Ava's POV

"Ten million dollars."

The notification on my phone screen glowed like a holy scripture. My mother's inheritance. My freedom. My weapon.

"Darling, once Lexi is Luna, ten million will be pocket change," Janice sniffed, clutching Gordon's arm like a oversized handbag. "But fine. Take it and go."

"Oh, I'm going," I said, pocketing the phone. "But first, I have a tab to run up."

I walked out of the Ashford Estate, the air tasting crisp and expensive. For the first time in three years, I didn't feel like the help. I felt like a hunter.

"The Black Wolf Bar? Really?" Zoe shouted over the thumping bass, looking skeptical. "This place is a dive."

"It's where the pack drinks," I said, sliding onto a barstool. "And tonight, I want an audience."

Zoe, my only friend who hadn't treated me like a leper, looked at me with concern. "Ava, you're picking a fight. Cole is going to be here."

"I'm counting on it."

I signaled the bartender, a burly guy named Rick who usually ignored me. "Two bottles of your most expensive champagne. The vintage stuff you keep in the back for the Alpha."

Rick snorted. "Ava, that bottle is three grand. Unless you're paying with your kidney, I suggest you order a beer."

I didn't blink. I slapped a thick stack of cash-fresh from the bank-onto the sticky counter. "Keep the change."

Rick's eyes bulged. He scrambled to get the bottles.

Zoe's jaw dropped. "Girl, did you rob a bank?"

"Better. I robbed my parents."

Just as the cork popped, the air in the bar shifted. The temperature dropped. The crowd parted like the Red Sea.

Cole walked in, looking like a god of war in a tailored black shirt. And hanging off his arm like a cheap accessory was Lexi.

She was wearing a diamond necklace that caught the strobe lights-a birthday gift, no doubt. She spotted me instantly, her eyes narrowing before masking it with that sickly-sweet smile.

"Ava!" She squealed, dragging Cole toward us. "What a coincidence! Are you spending your severance pay already?"

Cole looked bored, his eyes sliding over me with practiced indifference. "Let's go to the VIP section, Lexi. It smells like desperation here."

"But I want champagne!" Lexi pouted, pointing at my bottle. "And the bartender said that was the last one."

She turned to me, batting her eyelashes. "Ava, be a sweetie and give it to me? It is my birthday weekend, after all. You've never even had champagne before. You wouldn't appreciate it."

"Touch my bottle," I said, voice low and dangerous, "and you'll lose a finger."

The bar went silent. Even the DJ seemed to turn the volume down.

Lexi gasped, clutching her pearls. "Cole! She threatened me!"

Cole stepped forward, his Alpha aura flaring, trying to suffocate me with pressure. "Watch your tone, Ava. You're speaking to your future Luna."

He pulled out a sleek black credit card-the Alpha Heir's unlimited card-and slammed it on the counter.

"Rick," Cole barked. "I'm buying every bottle in this bar. And I'm buying this table. Kick them out."

Rick looked from the cash to the card, sweating. "Alpha Cole... it's a lot of stock..."

"Do it!" Cole roared. He smirked at me, that arrogant, punchable smirk. "You have money for one bottle, Ava? Cute. I have the entire Bloodmoon treasury behind me. You can't compete."

"Is that so?" I stood up. My heels clicked on the floorboards, echoing in the silence.

I pulled out my checkbook. It was old-school, dramatic, and perfect for what I was about to do.

"How much for the bar, Rick?" I asked calmly. "Not the drinks. The building. The land. The business."

Rick choked. "What?"

"Three hundred grand?" I guessed.

"Five hundred!" Cole shouted, his face turning red. "I'll pay five hundred grand right now! I own this place!"

He looked at me, triumphant. "Go home, Ava. You're out of your league."

Lexi giggled. "Yeah, go back to scrubbing floors. You don't have that kind of money."

I laughed. It started low and built into a cackle that made Nyx howl in my head.

"You think this is about money, Cole? This is about value."

I wrote a check, ripped it out, and slammed it onto the counter next to his black card.

"One million dollars," I announced, my voice ringing clear. "For the bar. And for Rick to ban these two idiots for life."

The crowd gasped. Lexi stopped giggling. Cole stared at the check, reading the numbers. His face went pale.

"Where... where did you get this?" Lexi shrieked. "You stole it! You thief!"

"It's my money," I said, leaning in until I was nose-to-nose with her. "Something you'll never have, Lexi. Because everything you own-your clothes, your jewelry, your man-is borrowed."

I looked at Cole. He was shaking, his pride cracking.

"You think you can buy me off?" he snarled. "You're nothing without me! Those earrings you're wearing? I bought them! That dress? I paid for it!"

"You're right."

I reached up and ripped the diamond studs from my ears. They were cheap, tiny things he'd given me for my eighteenth-an afterthought gift.

"Here." I threw them at his chest. They bounced off his shirt.

I kicked off my heels. "These too. The 'Sorry I Cheated' gift." I threw them. one hit his shoulder.

Then I reached for the zipper of my dress.

The crowd held its breath.

"And this?" I pulled the zipper down a few inches, just enough to loosen it, then grabbed the champagne bottle.

"I can buy your dignity, Lexi," I said, my voice ice cold. "But looking at you two... it seems you sold it cheap."

I didn't throw the dress. I threw the champagne.

Splash.

The expensive vintage liquid hit Cole square in the face. It soaked his hair, his shirt, and splattered all over Lexi's perfect blowout.

They stood there, dripping, sticky, and stunned into silence.

"You're banned," I whispered, winking at Rick. "Get them out of my bar."

I grabbed my purse, barefoot and buzzing with adrenaline. Zoe threw a coat over my shoulders, grinning like a maniac.

As I walked to the door, stepping over the puddle of champagne and shattered ego, I turned back one last time.

Cole was wiping the alcohol from his eyes, looking at me with a mix of fury and... fear.

"Two weeks, Cole," I called out. "Enjoy the throne while you can."

Ava's POV

The rumors were delicious.

For the past week, the entire Bloodmoon Pack had been whispering about one thing: The Night at the Black Wolf.

"Did you hear? The Beta daughter bought the bar." "I saw Alpha Cole dripping in champagne. He looked like a drowned rat." "Where did she get the money?"

I walked through the Pack House corridors, my heels clicking on the marble. Warriors who used to ignore me now stepped aside, eyeing me with a mix of fear and confusion. I wasn't the "help" anymore. I was the crazy ex with a bottomless bank account.

I pushed open the door to the Alpha's Office.

"Why are you still here?"

Lexi was sitting at my desk, trying to figure out the filing system. She looked exhausted. Apparently, being the "future Luna" was harder than just looking pretty.

"Because of Article 4, Section 2 of the Pack Code," I said breezily, dropping my bag. " 'An un-rejected mate must remain within territory limits until the Alpha Succession is finalized.' "

I leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "Believe me, Lexi. If I could leave without being hunted down as a Traitor, I'd be in Paris right now. But I have seven days left. So, I'm here to... finish my paperwork."

"Finish?" Lexi scoffed, gesturing to the piles of chaotic documents. "You haven't done a thing all week! The supply routes are a mess. The vendors are calling me!"

"And what did you tell them?"

"I told them I'm the new Luna!"

"And?"

"And they hung up on me!" She threw a stapler at the wall. "Fix it, Ava! Cole is furious. The pack is running out of meat."

I laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound.

"You wanted the title, Lexi. You get the job."

I walked over to the main server-the digital brain of the pack.

"What are you doing?" Lexi narrowed her eyes.

"Just... cleaning up."

I typed in my admin password. [DELETE ALL CONTACTS?] [YES.]

[WIPE PATROL SCHEDULES?] [YES.]

[ERASE FINANCIAL RECORDS?] [YES.]

"You know," I said conversationally, watching the progress bar load. "Cole has been avoiding me since the bar. Is he still trying to wash the champagne smell out of his ego?"

Lexi stood up, her face flushing red. She marched over, getting in my face.

"He's not avoiding you! He's busy! He's preparing for our mating ceremony!"

She yanked down the collar of her pink cashmere sweater. There, on her neck, was a fresh, angry purple bruise. A hickey.

"See?" She preened, desperate to hurt me. "We were up all night. He said he needed to reclaim his pride after your little stunt. He promised that the second he becomes Alpha... he's marking me right here."

My eyes flicked to the mark. A week ago, it would have killed me. Now? It looked like a desperate branding on a piece of cattle.

"Congratulations," I deadpanned. "I hope he's better in bed than he is at managing a budget. Because honestly? The bar is low."

Ding. [DELETION COMPLETE.]

I pulled my flash drive out of the server. The pack's logistics were now officially a ghost town. Good luck running a territory when you don't know who supplies your food or where your borders are.

"I'm done here," I said, zipping up my jacket. "I have one last perimeter check to log before my shift ends. Then, I'm officially off the clock. Forever."

"You're going on patrol?" Lexi looked suspicious. "Why?"

"To make sure the sensors are... calibrated," I lied smoothly. (I had actually turned them off yesterday).

"I'm coming with you," Lexi announced, grabbing her coat.

I paused. "Excuse me?"

"Cole said I need to show 'Luna leadership.' If you're going to the border, I'm going too. I need to make sure you aren't stealing pack secrets."

I looked at her. Really looked at her. She was wearing heels. In the forest.

"Suit yourself," I smiled, a predator sensing prey. "But try to keep up, Princess. The woods are dangerous at night."

The forest was suffocating. The sun was setting, casting long, bloody shadows across the tree line.

I walked fast, enjoying the way Lexi huffed and puffed behind me.

"Slow down!" she whined, tripping over a root. "My feet hurt! Ava!"

"This is the job, Lexi," I called back without stopping. "Luna isn't just a title. It's work."

"I hate this," she muttered. "I hate you."

My wolf, Nyx, suddenly spiked in my mind. Her hackles raised. [Ava. Stop. Something is wrong.]

I froze. The birds had stopped singing. The air tasted metallic. Like copper. Like rot.

Rogues.

I reached for my radio to call it in-habit, really. But then I remembered the deleted files. The disabled sensors. No one was coming.

Except...

Crack.

A twig snapped.

I turned slowly.

Three pairs of glowing yellow eyes emerged from the darkness.

Lexi walked right into my back. "Why did you stop? I swear to the moon goddess, Ava, I'm telling Cole you-"

She looked up. She saw the eyes.

Her scream shattered the silence.

Ava's POV

The first rogue lunged.

It was a blur of teeth and muscle. I dodged, but not fast enough. Claws raked across my forearm, shredding my jacket and skin.

Fire exploded in my nerves. Blood-hot and metallic-sprayed onto the dead leaves.

"Help! Cole! HELP ME!" Lexi shrieked, cowering on the ground like a child.

The second rogue circled me, drool dripping from its jaws. I was cornered. Nyx was growling, begging to shift, to rip them apart, but I couldn't. Not yet. If I shifted now, Cole would know I had a wolf. He wouldn't let me go.

I grabbed a fallen branch, swinging it like a bat. "Back off!"

The rogue snapped the wood like a toothpick.

I braced myself for the kill.

ROAR.

A massive shape crashed through the underbrush.

Cole.

He burst into the clearing in his human form, eyes glowing red, partially shifted. He looked magnificent and terrifying-a true Alpha.

"Cole!" Lexi screamed. "Save me!"

The rogue nearest to Lexi lunged at her.

The rogue nearest to me lunged at my throat.

Time slowed down. Cole looked at the rogue attacking Lexi. Then he looked at me, blood dripping down my arm, the beast inches from my face.

He had a choice.

He didn't hesitate.

He dove for Lexi.

He tackled the wolf attacking her, ripping its throat out in one brutal motion. He gathered Lexi into his arms, shielding her body with his own.

And he left me to die.

I watched, paralyzed, as the second wolf's jaws opened wide, aiming for my neck.

So this is it, I thought, a bitter calmness washing over me. He really did choose her.

I closed my eyes.

WHOOSH.

The air pressure dropped. The temperature plummeted to zero.

There was a sound like a guillotine blade slicing through meat. Thwack.

Warm liquid splattered across my face. Not my blood.

I opened my eyes.

The rogue that was about to kill me was gone. Or rather... it was in pieces. Its head was rolling on the grass five feet away.

Standing in front of me was a man.

He was massive. Taller than Cole. Broader. He wore a black tactical suit that strained against his muscles. His hair was dark as ink, and he radiated an aura so powerful, so suffocating, that the remaining rogue whimpered and bolted into the trees.

The stranger didn't chase it. He turned slowly to face me.

My breath hitched.

He was devastatingly handsome, with sharp, aristocratic features and a scar cutting through his left eyebrow. But it was his eyes that froze me. They were the color of glacial ice. Cold. Ancient. Possessive.

King Kaelen.

He didn't look at Cole. He didn't look at Lexi. He looked only at me.

He stepped closer, the scent of rain, steel, and expensive scotch enveloping me. He reached out, his large hand gently cupping my uninjured cheek. His thumb brushed away a speck of blood.

Electricity arced through my skin where he touched me. My knees went weak.

"Found you," he murmured, his voice a deep rumble that vibrated in my chest.

"You..." I stammered, my brain misfiring. "You're the King."

"And you," he said, his eyes darkening as they dropped to the wound on my arm, "are bleeding."

The tenderness in his voice was terrifying.

"Cole!" Lexi's voice shattered the moment.

Cole was standing up, helping Lexi to her feet. He looked shaken, staring at the dead rogue, then at Kaelen.

"Who the hell are you?" Cole barked, trying to regain control. "This is Bloodmoon territory!"

Kaelen finally looked at Cole. The temperature dropped another ten degrees. He didn't shout. He didn't growl. He just looked at Cole like he was an insect.

"You let your Mate face death while you saved a mistress?" Kaelen asked. His voice was quiet, lethal.

Cole flinched. "She's not-"

"Silence."

Kaelen turned back to me, scooping me up into his arms like I weighed nothing. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his chest. He felt... safe.

"Put her down!" Cole stepped forward, his Alpha ego bruising. "Ava is my pack member!"

Kaelen paused. He looked over his shoulder, his lips curling into a cruel smirk.

"Not anymore, boy," Kaelen said. "You threw her away. Now? She's mine."

He walked into the shadows, carrying me away from the life that almost killed me, and into a future that felt a hell of a lot more dangerous.

And for the first time in three years, I didn't want to run.