Chapter 2
When the car stopped at the Pack Hall, Ava took a deep breath, clutching the fake bond contract so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, she ran straight into Beta Ryder.
His wolf ears drooped instantly, voice faltering.
“Luna Ava... why are you here?”
“I’m here to see Liam.”
“Alpha Liam is in a meeting right now. He’s... he’s busy—”
Ava ignored him and strode toward the office door.
Just as she reached for the handle, a voice inside froze her blood.
Ella’s voice.
“Alpha Liam,” Ella murmured, her tone trembling yet full of control.
“Look my eyes and tell me... have you ever really let me go?”
Ava’s wolf bristled instantly, fur standing on end.
Through the thin door, she heard Liam’s voice—low, strained, struggling to stay calm.
“You think too much, Ella.”
“Do I?” she laughed softly. “You let Ava take my place, but the bond contract still bears my name. Isn’t that because you were waiting for me to come back?”
“You even wrote it in your journal...”
Her breath brushed against his ear, sweet and venomous.
“You said letting Ava replace me was just to make me regret leaving—”
Before she finished speaking,
Liam’s snarl cut her off.
He grabbed the back of her neck and crushed his mouth against hers, the air thick with Alpha’s rage and desire.
“You’re right,” he growled, voice hoarse. “I never let you go.
So tell me, Ella—how do you plan to repay what you owe me?”
Outside the door, Ava stood frozen.
It felt as if she’d fallen into an icy lake; even her wolf soul went numb.
She remembered just nights ago, Liam holding her close, whispering into her furred ears:
“Ava, your half-sister is the past. You’re the only one I truly love now.”
How pathetic.
That “truth” he swore to her had been nothing but a beautiful lie.
Their entire bond—a mistake from the very start.
Ava closed her eyes and forced down the tears burning her throat.
If this was Liam’s choice...
Then she would give him his freedom—
Let him have the woman he truly loved.
The elevator carried her down, the soft mechanical hum lost to her drooping wolf ears.
When she came to, the doors opened to the basement level.
An Omega approached her with a bright smile.
“Oh, you must be here for Miss Ella’s art exhibit! Please, this way.”
Ava blinked, realizing she hadn’t pressed any button—
but some unseen pull guided her forward.
“This entire exhibition was funded by Alpha Liam himself,”
the Omega explained proudly.
“It’s even going to tour across other packs next month!”
Ava’s steps faltered.
Her eyes caught on a painting—and her blood ran cold.
Under the soft strokes of wolfskin texture, a crescent-shaped scar marked the man’s lower back.
She had traced that scar countless times in the dark.
She didn’t need to guess who the man was.
Liam.
Every canvas was a different moment—
each one branded with dates that stabbed like knives.
June 20th. Liam cooking in a sunlit kitchen, warmth haloing his figure.
—That was the third day of her confinement, when she fainted from hunger strike.
He was making porridge for Ella.
July 1st. Two hands folding a silk nightgown, a silver Wolf King ring glinting coldly on his finger.
—That was the thirteenth day, when she’d clawed open her wrist in despair, blood soaking the sheets.
And he was sorting out Ella's clothes.
July 15th. Liam walking beneath the trees, umbrella in hand, fingers intertwined with someone unseen.
—That was the twenty-eighth day, when she’d been chained to her bed, feverish and shaking.
He was strolling with Ella.
Each painting stabbed into her heart like silver needles.
So that’s the truth—
While she was locked away, he hadn’t been fighting for her at all.
He had been with Ella the whole time.
All those declarations, his public anger, his threats Alpha Mason—
They were nothing but smoke and cover.
Ava’s fists clenched until her claws pierced her palms, but she felt no pain.
She couldn’t look any longer.
She turned and ran from the gallery,
as if the paintings behind her were laughing at her foolish love.
At the Walker manor, she came to collect her real mother’s belongings.
But as soon as she entered, her father tossed a plane ticket onto the table.
“Yael and I discussed it,” he said flatly.
“We want Ella to live with Alpha Liam for the rest of her days.”
“This flight leaves in ten days. Go travel. Clear your head.”
Ava stared at the ticket, her lips pressed into a tight line.
She understood.
He was giving Liam and Ella room to be together—
room to be the “true Fated Mates.”
“Ava, don’t take it the wrong way,” Yael sniffled.
“We just want Ella to leave this world peacefully...”
Ava had heard this excuse too many times; her wolf ears twitched in irritation.
Her voice was calm—almost empty.
“Understood. I’ll go.”
She didn’t want Liam anymore.
She didn’t want this home either.
Alpha Mason blinked, surprised at how quickly she gave in, thinking her defiance had finally broken.
His tone softened.
“We’re holding a farewell ceremony for Ella in three days. Make sure you come.” “Alright,” Ava said quietly. And for the first time, her heart felt truly still.
