AvaI had come to know the man who brought me the things I needed the first time, Alex, who was Daniel’s brother. I wanted to know what they were and, although I was still incredibly careful around them, it didn’t seem as though they were planning on hurting me. They were monsters. That much I was sure of, but nobody tried to physically hurt me.Alex was kind enough to bring me a television and some of my favourite books. It was meant to be a good gift, but I sat on the bed alone watching as my arch nemesis took the title I had been working for my entire life. I knew I would be able to return after I had the baby, and if I worked really hard, I would have one more shot at the title, but something told me I was never going back to ice skating.I even tried to fool myself into trying to practice some of the moves in the small room, but after the world championships were over, I stopped practicing. Days quickly turned into weeks and each time Daniel came to see me the anger in his eyes b
Ava“What is this?” Alex frowned later that evening when he brought me dinner, and he picked up the ultrasound picture the doctor left me. I shrugged, but I couldn’t wait for him to leave, so I could search for the first picture. I was missing out on so much of the happiness this pregnancy should have brought me that I really wanted to keep as many of the memories I possibly could.I found my handbag in the back of the cupboard and when I opened it, the picture was right on top. I took it out and my fingers stroked over the image as I remembered what happened that day and I thought about my poor grandmother.She was probably frantic with worry and it was all my fault. If I had only made sure that Daniel used protection, we wouldn’t be in this situation right now. I held the second picture beside the first and a tear ran down the side of my cheek. My grandmother was going to become a great-grandmother, and she wouldn’t even be there to see it.I spent most of the night crying even thou
AvaI could feel the tension in the air, but nobody was saying a word about why everyone had suddenly become so serious. All I could think was that there might be something wrong with the baby. So, I asked Neil the next time he came around for my checkup.He smiled and assured me that there was nothing wrong and that I was probably just feeling that way because I had been cooped up in that room for months. I just glared at Daniel, who didn’t say a word. After everyone finally left, Daniel returned looking grim.“What the hell is going on Daniel?!” I glared at Daniel as he paced back and forth in front of my bed. When he finally came to a halt, he turned around and stared at me for a moment before storming off again.HarperI WAS FURIOUS. I was promised that I would become the Luna. I was promised that I would carry the heir to our pack, and now that heir was going to be Daniel’s bastard. I felt betrayed, lied to, and humiliated. Daniel promised that we would still get mated after the
DanielI could see the fury in my father’s eyes. I could see him weighing out his options. If he challenged me and accidentally won, he would no longer have an heir, but he would have his title and power back. If he lost, he wouldn’t just be humiliated, but he would also be dead.“Fine! I will leave the girl alone for now.” His eyes were filled with hatred, but I knew that he hated Ava and the situation I had put myself in, and not me.“Dad. You have to stay away. We all know she will probably die from childbirth. So, there is no need for you to put any of us in any further danger. Please, I’m only going to ask this one more time. Don’t do something we will all regret.” I let go of my father, but I could see that he was not going to listen. He stormed off and at the end of the passage I saw Harper glaring at me.“I know you, Daniel.” Alex gripped my arm. “Don’t let dad draw you in to his drama like he always did when we were children.”“Shut up Alex! This is not the time to pretend t
AvaI was surprised when Alex walked in an hour later with a salad instead of the normal meal they had been bringing me. I was even more surprised when Alex said we could go for a walk after I had finished my salad.“I thought it was too dangerous to leave my room?” I glared at Alex.“It is, but Daniel has made sure that nobody will bother us?” After everything I had been through in this place, I wasn’t sure if I could trust Alex, but I really wanted fresh air. It felt eerie as we walked down the empty passage and made our way outside. The porch looked comfortable with its rocking chairs and homemade cushions.I could not see anyone in what seemed to be their “town square.” There was a beautiful fountain in the middle of the square, just like the one in my hometown. There were fragrant roses planted on the edges, and there was a huge tree in one corner, with a lush green lawn, and a wooden bench underneath it.“I know you’re probably not going to tell me, but I’m going to ask anyway.
DanielOver the coming months, I watched and feared as Ava’s belly grew. I was constantly on edge, not only because my father did not listen, and kept trying to get to Ava, but also, because I knew that she would soon be gone. With each passing day, I was getting closer to meeting my pup, but also to losing Ava.I was madly in love with her, and the more I saw her relationship with Alex grow, the more it pained me to watch. I could tell that Harper was up to something, I just wasn’t able to figure out what. The tension within our pack was growing, and there was nothing I could do to stop the divide.HarperI was not in love with Daniel. Everybody knew that. But, as the future Luna, I deserved more respect from Daniel. This was our way. It was decided long ago. Why couldn’t he just have done the right thing from the start, and rejected the girl, the moment he found out?She had been there for months, and I could feel Daniel pulling away from me more and more each day. Daniel’s father h
AvaHarper ran so fast that some of the branches were hitting me in the face, and I could feel one of them cutting into my cheek. We reached the main road, and I was stunned at the speed with which we had covered such an enormous distance. Harper kneeled, and got off, after which she shifted back into her human form. I couldn’t understand how Daniel could be engaged to such a stunning woman, and still sleep with me.“Ava, you can never come back. You can never speak to Daniel again. He is mine. I’m setting you free only because you are carrying his child. I know that a lot of people see me as a monster, but even I won’t take an innocent life of a baby.” It was the first time that I saw one of them up close, and it was frightening.“But what if he follows me?” I was completely out of breath even though I wasn’t the one running. “I have nowhere to go. He knows where I stay. What if he hurts my grandmother?”“Don’t you worry about Daniel. I will make sure that he is well taken care of. I
AvaIt felt strange to wake up in my own bed the next morning. It felt even stranger to remember the things my grandmother told me. After she explained everything, we realized how late it was, and we decided to continue our conversation in the morning.As I opened my cupboard, I realized that I had nothing to wear. All the maternity clothes were still in that damned room in Daniel’s home. I found a pair of old sweatpants that barely fit over my enormous stomach and a t-shirt that made me look like a homeless person, but at least the clothes were clean, and I was dressed. I made my way downstairs and found my grandmother in the kitchen making breakfast.“How are you feeling this morning?” She hesitated and I frowned.“It’s weird. I thought I would feel a lot worse. I mean, I must have walked about thirty or so kilometers to get here.” I poured myself some juice and watched as she put our plates on the dining table. I hadn’t even realized I was starving until the smell of the food caugh