“That won’t be necessary. My wolves are more than capable of doing this job.”
The moment Alpha Marcus growled those words, Ava’s heart dropped like a stone in her chest.
Her wolf whimpered in the back of her mind.
Something in his voice–icy, controlled, dangerous–set her instincts ablaze, like a warning flare.
He was done with her.
And she couldn’t afford that.
Without thinking, she reached for his hand–the same hand he’d just used to reject her–and clung to it like a lifeline slipping away.
Her voice softened, turned honeyed, wrapping around him like a charm spell designed to soothe a beast.
“Alpha Marcus…..you’re still angry with me, aren’t you? I’m sorry…” she purred, the apology laced with false sincerity.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you. Or the boy. Just give me one more chance. Please. No more recklessness. I promise I’ll be good.”
Alpha Marcus’s wolf stirred beneath his skin, visibly uncomfortable.
Her scent was cloying–too sweet, like overripe fruit. It was the kind of sweetness that made your stomach churn.
The more she touched him, the more his beast recoiled, growling just beneath the surface.
Still, she wouldn’t let go.
With a bitter grunt and clenched jaw, he gave in.
“Fine. One more chance.”
Her eyes glinted, just slightly. She knew when to retreat and when to wear sugar instead of desperation. She released his hand and turned to Lucas with a brilliant smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Lucas…” she said, her tone falsely cheery, bordering on theatrical.
“Today’s your big day! You’re finally getting discharged. How about we celebrate, hmm? Do you like the Luna Park in Hollowridge? I heard they just added a new ride with wolves carved from obsidian. Sounds magical, doesn’t it?”
Lucas, who’d been sulking on the hospital bed, lit up.
But not at Ava.
His wide–eyed gaze locked onto Marcus instead.
“Is Dad coming too?”
Marcus opened his mouth, ready to make an excuse, ready to send a driver and be done with. this whole charade.
But Lucas didn’t give him the chance.
“You’re always so busy,” Lucas said, his voice cracking just a little around the edges. “Can’t we
5:00 pm G
just go? Just once? Like a real family?”
He reached out, grabbing both of their hands and placing them on his small, fragile anteri The move was practiced–familiar. Manipulative in the way only children who’d seen too much
could be
Alpha Marcus hesitated.
The idea of playing house with Ava made his wolf snart in protest
But Lucas’s hopeful little smile pierced straight through the ice Marcus had carefully built
around his heart.
“Fine,” he finally muttered.
At the werewolf themed amusement park nestled between the cliffs of Hollowridge, Lucas’s first demand was exactly what Marcus expected–a family photo
Naturally.
He dragged them to the carved storie arch bearing the symbol of a united pack: two wolves nuzzling in an eternal circle, bonded by fate.
“Stand close!” Lucas chirped excitedly, pulling them together. “Dad, you too. And put your hand on my shoulder. Just like Mom used to do.”
Marcus’s jaw flexed at the word Morn
They took the photo. Lucas beamed brightly, proud of the illusion.
Then he handed the phone back to Marcus with a grin.
“Post this, Dad, Put it on your feed.”
Marcus raised a brow, expression unreadable.
“I want Brianna to see it…” Lucas added quietly. “To see how happy we are without her.”
Marcus froze.
Brianna.
The rogue she wolf who had walked out of their lives–the one whose scent still haunted his dreams and invaded his memories like smoke from a dying fire.
She wasn’t Lucas’s biological mother, but the bond they’d formed… it had been deeper than blood. And her absence had left claw marks on both of them.
Lucas didn’t understand it yet. He didn’t know how pain could twist itself into bitterness, how love could curdle and turn into something jagged.
But Marcus… Marcus understood it all too well.
He posted the photo.
The comments came flooding in almost instantly.
[“Damn, Alpha. New Luna? She’s stunning. She looks just like the late Lady Kaela.”]
“This your rebound or your rise–from–the–ashes mate? Either way, she’s fire.“]
“Hold up, weren’t you mated to Brianna for years and never once posted her? Now you’re flaunting this girl?!“]
“Didn’t think the Shadow Walker Alpha did third bonds. Or are you breaking rules now?“]
5:00 pm G ►
Alpha Marcus ignored it all.
None of their words mattered.
What mattered was the single notification that finally appeared.
Brianna.
Her name popped up, and Marcus’s heart gave a traitorous lurch.
He tapped it, breath catching–expecting… hoping… for a reaction.
But she didn’t like the photo.
She hadn’t even looked at it.
Instead, she’d liked another post.
A mutual friend’s.
A snowy mountaintop shot with wolves running wild and free under the glow of a full moon.
Her comment read:
“Where is this? I want to go.”
Marcus stared at it for a long moment.
His temple twitched.
His wolf snarled.
He locked his phone and flung it across the backseat of the car, fingers trembling in restraint. Even now…
Even surrounded by fire, photos, and another woman clinging to his arm..
She was still the one he couldn’t burn out of his
system.
