Zari placed the tray on the bedside table with a soft clink and turned, offering Ava a small, hesitant smile.
"I brought you so herbal tea."
Ava didn’t miss the way Zari’s hands trembled ever so slightly.
Her eyes flicked to the steaming cup.
How ironic.
Ava t her gaze and, without an ounce of hesitation, asked, "Is it poisoned?"
The color drained from her face so fast Ava almost wanted to laugh.
"What?..." Zari’s voice cracked.
"You heard ." Ava tilted her head. "Do you really think I didn’t know? I knew before I even lost consciousness that night. I was just waiting for the right ti to confront you."
Zari’s entire body shook, and before Ava could blink, she crumpled to the floor in a heap of tears.
She was done for.
Ava simply stared at her, unmoved. Crocodile tears.
"I didn’t know what else to do," Zari sobbed, her voice a desperate, broken thing. "I tried to...Ava, they had my sister."
Ava’s expression didn’t change. "Who is ’they’?"
"I don’t know." Zari’s hands curled into fists. "It was just an unknown number. They sent ssages, pictures... they tortured her, Ava."
Ava remained still.
"So you were willing to trade my life for hers."
It wasn’t a question. It was a cold, factual statent.
Zari flinched. "I...I tried to fix it."
Ava scoffed. "Fix it?"
Zari nodded frantically. "I had the antidote ready! I just had to let them believe that I did..."
Ava’s fist hit the bedside table so hard the tea nearly toppled over.
"Are you listening to yourself?" Her voice sharp. "You killed my baby."
Zari flinched as if the words physically struck her.
Ava clenched her fists. "I could order you to be killed right now." Her voice was steady in a way that made the room feel smaller. "I should kill you right now."
Ava leaned forward, her eyes cold and rciless. "But I won’t."
Zari’s body sagged with relief.
"Because now, Zari..." Ava’s lips curled into a slow, deliberate smirk. "Now, you owe your life. Every single breath you take from this mont on? It belongs to ." Ava’s voice carried weight. A weight so heavy it settled into Zari’s bones.
Zari swallowed hard.
"If I tell you to jump," Ava continued, leaning back against the pillows, "you ask, ’how high?’ If I tell you to crawl, you drag your sorry ass across the floor without question."
Zari’s breath ca in shallow gasps. "Ava..."
"Trust ," Ava interrupted smoothly, reaching for the tea. "I will make you do things that will have you wishing for death."
Zari’s stomach twisted into knots.
She believed her.
Ava took a sip of the tea, her eyes never leaving Zari’s.
Zari shuddered.
She had no idea what to expect. No idea what kind of nightmare she had just chained herself to.
All she knew was that her future?
Would not be kind.
*****
Lucas received the ssage just as he was debating whether to check on Ava one last ti before heading out for the night.
Ergency eting.
The ssage ca from Jake, which ant it was sothing significant.
Lucas sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to bother Ava with this. She had enough on her plate. It would be downright irresponsible of him to dump more problems in her lap.
And since his Beta wasn’t available still busy hunting down leads according to him, he grabbed Kade.
The eting spot was one they had used before, located just outside Crimson Pack’s boundary; deep in the forest. The place was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl.
Kade scanned the area, his sharp gaze darting from shadow to shadow. Lucas, on the other hand, closed his eyes for a brief second and listened, really listened.
No movent. No rustling that wasn’t from the wind. No suspicious heartbeats lurking in the dark.
That was good.
"Are we sure this isn’t a trap?" Kade muttered, crossing his arms.
"If it is, we kill our way out of it," Lucas responded casually, as if discussing dinner plans.
A few monts later, Jake arrived.
Lucas didn’t particularly like working with Jake. In fact, he found the man incredibly annoying...a constant reminder of Wishbone’s betrayal.
Jake stopped a few feet away and bowed slightly.
"What’s the ergency?" Lucas cut straight to the point, his voice all business.
Jake ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "We have a problem. We might need to act sooner than expected."
"What’s going on?"
"Well... Alpha Dravon is pissed about what happened while you guys were in town."
Lucas’s lips twitched in amusent. Ah, yes.
The one where his daughter had been embarrassed, humiliated, and left seething.
Jake continued, "He wants the Crimson Pack to declare war on your pack."
Lucas grinned.
"Crimson Pack going to war with Silver Pack?" Lucas chuckled darkly. "That’s a suicide mission."
Alpha Dravon was even stupider than his daughter, and that was saying sothing.
Jake wasn’t done. "Alpha Leon refused."
Lucas’s grin vanished. Look at that. Soone was beginning to grow a pair.
Jake exhaled slowly. "Beta Garrik is challenging him in a week."
There it was.
Lucas turned to Kade. "I guess that was the plan all along." His voice was flat, but his mind was already running through a hundred possible outcos.
He turned back to Jake. "How’s it going? How many people do you have in your corner?"
Jake licked his lips. "I’ve been trying to be discreet, but the people that matter? Over two hundred."
Lucas nodded approvingly. Two hundred wasn’t bad. Two hundred could shift the tides.
Jake continued, "A lot of people aren’t very happy with Alpha Leon."
Lucas wasn’t surprised. Weak Alphas bred discontent. Weak Alphas let their Betas challenge them in broad daylight. Weak Alphas... got overthrown.
"Good," Lucas murmured. "Keep working on it." He tilted his head slightly. "You did get the funds I’ve been sending you, right?"
Jake straightened. "Yes, Alpha. You’ve been... quite generous."
"Hurry along," Lucas dismissed him with a lazy wave of his hand.
Jake bowed once more and rushed off.
As soon as he was gone, Lucas turned to Kade.
"Looks like we have to prepare for war. How ready is your army?" Lucas asked, already knowing the answer.
Kade grinned. "Perfectly ready, sir!"
Of course, they were. Kade wasn’t the type to slack off.
Lucas exhaled through his nose, glancing around the darkened forest one last ti. "I’ll check them out myself once we return. We go to war in a week."
Kade nodded, his expression turning deadly serious.
As they turned to leave the forest, Lucas felt the familiar thrill of battle stir in his chest.
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