Ava has always been different, and in a pack where strength is everything, different is dangerous. As a child, her unique abilities made her a target, bullied mercilessly by the Alpha and Beta heirs and the girls who envied her. But Ava's spirit refused to break, and when she finally comes of age, she discovers just how powerful and desirable her difference truly is.

In the lead up to her 18th birthday, her life takes an unexpected turn. The very same Alpha and Beta heirs who tormented her are not just drawn to her - they are her fated mates. The four of them are bound to her by a destiny that promises to change their world; whether it's for the better or worse remains to be seen.

As old grudges simmer and new dangers arise, Ava and her mates must navigate a treacherous path. Her abilities, once a source of ridicule, become the key to their survival. But the road to love is never easy, especially when it's shared between enemies-turned-lovers.

Together, they must face the shadows of their past and the forces that threaten their future. Can Ava truly forgive and embrace the bond that destiny has woven, or will the secrets of her abilities tear them apart forever?

In a world where power rules and the past is never far behind, Ava must fight for a love that was written in the stars - or risk losing everything.

Prologue

7 years ago…

AVA

I was a nobody, or at least that’s what they told me.

They told me I was a nobody and therefore worthless; I deserved to be bullied, because being bullied would make me stronger, more resilient. I know now that it was bullshit, but when you say that to a kid time and time again, they start to believe it.

All day everyday, the heirs to the pack, both the Alpha and Beta twins, and even a lot of the girls my own age made a point of making my life miserable. To begin with, it was just verbal, but in my early teens, it became physical too. I had scars all over my back and the tops of my legs that would never heal properly because they were from before I shifted for the first time.

Considering I shifted for the first time early... that says all you need to know.

I got my wolf early, but they didn’t know that. I never smelled like a wolf because my wolf, Artemis, could hide her scent. Even before they can shift, wolves have a distinctive smell that identifies them; all wolves smell like the woods, with their own unique scent overlaying that.

Whilst being able to hide my scent was a nifty trick that I was told would be great for my safety whilst out and about when I grew up, it did mean the girls at school assumed I was human and so would never have a wolf, which just made the bullying worse.

I’d been able to speak to Artemis since I was seven or eight, and she was a chatty wolf. Thanks to Artemis, I knew more about my birth family than most people would if they were adopted.

I knew that Artemis was special, and that I was heir to the Eclipse Mountain pack. I knew that my parents were killed trying to protect me, and that I’d been smuggled out for my own safety. I knew that one day, Artemis and I would have both a Lycan and a wolf form.

But even with all that, I wanted nothing more than to leave when I turned 18. The bullying made me miserable, and I never had the confidence to truly do anything about it. I just needed something to happen, something to be the catalyst to give me that boost, so that I didn’t feel the need to hide in the background anymore. I got that boost... but not until I was older.

I had a place ready to go in my maternal aunt’s pack, I was just counting down the days until I could finally set out on my own.

If I'd known that everything was going to change before I turned 18 and in fact all the legends Artemis had been telling me over the years were actually true, I wouldn't have even bothered getting the place ready in my aunt's pack, but hey, what can you do?

: New Beginnings

AVA

The first Monday in June was always an interesting one at school. It was the first day of the formal summer training season. The weather was warm enough that everyone was expected to train outdoors, and all indoor training was put on the backburner unless absolutely necessary. It was never necessary.

I stood in front of the mirror in the changing rooms at school, yanking my curly brown hair into a rough bun to keep it out of the way during my training session with Beta Alexander. Normally my green eyes sparkled with excitement at training with the Beta, but today, not so much.

At lunch time, I was cornered in the cafeteria, my lunch dumped straight over my head. I could have taken down the people responsible easily enough, but the Beta and I had determined that I needed to keep what I was capable of under wraps just until I was ready for it to become public knowledge.

My wolf was special, and once that knowledge was out, there was no turning back. Artemis was a beautiful black wolf with striking yellow eyes and a silver crescent moon on her chest. It was a unique colour; not many wolves were true black. That combined with the fact I could hide my scent was a lifesaver though; I could run as my wolf through the woods without worrying about running into people I didn’t particularly want to see.

I pulled my sports bra and leggings over my curves, having to do what I refer to as the ‘skinny jeans dance’ to wiggle the leggings over my curves. Once I was ready, I dragged myself out to the training grounds, ready to get my training session rolling.

“Ava, how was school?” Beta Alexander threw his arm around my shoulders when I reached the training ground.

I grimaced. “Not great, Beta.”

“I’m sorry, Ava. If you would tell me what is going on, I could help you out.”

“It’s fine, Beta, I’ve got this. Not long anyway and I think I’m ready to start kicking their backsides.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that, Ava, because I had a request for you.”

I met his eyes, one eyebrow raised.

“I want you to start joining me for the pack training sessions. I need a second pair of hands to teach the sessions, demonstrating new moves, feeding back where improvements can be made and the like.”

My eyes were wide.

“It’s time, Ava,” Artemis’ voice ran through my mind. “We’ve got this. You’re strong, independent, and fierce. It’s time the pack saw what we can do.”

I smiled, both in my mind and in person. “Okay, Beta. Let’s do this.”

His arm around my shoulders tightened, pulling me in against him. He really was like an honorary adoptive father to me.

“Thank you, Ava. We can start from Wednesday.”

“Looking forward to it, Beta!”

He smiled. “Good. Now go run your laps.”

I grumbled under my breath as I started my run. I loved my training sessions with Beta Alexander, and I understood why stamina at a run was necessary, but I hated running loops around the training field.

Once I’d run my ten kilometres, I stopped in front of him, taking a drink of water. “New personal best, Ava, well done.” He smiled. “Shall we spar?”

We took up our positions on the large mat we had out just for us two, circling each other, looking for our opening. “Let’s do this, Beta,” I taunted, a grin on my face.

He moved first, feigning a punch to the left side of my face, but bringing his leg around in a roundhouse kick instead. I dodged both, jumping over his leg and dipping under his arm. It was a complicated thing to land, but one that was made easier by my height.

He laughed when I landed it. “Damn, you’re making that look easier every time.”

I smirked back at him, before darting under his arms to land a series of punches to his stomach, before spinning around him to target his kidneys and finally an elbow to the back of his neck.

He growled at the hit, spinning back around to face me, but I’d already moved again so I was behind him. I was fast on my feet; I had to be. My size meant I’d never be able to overpower an opponent with strength, so I had to be faster, more agile.

I kicked straight into the back of his knee, kicking his legs out from under him, letting him buckle to the floor. Wrapping my arm around his neck, I attempted to get him in a chokehold, but he threw me backwards, spinning to straddle my waist, my arms ending pinned above my head.

I let him think he’d pinned me for a second, just enough for him to drop his guard. As soon as he did, I brought my legs up, running them around his back and using my grip to flip him onto his back.

The match went on for a long time, both of us getting good hits in and knocking the other on their back, only for them to recover and return the favour.

By the time we called time on sparring, we were both dripping with sweat, but laughing.

“Jeez, Ava, I swear you’re faster every time we spar.”

I grinned at him. “I’ve had the best teacher, Beta.” I chucked him a bottle of water, which he accepted gladly.

We moved on to swimming; he had me tread water for what felt like an eternity whilst holding a 100 kilo crash test dummy with him attempting to distract me. All I had to do was keep the head above the water, hopefully not letting my ‘Alpha’ drown.

“That’s enough for today, Ava,” he called out, his voice proud as I dragged myself back out of the pool. “Tomorrow we’ll do strength training and defensive techniques.”

“Sounds like a plan, Beta,” I gave him a high five as we turned and walked back in the direction of the main compound.

: A New Face

AVA

I hated the lessons I had on Tuesdays. Double maths, biology and geography was torturous.

Fortunately, today was different.

Mr Jones, our maths teacher, jolted me out of my thoughts. “Class, we have a new student joining us today. This is Isabella, she has transferred here from a pack in Wales, and will be finishing her schooling with us. I hope you will all welcome Isabella.”

I glanced around the room, suddenly realising the only empty seat was next to me.

She sat down, more graceful than I could ever hope to achieve, holding out her hand to shake mine. “Isabella, call me Izzie,” she smiled.

“Ava,” I smiled back.

She was tall, slim. The exact opposite of me. She had that kind of figure everyone thinks they want.

It wasn't just me that noticed either. Leo, our future Delta, turned to stare at her, no embarrassment at all. I shook my head, suppressing a giggle, before pointing him out to Izzie. “You've already got an admirer,” I laughed.

She giggled, before retorting back at me. “You've got a couple, Ava.”

I turned in the direction of her gaze, noticing the alpha twins staring at me. I blushed, looking down, but not before I saw their sinful smirks.

“They don't even know who I am, Izzie.”

“I think they are starting to work it out, the Beta twins too.”

Yup, they were staring too. I rolled my eyes, giggling a little under my breath.

Isabella was in my next class, as were the boys. “Isabella!” Leo shouted after us. She winked at me, before turning back around to face him.

She had one eyebrow raised, an indifferent expression on her face. I just about choked back a giggle at the sight.

“Can I help you?” she asked, one hand on her hip.

He looked shocked, he was used to girls just falling at his feet. Isabella wasn’t going to be that easy. I couldn’t help but smirk at the interaction.

“I’m Leo,” he suddenly said, holding his hand out for her to shake.

“I know,” she grinned, ignoring his hand and turning back to walk away.

“Wait!” He shouted after her. “We’re having a party this week, do you two want to come?”

Isabella stopped suddenly, so he ended up just a couple feet behind her. She turned, looking up into his eyes. “What’s in it for me?”

A devilish smirk appeared on his face. “The best night of your life.”

“Promises, promises,” she smirked. “Can you live up to them though?”

He nodded. “Of course I can, baby,” he lifted her chin with two fingers so she looked directly at him. She tiptoed, her fingers dancing along his scalp and winding into his hair, her mouth very close to his, her head tilted back. He looked down at her lips, getting ready to close the distance between them.

I couldn’t keep back the smirk while watching the display, and it looked like the Alpha and Beta twins couldn’t either.

She leaned in so his lips were just an inch away from hers, and his eyes fell closed.

At that, she smirked, ducking out of his arms and walking back towards me.

“So is that a yes?” he shouted after us.

“Maybe,” she retorted, not even turning to look back. “What are you doing after school, Ava? Shall we get dinner?”

I nodded. “I can do about 8.30? I have training at 6 but I’ll be done by 8.”

“Training at six? I thought it started at 3.30?”

“Pack training does, but I currently train on my own and have done for a while. Not for long though,” I grinned.

She looked confused. “What does that grin mean?”

“I would tell you, but it’s a surprise for everyone else and wolves have really good hearing, so you’ll have to wait and see.”

“Can’t wait,” she giggled.

After school, she ran off for pack training, and I headed home to get homework done before my own training session with Beta Alexander.

Training was rough. After running my usual ten kilometre warm up, we moved on to strength training. I hated weight training, but it was a necessary evil.

Once we’d both had enough of that, we moved on to defensive drills. Beta Alexander would demonstrate a move, and I’d then attempt to block, dodge or counter it. We got through his list quicker than he expected.

“I wish everyone was as easy to teach as you, Ava,” he grinned. “That’s why you’re helping from tomorrow though! Are you ready to go with that?”

“Of course, Beta. I’m kinda looking forward to it.”

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Artemis chuckled.

Beta Alexander noticed my smirk, one of his eyebrows raised.

“Artemis is jumping around excitedly, Beta,” I laughed. “She’s looking forward to showing everyone how awesome she is.”

“She is pretty awesome, Ava,” he chuckled in response.

My voice deepened slightly when Artemis pushed forward. “Thank you, Beta.”

“Any time, Artemis. Now, Ava, shall we call it there? I’ll see you tomorrow at pack training.”

“Sounds like a plan, Beta.” He threw his arm around my shoulders as we turned to leave the training grounds.

Training finished slightly early gave me enough time to have a shower and even do my hair and a little makeup before Isabella met me for dinner.

“Ava!” she squealed. “You look amazing!” She flung her arms around me. “You definitely don’t look like you’ve just done a two hour workout.”

We found a table in the corner of the diner, one that gave us a perfect view across the room. Just after our food arrived, cheeseburgers, chips and milkshakes, I saw the Alpha twins, Beta twins and future Delta all walk in. They spotted us, smiled, and walked over our way.

“Ava, Isabella,” Leo grinned. “Fancy seeing you here.”

I didn’t respond, other than to just drink some of my milkshake. The Alpha twins were staring intently at my lips wrapped around the straw; I couldn’t help but chuckle.

They pushed a second table up against ours, and even with that, the table became very cosy with the five of them.

The Beta twins shouting out “hey, dad!” interrupted my total enjoyment of my burger. Beta Alexander walked towards us, a massive smile on his face. “Hey, kids! Good job at training today, all of you.” He winked at me. “Especially you, Ava.”

I grinned, my cheeks slightly tinged pink.

“Wait…” Noah called out. “Ava wasn’t in training?”

“She was, just not yours, son.” Beta Alexander smiled at me. “I’ll see all of you tomorrow in training.”

He turned and walked off, leaving the boys and Isabella staring at me. “Ava, you said you had training after regular pack training today because you train on your own…” Isabella started, voice low.

I nodded.

“Is the Beta training you personally?”

I glanced over, seeing Beta Alexander looking in my direction with a smile. He nodded.

I gave him a small smile, then turned back to Isabella. “He is indeed.”

The Beta twins' mouths were open. “How come dad is training you one on one?”

“Something for me to know and you to find out,” I grinned.

A chuckle in my head tore my attention away from the Beta twins. Beta Alexander’s wolf, Kieran, was laughing at my response.

“Artemis, you’re my favourite wolf,” Kieran laughed.

“Aww, Kieran, you’re nice too.”

I coughed, trying to hide my laugh at Kieran’s snort in response.

: Don’t Underestimate Me

AVA

I woke up bright and early the next day, looking forward to what the day would bring. Artemis was excited to show off in training. Even though we wouldn’t be shifting because very few people knew that I could, she was still looking forward to putting everyone in their place if needed.

It was going to be a good day!

I was up early enough that I headed over to the training ground, planning to let Artemis out for a run. Beta Alexander was already at the training ground when I got there, which is surprising since it was 5am… I was expecting to be the only one.

“Ava? What are you doing here at this time in the morning?”

“Artemis is feeling cooped up, she needs to run before school today.”

Beta Alexander nodded. “Want me to run with you? I’m going to be letting Kieran run too.”

“Go for it, Beta,” I smiled, before ducking into one of the little shacks to shift.

I trotted back out just minutes later, shaking my fur out. Beta Alexander was still standing in the middle of the training ground, smiling in our direction. He bowed his head at Artemis, who bowed right back. Artemis was an incredibly powerful wolf, one that demanded respect and deference without me even trying. Even the Beta felt it. He believed the Alpha and Luna probably would too, but I’d never shifted around them to know for sure.

The Beta dipped into another hut, a stunning grey wolf walking back out shortly after. Typically, Alphas were the biggest wolves, followed by other powerful wolves. Artemis was the size of an average Alpha, so stood a couple inches taller than Kieran, and he wasn’t exactly a small wolf either.

The two bowed their heads slightly at each other in respect, before turning and sprinting into the woods. I ran for a couple hours, enjoying the feeling of the wind in my fur.

“Ava, I need to head back,” Beta Alexander said over the packlink. “You should too, it’s already 7.30.”

Damn it, that meant I needed to get ready for school.

“On my way,” I grumbled back.

School was nowhere near as fun as running in the woods, and I was even starting to get a little nervous at the concept of helping Beta Alexander lead pack training from now on.

The boys sat with Isabella and I at lunch; the tension between Leo and Izzie was starting to get disgustingly thick, they just needed to do something to relieve that already.

“Looking forward to training tonight, Ava?” Isabella asked.

“Yup,” I smiled, over pronouncing the ‘p’.

“How come you’re joining us from today rather than training on your own?” Noah asked.

“You’ll find out.”

Noah and Theo looked at me, one eyebrow raised.

By the time we reached the training grounds, the Alpha and Beta twins had asked me another three times each what was going on. I just ignored them, they’d find out soon enough.

As soon as I got there, I left my bag in my usual hut, before heading back out into the middle of the training ground where Beta Alexander was waiting for me.

“Ava! I’m glad you came,” Beta Alexander pulled me into a hug.

“Me too,” I grinned.

“Shall we do this thing?” he asked, voice low? I nodded, giving him a smirk, before taking my place at his side, my hands behind my back when he turned to address everyone in attendance. The faces of the twins, Leo and Isabella were all a picture; their eyes were wide and mouths slightly open as they watched my interaction with the Beta.

“Okay, people! As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Ava is up here with me today. Some of you know Ava, some of you probably don’t. From today going forwards, Ava is going to be assisting me in training you all.”

Some of the wolves in the crowd snorted. Artemis growled; she hated being underestimated. “Don’t worry, Artemis,” I consoled her. “We’ll knock them on their asses soon enough.”

“Oh, kids, you’re going to regret that.” Beta Alexander smirked, his arm winding around my shoulders. “Who do you want to take down first, Ava?”

“Might as well start with those who snorted, Beta.”

He grinned. “Come on then you four, if you think you can take Ava down, be my guests.” He stepped back, motioning for the rest of the class to form a circle around me and the four wolves.

Isabella, Leo and the twins ended up at the front where they could see exactly what was happening, all of them looking concerned.

The four wolves started circling me, looking for their opening. As soon as the wolf behind me moved, I winked at Isabella, before ducking under the wolf’s leg, and bringing my knee up into his stomach.

He bent over double, ending up face first in the mud when I kicked the back of his leg, taking him down easily.

The crowd went quiet as they watched the display, the other three wolves ending up on the floor within minutes, one with a dislocated shoulder. The crowd cheered for me once they got over their surprise, but then fell silent again as anticipation spread through the group when Beta Alexander stepped into the improvised ring and started circling me.

“I knew I should have made it harder for you, Ava,” he laughed before making the first move. I ducked his arm, spinning behind him to land a series of punches and a kick to his kidneys. I knew he was weak there.

He spun back towards me, one of his legs sweeping around to take mine out. I let him make the hit, but as I went down, I used my grip on his shoulders to bring him down with me. This went on for a while, the crowd silent as I kept up with him, the Beta and I both repeatedly taking each other down, but neither getting the pin in.

“I think that proves the point, don’t you, Ava?” he chuckled after I knocked him down again. I smirked, giving him my hand to pull him up. “If any of you make the mistake of underestimating Ava again… well.” He looked down at me, a proud grin on his face.

“I’ve got no problem knocking you on your backside, is what Beta Alexander was about to say there.”

He laughed.

“Alright people, partner up. Ava, with me, can’t have you knocking everyone on their backsides quite yet.”

Beta Alexander and I demonstrated offensive moves and how to counter it, with us taking turns in each position so the pack could see how to adjust the take down depending on their height and muscle mass.

Once we’d demonstrated the moves, we split the group in half with us both walking around correcting postures, giving advice and helping people work out what they were doing wrong.

“Beta,” I called out when I started spending more time helping the shorter wolves take down the taller ones. “Fancy doing a second demonstration so I can talk people through how I’d counter the move from you?”

He nodded, walking towards me. “Basically, Ava, you just want to knock me on my backside again,” he replied through the mindlink.

“Guilty as charged.”

He laughed, out loud, drawing curious glances from across the field.

I had him demonstrate the takedown slower this time, so I could talk through each move I made to defend against it. After talking them through it, we did it again at full speed, ending up with Beta Alexander on his back on the grass.

Applause rang out from behind me, with the Alpha twins and Leo clapping louder than the rest. The Beta twins just looked shocked at how I’d taken their father down, and Isabella was doing a full cheerleader routine for me.

I gave them a bow, laughing as I did, only for Beta Alexander to suddenly appear behind me. I felt the air move as his leg went to sweep mine out from under me, but before he could, I jumped over his leg, rolling to the side and jumping back up to my feet.

“That was a low blow, Beta,” I taunted.

He smirked, before asking me to help him demonstrate the move again but slower. He pulled me back up after, and cheers surrounded us again.