POVI couldn’t help it, the moment those words left his mouth, the moment he stood there looking so serious, like all of this was normal I started laughing again.I know I’m laughing so hard but it wasn’t because I was happy. It was because this whole thing felt so stupid and even Zach looks like a stupid creature to me now. I paused with the laugh and shook my head slowly. I stared at him, almost feeling sorry for him. Almost.“You know,” I said, folding my arms across my chest, “I think you are the most foolish person I’ve ever met.” I muttered. His face twitched a little, but he didn’t say anything. He just stood there, watching me like a movie.“You actually expect me to believe that nonsense you just vomited now?” I raised my brow at him, stepping a little to the side, holding his eyes. “Let me guess….” I lifted my hand and started to mock his words, mimicking his voice in the most childish way I could. “‘I thought I could just push it away and pretend it wasn’t real……But
Ava’s POVAfter making my statement, I had barely taken two steps out of the classroom before I heard his hurried footsteps behind me.Before I could even move faster, I felt his hand wrap around my wrist.I froze with my eyes wide open. That same sharp anger that had been buried deep inside me came rushing back like it had never left. My whole body stiffened, and my head slowly turned until my eyes locked onto his hand holding me.I didn’t even have to say a word. The look on my face was enough.Zach’s fingers loosened immediately, and he let go, stepping back as if my skin had burned him.I stood there, staring at him for a second, my heart pounding in a way that had nothing to do with feelings. It was just pure frustration.“What do you want now?” My voice was cold and steady, the kind of voice I usually saved for people who didn’t know when to stop. “Didn’t you hear what I said in there? Or are you pretending you didn’t understand?”His lips parted, but he hesitated like the word