He had a fiancée.
A fiancée.
The words kept circling my mind like vultures, gnawing at what little dignity I had left. I wasn't even sure I had any at this point. How could I have been so stupid? So utterly dumb?
I left his house the second the blonde's words echoed in my ears.
"I'm Kouvr… his fiancée."
What kind of man is he? He had a whole fiancée and still attended that cursed auction? He had a woman as gorgeous as that and still…
I shook my head, not willing to dwell on it. Thankfully, he wasn't around when I left, and not even his many guards could've stopped me.
But none of it mattered now.
Not when the hospital called and said the words I'd been praying for.
Reagan was awake.
By the time I got there, I was breathless. My heart felt like it had taken a beating, but the second I saw her small body sitting up in that bed, those soft ocean eyes blinking sleepily at me… I broke.
"Rae…" I choked out, overwhelmed with emotion. She was awake. Smiling at me. She wasn't in pain, wasn't tied to tubes that looked like they were sucking the life out of her.
Her lips twitched into a tired smile. "Ava?"
God, her voice.
I dropped to my knees beside her bed, grabbing her hand like she might vanish. Tears spilled without permission. "You scared me so bad."
Reagan blinked up at me with wide, tired eyes. "I had the weirdest dream… You were in a castle. With wolves."
I laughed, choked and watery. "That was a nightmare, baby. Not a dream."
Reagan smiled sleepily, a little fragile but alive. "Did I miss much?"
I brushed hair off her forehead, heart catching in my throat. "No, sweetheart. Everything's okay now."
For the first time in what felt like forever, I could breathe.
I had spent a year on diagnosis, going back and forth with Reagan. It had been a long time since I'd seen her look happy. My heart ached at the sight.
She hasn't had it easy. She was still a child when our mother and father died, then we were thrown out of our pack for being burdens.
I took up so many jobs, trying to pay for rent, food,even her school. But it was impossible to meet up. Reagan eventually dropped out and I started homeschooling her myself while I saved toward her fees.
That was until the diagnosis.
Brain cancer.
Every single penny I had was spent on tests.
She's had it so rough.
I watched as she rested, not saying a word. Just staring at her as she slept.
I don't know how long it took. An hour? Two?
But I stayed, holding her hand.
Eventually, she stirred awake, smiling softly at me when she saw me. "I love you, Ava," she whispered.
And I swear my heart shattered. "Oh, baby… I love you more."
So much more I would sacrifice my life for her.
She squeezed my hand, small and warm and I smiled even wider. "What do you want, baby? I'm gonna go get you something, okay?" I said like I had more than five dollars in my pocket.
"Grape juice?"
Reagan's nose scrunched. "Grape juice. No Jell-O. That stuff's evil."
I chuckled and stepped out.
I felt light for the first time in months.
It didn't last.
I returned ten minutes later with the grape juice in hand, smiling like I'd won the lottery,
Only to freeze at the door.
There he was.
Hunter.
Sitting beside my sister's bed like he belonged there. His large frame hunched slightly so he was eye-level with Reagan.
Reagan was smiling at him.
Smiling.
The kind of adoration in her eyes that made my stomach twist violently.
I wanted to puke.
Hunter said something, and Reagan laughed.
Light and free.Like she didn't have tubes attached to her arm. Like she hadn't just come out of a coma.
It was the sound I had longed to hear.
But not like this. Not with him in the picture.
Why was he even here?
I stormed into the room, jaw clenched hard. The door jolted from the force I used and I winced, glancing at Reagan.
Calm the fuck down, Ava.
I smiled hesitantly, moving to her side and punching the straw into the juice box.
"Alpha Hunter…" I dragged out, keeping a stiff smile. "You didn't tell me you were coming. I doubt there's anything I can help you with."
Hunter's brow lifted slightly. "Hmm… I can think of many things you can—"
My eyes widened. Did I forget who I was speaking to?
Hunter Draven. The same man who cut off that bastard's hand.
"Why don't you come with me?" I blurted, cutting him off, already making my way toward the door. "I'll help you with what you want."
I had to get this beast away from Reagan.
I can't believe I did this to us.But all of this ends today.
"Ava…" Reagan's small voice stopped me.
I turned and she looked at me with her big, bright eyes. "Ava… do you not like him?"
I stilled. Hunter didn't.
He leaned back, like he owned the place, gaze never leaving mine.
"Of course I like him," I said quickly, the lie burning my tongue. "I just… didn't expect him here."
Reagan smiled innocently. "I like him… can he stay a bit longer?"
No.
Absolutely not.
I opened my mouth to speak, but his voice stopped me.
Hunter stood, towering over both of us. He touched Reagan's hair like she was his little sister or something. "I'll visit later, little one."
Reagan beamed.
He walked out, and I followed him like a storm.
We ended up on the rooftop. The city buzzed below us, unaware that I was barely holding myself together.
"What are you doing here? I understand our deal, but that doesn't give you the right to just show up whenever you feel like it…"
I paused. I swear I could see that blonde woman staring at me like I was less than.
"You shouldn't have left," he said, voice deep and hoarse.
I scoffed. "Didn't realize I needed your permission to breathe."
Hunter's jaw ticked. "You do when you belong to me."
"I don't belong to anyone," I spat. "Especially not to a man who's engaged to one woman and still bids on another."
His eyes darkened. "So that's what this is about?" He scoffed. "I see you met Kouvr."
"She called herself your fiancée."
"She calls herself a lot of things." His tone was sharp. "She wants power, not me and you just—"
He reached me in a single stride, fingers wrapping around my arm, firm but not brutal. "You let her get into your head. That was your first mistake."
I ripped my arm away. "Don't touch me."
Hunter's eyes flared. His control slipped for a second. "You left without permission. You disobeyed. That has consequences."
I laughed bitterly. "Consequences? Really? Goddess, you're more twisted than I thought."
"You think this is a joke?" he growled, stepping in again, backing me against the railing.
"You walk away from me, and you think I'll just let that slide?"
My heart pounded hard, not just from fear, but from him.
From the way he invaded my space, the way his heat wrapped around me like chains, the way my body betrayed me with every breath.
I shoved his chest. "Go back to your fiancée. At least have the decency to cheat in private."
That struck something.
His jaw clenched. "You think I would lower myself to love her?" His voice was rough.
"Kouvr is nothing but a manipulative snake. "And you—"
He grabbed my chin hard, forcing my gaze to his. "You just let her play you like a violin. Foolish little omega."
I gasped and tried to pull away but he didn't need brute force. His presence alone was paralyzing.
"I don't care what you think of me," he whispered. "But you will be in my home tonight."
"I'm not going anywhere with you," I breathed.
"You are," he replied. "You just don't know it yet."
"My sister—"
"Can come too."
His voice was lethal in its calmness. "If you're so concerned, I'll have her moved. I'm sure she'd enjoy watching how I punish her sister."
My blood ran cold.
This man… he truly was a beast.
He stepped back, finally releasing me. My knees wobbled but I caught myself on the railing, heart hammering in my chest.
Hunter glanced over his shoulder.
"You're mine, Ava. That means you don't get to run."
And just like that… he was gone.