Ava, the beaten and forgotten girl he had discarded like trash, was standing before Leon looking like royalty.
She was draped in the finest breathtaking erald-green gown that shimred with every movent.
Her hair cascaded down in luxurious waves, framing her striking features.
And her eyes?
Oh, they dared him to speak.
Leon was speechless.
And then, of course, things got even better.
Luna Selene, Leon's wife, stepped out right on ti. Just in ti to witness the mont of reckoning.
Lucas tightened his grip around Ava's waist, pulling her close subtly claiming her.
And then, in the most dramatic, theatrical, petty as hell way possible, he announced it to the world.
"Ava is here as my Luna-to-be," Lucas declared, his voice ringing with authority. "And I hope she is given the respect deserving of her status."
Silence.
Pure. Stunned. Silence.
And then gasps.
Literal, audible gasps from the gathered pack mbers.
Ava, the Crimson Pack's punching bag, was about to beco the Luna of the Silver Pack?
The scandal.
The sheer, delicious scandal.
Ava almost wished she had popcorn.
She could see it happening in real ti; the whispers, the shock, the rage.
And oh, Leon's face.
It was a masterpiece.
He looked like he had just swallowed a whole damn lemon.
Luna Selene, on the other hand, bead. Bead.
"That... that is good news," Selene said, her voice so sweet it made Ava's teeth hurt. "I see a permanent alliance in our future."
Ava scowled.
When the hell did this woman beco so sweet?
What happened to enjoying watching Ava suffer?
Ava could not believe the audacity.
Lucas, of course, just smirked knowingly. He lived for these monts.
"Shall we go in?" Selene continued. "You can get settled for now and rest while we organize a befitting dinner."
Ava followed Lucas inside, her heart still hamring from the adrenaline rush.
She should be scared.
She should be nervous.
But instead?
She felt powerful.
For the first ti ever, she wasn't the broken girl they had left behind.
She was Ava Wishbone, the future Luna of the Silver Pack. It may be a ruse for right now but soon, very soon, the crown was going to be hers.
And the Crimson Pack was about to learn exactly what that ant.
*****
Lucas kept his eyes on every flicker of Ava's expression when they t Leon. He was watching, analysing. Waiting for sothing, anything, to confirm that seeing her forr mate again stirred sothing inside her. But she gave nothing away. Her lips pressed into a thin, indifferent line, her shoulders squared in defiance. If she was affected, she was a damn good actress.
Lucas wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or irritated.
Selene, their so-called gracious host, walked ahead, leading them to their rooms. He didn't trust her, not even for a second. The way her eyes darted to Ava with smug superiority made his fingers twitch with the urge to put her in her place.
He had learned over ti that won like Selene didn't need brute force to be destroyed. They needed their own arrogance turned against them.
Kade who had accompanied Lucas tossed the bag onto the bed in the room.. He was on high alert too, his sharp gaze scanning the surroundings as if expecting an attack any second. Lucas approved. Enemy territory was never to be underestimated.
Selene finally turned her attention to Ava, her fake-sweet smile firmly in place. "Ava, would you like to see where you'll be staying? I promise it's much better than the one you had now that you've managed to step up in life."
Lucas saw the way Ava's fingers flexed. She didn't like people reminding her of where she ca from.
"I'm sure," Ava said coolly. "My old room wasn't even fit for dogs. Says a lot about how lesser people are treated in this pack."
Selene's nostrils flared, but she recovered quickly, smoothing a hand over her pristine dress. "Right this way," she said, voice clipped.
Lucas smirked, lacing his fingers with Ava's as they followed Selene down the hall. Zari trailed behind, lugging a bag.
Ava's bedroom was in the farthest wing, mostly where the won were housed. When Lucas stepped inside, he had to admit it wasn't bad. Spacious, luxurious even. But it wasn't ho. Nothing here could ever be ho for Ava.
She tensed at his side, but before she could let the weight of the past pull her under, Lucas cupped her face and kissed her. Soft but commanding, reassuring but possessive.
He could feel the tension leaving her body as she lted into him, her lips parting slightly, letting him deepen the kiss. He kissed her like she was his air, like he needed her to survive.
Because, in a way, he did.
When he pulled back, she was looking at him with sothing unreadable in her eyes. Gratitude? Trust? Or sothing deeper, sothing she wasn't ready to na?
"Get so rest," Lucas murmured, running a thumb over her cheek. "I'll co get you for dinner."
Ava gave him a small smile, but there was mischief in her eyes. "I think I might visit my stepmother and stepbrother. Not that they care or anything, but it's the right thing to do."
Lucas understood imdiately. She was going to be up to sothing.
"Alright," he said, his voice low. "We're guests here, so Kade can't follow you into the heart of the pack. Will you be okay on your own?"
Ava scoffed. "Believe it or not, this place was once my ho. Even if the people in it are vicious bastards."
Selene cleared her throat, clearly offended, but she masked it with a tight-lipped smile. "I'll leave you to get settled. I have preparations to make for dinner. Have a good rest, Alpha Raventhorn... Ava." She spun on her heel and strutted out.
Lucas turned back to Ava, his concern not fading. "If they hurt one hair on your head," he said darkly, "I don't care what the High Council's warning is... I will burn this entire place to the ground."
Ava reached up, pressing a hand to his chest, her warmth grounding him. "I know you would. But you need this pack as is not burned down to take over. So, for now, let's keep all matches out of reach."
Lucas chuckled, so of the tension easing from his shoulders. "It's hard being nice and smiling. My face is starting to ache."
"I'll work faster," Ava teased.
He kissed her again because he could, because he wanted to before pulling away. "Stay sharp."
"Always."
Lucas left the room, and as soon as the door clicked shut, Ava turned to Zari.
"Get sothing casual," she said, her voice all business. "We need to leave now."
Zari raised an eyebrow. "You're not seriously going to have a casual visit with your stepmother and stepbrother, are you?"
Ava smirked. "Not exactly."
Zari let out a dramatic sigh, tossing her a simple black short and a leather jacket.
*****
anwhile at the Silver Pack
Lucas's departure had left Selene fuming.
Sarah paced outside Beta Dorian's quarters who was now acting Alpha now that Lucas was out of town, her blood boiling from the way Ava had effortlessly stolen everything from her. First, Lucas's attention. Then his bed. And now, with the visit to Crimson pack, sothing must be going on. Sothing big.
She was the alpha's concubine, damn it. That title used to an sothing.
And now, thanks to Ava, she was being dismissed like she was nothing.
Not for long.
She raised her hand and knocked on the heavy wooden door.
Dorian opened it, raising an eyebrow at her. "What do you want?"
Sarah pushed past him into the room, her robe falling slightly off her shoulder in the process. Dorian's gaze flicked to the exposed skin, and she smirked inwardly.
"He is going to visit her old pack because he wants to make her Luna isn't it." she said.
Dorian crossed his arms, unimpressed. "No"
"Then why did he go back there with her. He could have gone alone. He never needed to travel with any concubine before, why now?"
His expression darkened. "Calm down. I told you before, we needed to play the long ga. Why are you being impatient?"
Sarah stepped closer, lowering her voice. "She's ruining everything. She's making Lucas weak, turning him into sothing he's not. If we don't do sothing now, she'll end up as Luna, and then what? She'll dismantle everything, send us back into the streets."
Dorian clenched his jaw. "You don't have to worry Sarah. Lucas went there on business relating to Ava but in the an ti, I have soone there with them getting information on everything that has to do with Ava before she ca here and how we can use her past against her."
Sarah smiled a predatorial smile. She knew she ca to the right person. Dorian was the perfect man for the job.
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