DanielEverything in me was screaming for me to go with Ava and Kai, but under the circumstances, it was impossible. We both needed time to process what happened, as well as figuring out what it was that we wanted. I suggested that we take a week and meet up at the ice-cream shop at the same time the following week.To keep Ava and my son safe, I let them leave first. I also wanted to send one of my warriors to follow them, and to find out exactly where their pack was situated. The moment I left the store, my father wanted to know what we had decided, and if the baby he saw was mine.“I wouldn’t trust a word that girl said. It is clear that she hid the truth from you. From the start, it was a very real possibility that her pack had planned all of it. And that the so-called mate bond you felt was all fake. What if that pack found a witch to put a spell on you? You know I wouldn’t put anything past them.” I growled at my father, and he took a step back. I couldn’t believe that he was ac
AvaDaniel and I had a week to decide not only our own fates, but also that of our packs, and more importantly, Kai’s. It felt very overwhelming to make a decision that could impact my son’s future so dramatically. How was Kai going to rule two packs that had been in a blood feud for generations?My grandmother entered the room as I was getting Kai ready for the evening. I put him down in his crib when she called me over. I could tell from the look in her eyes that whatever she was about to say was going to be something that I wasn’t going to like.“Nobody wants to push you into a corner, but I feel that this has to be said. You and Daniel might have declared a temporary ceasefire between the packs, but our pack has been without its Alpha since the day your parents died. There is no way they are going to accept the Alpha of our biggest enemy as their ruler. I know that all of this is new to you, but you have to think about what will happen to our people and our family, if you allow th
DanielI could completely understand why Ava didn’t want anything to do with me. I also understood why my pack wasn’t happy about the recent turn of events. That was my problem. I could understand all of their points of view, but nobody was even willing to listen to mine.I had a son. A son, I had only spent a couple of minutes with. I didn’t even know when his birthday was, for goodness’s sake! I also had a son with my destined mate. How could any of them deny me the privilege of having a life with the one person the moon goddess believed was the right person for me?With my mind made up, I called a pack meeting. I informed them of what happened between me and Ava because I didn’t want anyone going rogue. I didn’t want someone from my pack forcing a war. To make sure none of them would be able to do so, I gave an Alpha order to the effect.“You can’t do that son!” My father growled in front of everyone, and it was the last straw. I shifted, not caring how it was going to look, and gl
AvaThis was too big of a decision to make on my own. If it was just me and Kai that I had to worry about, the decision would have been simple, but I also had to think about the safety of my people. I had read everything there was to read about the war between the packs, but something told me that the history books were pretty one-sided.I was sure that if I read Daniel’s pack’s history books, I would see an entirely different picture. Then there was also that mate bond thing my grandmother told me about. Suddenly, I knew that I had found the one little loose thread I needed.My only hope was that I could find a way to unravel whatever this tension was between the two packs. I called them all together in our square, and I was again surprised by the sheer number of pack members. From what I saw while I was Daniel’s prisoner, we outnumbered their pack two to one.“I have called all of you together to remind you of something. Daniel isn’t just Kai’s father. He is also my destined mate.”
Ava“Just hear me out…” I could tell from the look on his face that I probably wasn’t going to like what he had to say, but I still had to listen.“I know you won’t believe me, but I believe if you and I stood together as one, we would be able to save all of our people.” Something sparked in his eyes.“What are you saying?” I believed I knew what he was getting at. I just needed to hear him say it. I had no idea how I was going to respond. I didn’t know what it was that I really wanted. That was the crux of my problem. Did I do what my heart told me to do? Or did I follow what my mind told me was the right thing?“I’m saying that if you and I were official mates, neither of our packs would be able to fight the other. We would force them into a peace agreement.” It was the first time I saw hope in his eyes.“Are you being serious? After the way you treated me, you still expect me to accept you as my mate?” I stood up and was about to leave, when he gripped my arm. In one swift movement
DanielThe law that I grew up with, that we couldn’t be mated to our destined mates, had to have a history. I needed to find a way to change it, and the only way I could think of was by researching how it started. I wasn’t even sure if I was barking up the wrong tree, but I had to try.It would help me to also find a solution to my biggest problem, or at least that was the hope. I wasn’t sure how I was going to convince Ava that I wasn’t a monster. I also had to work through the last feelings I had about the fact that she killed my brother.I knew that she probably acted in self-defense. Since I was the one who sent my brother after her, knowing who he was, there was the very real possibility that I was to blame for his death, far more than she was. The problem was not how I saw things, but how my pack was going to see it.My father was definitely going to try and convince the pack that it was Ava’s fault, no matter how he felt about me. If he went as far as blaming me, I would know t
AvaI was shocked by the scene in front of us as soon as we arrived in town. My animal side pushed to take over, and I had to fight with every part of me to keep my human side conscious. All around us, in the streets, the bodies of the people who used to bring life to the town were strewn.The scent of blood was thick in the air, and not a single light was burning. There was no sign of Daniel’s pack, except for their scent that mixed with that of the blood. It was clear that this was a trap, and they were probably hiding in the shadows.It was shocking to see what lengths they went to, to draw us out of hiding. My heart stopped as I found my two best friends, still holding each other’s hands in the middle of the street. As if their lifeless bodies weren’t bad enough, my wolf hearing quickly told me that neither of them had a heartbeat.Before we could even process what was happening, the Blackridge pack attacked. On the one hand, it was a good thing that all the humans were dead. Our
Ava“What are you doing on the floor, dear?” Grandma rushed over frowning and Daniel was right behind her.“I tripped.” I was still very lost, and my mind couldn’t wrap itself around what Bastet had said. I was convinced I was going mad. The last thing I remembered from my nightmare that Bastet told me was my past life was incredible pain. It felt so real, that for a moment I was ready to scratch out Daniel’s eyes.“You should be a little more careful young lady.” Daniel held out his hand to help me up, and I resisted the urge to smack it out of the way.“Oh, honey! This is Daniel. He is a scout from one of the colleges, and he has an offer to make you.” Grandma’s eyes sparkled the exact same way they did the first time she introduced him and me. I glared at Daniel as I found my footing.“You know that I’m not interested in college, besides, we are leaving early tomorrow morning. Neither of us can be out late tonight.” Bastet told me that this was the moment that changed everything. I