Xander's povIt was the next day and I was in a study trying to finish up some work that I couldn't do the previous night due to the constant pull to go check up on Ava.After giving her the vial the tug and pain in my chest stopped and I could finally think. A knock sounded at my door breaking my train of thoughts.“Come in.” I ordered without looking up from the documents on my desk.There was a good shortage in silverclaw pack due to the harsh winter so I needed to get more food for them.“Good morning, your majesty.” The person said to make me look up and I saw that it was Mary. “Go ahead?” I calmly said, shifting my gaze to what I was doing. “The servant, Ava, miraculously survived through the night and some of her injuries are gone. Although, the major ones like her leg aren't completely healed.” She said,“Good, have her meet me in the dining hall.” I said in a dismissive tone and went back to my task.I paused when I realized that she was still in my office and hadn't moved
Ava's povI cursed him with everything in me, I hated him. The flesh in my leg that had started to heal ripped opened as I knelt down next to him.I knew he could smell my blood, they all did. I was in excruciating pain, my mind kept wondering back to the night of the incident. He looked like he regretted what he did before I blacked out but I guess that was just my mind playing tricks with me because the man before me didn't even have an ounce of regret.I bit my lip to hold back my cry of pain, tears welled in my eyes but I refused to let a single one fall. My belly rumbles in hunger as I hadn't eaten since I woke up because the alpha had requested my presence.They were talking and laughing as though a girl wasn't bleeding onto the floor right now, they were really disgusting. I tried my best to tune them out, it wasn't even hard because I had the excruciating pain to focus on.“Ava.” I heard him call out, I had hoped he'd choke on his food and die.I didn't look up as Madam Mary h
Ava's povI felt a burning sensation in my chest, something weird, I don't know. What is wrong with me? I simply bowed my head. Maybe if I hadn't been so defiant I wouldn't be here suffering this much.I gathered the alpha's dishes in my arms and began limping to the kitchen leaving a trail of blood in my wake, other servants began to pack up the rest.I was almost at the servant's entrance to the kitchen when I heard, “wait.”It was the alpha, again. I had barely been a day since I had been chosen as his personal entertainer and I was about to kill myself.With great difficulty I turned to him, his gaze wasn't on me but on Vanessa. “Who is she?” He asked.Everyone paused to watch, confused at what was going on. “What do you mean, Alpha?” Vanessa asked.“I don't like to repeat myself.” He replied.“She's your personal entertainer.” Vanessa replied.“That she is. Don't ever make the mistake of telling her what to do ever again, Vanessa.” He told her, his tone was calm and low but carr
Ava's povI watched as Heather applied an ointment to my leg, it burned but not that much. Then she crushed the herbs in her palm and sprinkled it.The herbs brought a cool relief to me and I couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.“It feels nice, right?” She asked.I could only nod, the door opened and Thomas walked in with some sticks in hand. He knelt beside Heather and handed the sticks to her, she lifted my leg and placed it on her thigh.The movement caused me a great deal of pain but I sucked it in.“Hold this.” She said to Thomas as she placed the sticks on either side of my leg then began wrapping it with a cloth.Tears spilled out of my eyes and I cursed the day the alpha king was born, it would have been best if he wasn't born.“All done.” Heather said then gently placed my leg on the floor.She crushed some herbs, “open your mouth.”I did as she instructed then she poured the herbs in my mouth, they were bitter and slightly minty. I chewed against my disgust then swall
Ava's pov Everyone let out a breath around me. Heather quickly collected the skewed meat from me and helped me stand up, she washed my hands then gave me my crutches. “Quickly.” She said ushering me out of the kitchen. Thankfully the king had stopped to speak to a guard in the hallway and I noticed that the beta was with him as well. I quickly walked over to him, he casted a glance at me as I got close to him then his gaze drifted to my crutches and lingered for a second before he turned back to the guard who gave him a nod then returned to his duty post. I felt eyes on me and I turned to see that the beta was looking at me with something like curiosity in his eyes. Beta Magnus Kane, I have heard about him. He is quiet and reserved due to something that happened in his childhood, he is also ruthless when need be. Other than the alpha king, he is someone that I do not want to cross. The king began walking and I followed behind him and the beta. They got to the grand stair
Xander's Pov) “Are you okay, alpha?” Magnus asked me as we left the study. “I am fine, it's just…” I trailed off, I didn't know how to explain it to him. “Just what?” He pushed. “The girl, there's something about her. It bothers me.” I finally said. “What exactly?” Magnus asked. “I can't exactly explain it but my body reacts to her in a way it shouldn't. I have a theory in my head but it's not possible, it can't be.” I was talking about the possibility of Ava being my mate. “Care to share?” He asked. “No, not until I have confirmed my other suspicion. I plan on getting to the bottom of it today.” I told him in a bid to end the conversation. He was silent for a while as we continued on our walk to the barracks, I needed to discuss something with one of the captains. “What exactly is this suspicion?” He broke the silence, I was surprised by his curiosity as Magnus is usually one to mind his business. Seeing as he won't let the matter go, I stopped in my tracks and turned to hi
Ava's pov) “I'll take you to the infirmary now.” The princess said to me. “No don't, your highness.” With the little bit of strength I had left, I freed myself from her grasp and fell to the floor. She reached out to help me but I held out a hand stopping her, “Don’t. I need to clean the king's study before he gets back.” “You need to see a healer!” She screamed. “Please.” I pleaded, tears welled up in my eyes. I was disgusted at my weakness, less than a week after being selected I had become weak. “You can't work in thi—” I cut her off, “yes I can!” I picked up my crutches and hauled myself up with great difficulty, then I remembered who I was talking to. “I'm sorry for my outburst, your highness.” I carried my bloody body to the storage closet to get some supplies. I stood for a moment wondering how I was going to hold them and walk not to talk more of going up a flight of stairs. “Please, let me help. It's the least I can do.” I heard the princess say from behind me. “Okay
Ava's pov “Invisible ink.” I whispered under my breath as hidden details began to show up on the paper. My brother had taught me some things about invisible ink before he went missing. I knew that water could reveal it but it wasn't the best choice as it could damage the paper. I tried my best to dry the water as my hand was more damp than wet when it touched the paper. Luckily, it dried in no time. I angled the paper in a way that the sunlight from the window behind the desk was directly on it, and more details came to light. Hidden alcoves and catacombs that I planned to explore came to light. I searched his office for invisible ink, I knew what it looked like. I was about to give up when I found it hidden deep inside his drawer. I placed my linen on the map and gently began to trace the details onto it. I made sure to hold the feather lightly so as not to transfer more invisible ink onto the alpha's map. “Alpha.” I heard someone say outside the study, my head snapped
Xander's povSomething felt off, I don't know why but the feeling was there. I was walking to Ava's room because I had forgotten to invite her to have dinner with me earlier.I stood outside her door and hesitated for a moment before knocking. I still couldn't shake off the fact that she was hiding something from me. I understood that our relationship was still rocky— very rocky, so I didn't expect her to open up to me so easily.With a sigh, I raised up my hand and knocked.Silence.I knocked again.No response. “Ava?” I called out and was still met with silence.Frowning, I pushed the door open. It was unlocked, surprisingly. The room was empty and her bed was made.Where could she be?Her scent was still faint in the room as I followed it.Where could she be at this hour? Having dinner with the other servants?I followed her scent as I walked through the empty corridors. It led me through different hallways. I had expected it to take me to either the servant's quarters, kitchen or
Ava’s POVI searched my brain for a response. “I… I couldn't sleep. My mind kept reeling with everything you told me the other day about Vanessa and the council.” I said, casually. “I went for a walk to clear my head.”“At night?” he asked, looking skeptical. “After everything I told you, you still went on a walk that late knowing that it's dangerous? That’s… not like you.”“You don't know me well enough.” I blurted.He flinched, making me feel bad. I didn't mean to cause him harm but I needed him to drop the matter.I looked away and focused on my bedside table instead. “I just needed some air.”He sighed then took a step closer to me making me look at him once more. He towered over my small figure and his scent washed over me. “Ava,” he said softly, grabbing my hands. “I know that as a human this is all frightening but I want you to know that I'm by your side and always will be. If something is wrong you need to tell me, come find me no matter the time of the day.I stared at him“
Ava's povI walked back the path I had come from just like Heather and Thomas had instructed. I found the two waiting for me not far from the clearing. Thomas was pacing and Heather was biting her finger nail, face etched with concern.She was the first to notice me. “How did it go?” Heather asked softly as I approached.I shook my head, unable to find the words. A lot of things had been discovered tonight and I didn't know where to start from. “Let’s just go back.”They exchanged a glance but didn’t press me further. The walk back to the place the cart had dropped us off was a quiet one. The forest was eerily quiet now as if it could sense the tension in me.When we finally reached the rocky path and another cart was waiting for us. We reached the cart and I climbed in without a word, pulling my cloak tightly around me. Heather and Thomas sat on either side of me, their presence brought me a sense of comfort. I wasn't alone at least.I had a lot of thinking to do.The ride back to th
Ava's povDarius paused, mid sentence, his green eyes locking with mine as he furrowed his brows in confusion. He was shocked.“You don't know?” He asked voice barely above a whisper, he couldn't believe it.“Know what?” My tone came out much sharper than I had intended. My heart raced as dread pooled in my stomach at what he was insinuating.He ran a hand over his face. “I thought you'd have figured it out by now.”“What are you talking about?” I snapped.“The bond. Don't you feel it? The instant attraction, his scent, the sparks, the tingles. Didn't you see his protectiveness over you? Ava… Xander is your mate.”Silence.I couldn't control it as I burst out laughing. The situation was comical, like he actually expected me to believe that a human could be mated to a werewolf.“What's funny?” He asked.I held up a hand for him to wait whilst I caught my breath. “You are.” I said finally. “Did you actually expect me to believe that?”His expression darkened slightly. “Ava, this isn't a
Ava's povHe then sighed and turned to the fire. He took a seat on one of the logs of wood next to the fire and gestured for me to do the same.Hesitantly, I obeyed and walked towards him. My legs felt weak— like jelly, as I took a seat across from him. He may be my brother but he wasn't the Darius I knew any longer. In the past few years that has has been missing something changed, I could tell.So I wasn't going to trust him easily. He was acting… suspicious. How does he know the things that he does? I needed answers.The fire flickered casting shadows on his face as I watched him.“There’s so much you don’t know, a lot that I need to tell you.” he began, his voice steady but lacking warmth. It was cold and distant, like he was here physically but his mind was elsewhere. “When I disappeared, it wasn’t by choice. I was taken.”“Taken?” I asked.“Yes,” he said, his jaw tightening. “By the werewolves. They thought I was the one the prophecy spoke about, Ava. They know about your blood
Ava's povThe ride was a bumpy one as the cart jolted on the uneven path. Every bump made my nerves worse, I began to second guess my decision but it was already too late.Heather and Thomas were silent throughout the ride, nothing needed to be said because their presence was calming enough. Looking back, the castle was far behind us, only the spikes of its towers could be seen in the horizon.The cart slowed and came to a stop. The driver— a short, chubby man with sharp eyes, turned to ys. “This is the furthest I can go. The meeting point isn't too far from here, just walk down this path and you'll find it.” He said pointing at a path to our left.“Thank you.” I whispered to him, he gave a nod in return.Thomas helped Heather get down then me. The air was chilly so I pulled my cloak tighter around my body.“Stay close.” Thomas said, his voice low.The driver gave us one last tip of his hat before he kicked the horse and went on his way, disappearing into the forest.I took a deep bre
Ava's povI decided to take a nap to rest my head and gather my thoughts. To my surprise, there was a basket of food waiting for me outside my door when I woke up.I knew that no one had access to that wing except Xander and myself. It was so thoughtful of him to do this for me.After eating I decided to take a bit of fresh air outside my room. It was late so the castle was dark, Xander's warning rang in my head but I promised that I was going to be quick and I was going to scream at the top of my lungs if someone attacked me.I walked with my bare feet on the cold stone floors, something about me grounded me. The castle was a bit cold and I welcomed it.“We must meet. There are truths you need to hear, but they cannot be written.”What truths? What could he possibly want to tell me that would justify the danger of leaving the castle? What does he know that I know?It all sent a chill down my spine.The soft clattering of a pebble against the floor in the silent castle startled me. M
Ava's povA lot of strange things have been happening a lot lately. This was my second time seeing the shadow, first with beta Magnus and now outside the laundry room.It was being… controlled. Sent by someone and I knew their target was me, for what reason? I don't know.I sighed and rubbed my face in exhaustion as I walked back to my room. Pulling the note out of my pocket I read its content once again and traced by fingers along its edges.“We must meet.”The words kept replaying in my head. It felt like some sort of challenge and an invitation at the same time.D.It was just a single letter but something about it. I couldn't put my finger on it but my intuition told me that I should meet with him. I rested my head against the cool glass window and stared at the letter.Everyone seemed to have faith in me, why? I don’t know. Did I deserve their faith? I wasn't sure. The more I stared at the note the more the handwriting began to look… familiar.A knock at the door pulled me out of
Ava's povI gave her a hug then watched her disappear back into the servant's quarters before heading to my room, entering and shutting the door behind me. The space felt smaller than usual, the walls pressing in as the weight of the rebellion’s expectations settled on my shoulders.I pulled out the letter again, rereading D’s words. “You are more than you know.”His words echoed in my mind as I laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep didn’t come easily, my thoughts were filled with fear and a million questions.What did they mean, I was more than I knew?The Next Morning…The castle was quieter than usual, the tension in the air was thick and I knew that it had something to do with the council meeting yesterday. I hadn't seen Xander since and as much as I didn't like to admit, I was worried about him.I kept my head down as I went about my tasks, avoiding unnecessary interactions. Xander didn’t assign me any task but I couldn't just sit around and do nothing so I joined