Chapter 52

Chris

Watching Ava run away with tears in her eyes made my blood boil. And what made my blood boil even more was knowing that my sister’s vile words and actions were the reason for it.

“Was that really necessary?”I bit out through gritted teeth, struggling to keep my voice level. “Have you lost your damn mind, attacking her like that?”

Olivia let out a harsh bark of laughter as though she hadn’t just tried to rip Ava’s hair out of her skull. “Are you seriously defending that manipulative old hag right now?” Her lips curled back over her teeth in a sneer. “After everything she’s done to take advantage of you?”

“Take advantage of me?” I would have scoffed, had I not been too furious to even do that. “I’m a grown man, fully capable of making my own choices. And I chose Ava. She never manipulated me into anything.”

“Oh, is that so?” Olivia arched one perfectly sculpted brow, her tone dripping with condescension. “Or did she seduce you with her… mature body, like she’s been doing from the very start? Admit it, Chris—that little witch has had you twisted around her finger all this time.”

I opened my mouth, ready to let loose a blistering retort, but Olivia barreled forward before I could get a word in edgewise.

“Let’s be honest here,” she sneered, taking a bold step closer and jutting out her chin in a show of defiance. “She could practically be our mother’s age. Don’t you realize how pathetic you seem?”

For one blazing instant, everything inside me went utterly still, like the deafening silence before a raging storm. But then, all at once, a roaring fury ignited in my veins. Without thinking, I surged forward and caught Olivia’s shirt in my fist.

“That’s enough, Olivia,” I snarled. “How dare you speak about Ava that way, with such vile disrespect? She’s ten times the woman you’ll ever dream of being.”

Olivia actually recoiled a step, her pretty features contorting in a mask of shock and... fear? Good. At least she was finally starting to understand just how disgusted I was by her hideous behavior.

“You think you’re so much better than everyone else, don’t you?” I spat, refusing to release my grip on her shirt. “You’ve been like that since we were kids. But you’re not better. And being cruel to people who have never even considered harming you isn’t going to help your case.”

I shook my head slowly, feeling a sneer of my own twisting my lips. “You may be beautiful on the outside. But underneath all of that physical beauty you seem to hold so much pride in, you’re one of the ugliest people I’ve ever known. Cruel and selfish and poisonous, right down to your very core.”

She made a choked sound then, as if I’d just hit her rather than telling her the harsh truth. Blazing fury flickered in her eyes, tears welling up in their depths. But I didn’t care. Not anymore. She had crossed a line, hurting Ava the way she had, and I was done playing her twisted little games.

“Get out,” I growled, feeling as though I was speaking to a petulant child rather than my sister. “Guards will be here soon to escort you to your chambers, where you’ll remain for the next week under strict supervision. If I so much as hear a whisper of you causing another scene like this, I won’t hesitate to banish you from the territory altogether.”

For a long, tense moment, Olivia said nothing. Her lips remained pressed into a thin line, her hands clenched into tight white fists at her sides. But then, finally, she turned on her heel and stormed out.

Only once I was alone did I allow myself to fully uncoil, my shoulders sagging slightly as the weight of everything crashed over me in waves. Olivia’s actions had been appalling, yes, but not at all unexpected given her typical childish behavior.

No, what twisted my insides into knots was the thought of Ava, sweet and gentle Ava, suffering the brunt of my wretched sister’s vicious cruelty.

I had to find her, and quickly. The mere idea of allowing her to dwell on Olivia’s hateful words for too long made my heart clench painfully behind my ribs.

…

I stepped into Ava’s cottage without knocking, expecting to find her curled up on the sofa, in bed, or even in her garden; but instead, I was met with the sound of two voices. Hers, and Elder Elise’s.

“Well. I certainly hope he has a good reason,” Elise said from the kitchen. “That marriage with Lily should not only have unified our packs, but also kept Chris here in Moonstone.”

There was a long pause before Ava timidly answered: “I hope he has a good reason, too.”

A good reason? Ava was my reason. My only reason. But I knew that she was just biting her tongue, keeping the truth from Elise.

I wouldn’t be the one holding my tongue, though. Without even thinking, I stepped forward and called out, “I sent Lily away… because I am in love with another.”

Both Elise and Ava, who were sitting at the kitchen table, snapped their heads up to look at me. Ava’s eyes were wide, although significantly less red-rimmed and filled with tears now, which was a relief. Elise blinked at me for a moment before rising from her chair.

“Alpha Chris.”

“Elder Elise,” I said with a polite incline of my head. “It seems you were talking about me.”

Elise paused, then nodded. “I was just asking Ava about your sudden decision to send Lily away.”

“Sudden?” I nearly scoffed. “You knew already, Elise—as did the rest of the Elders. I’m not interested in Lily. In fact, I’m not interested in staying here in Moonstone at all.”

The Elder looked at me for a moment, processing my words. Meanwhile, Ava sat stonily behind her. When I met her eyes, there was an almost panicked look in her gaze; almost… pleading. She wasn’t ready to tell the Elders the truth about us, and I didn’t blame her. After all, she had more of a connection to this place than I did. She wasn’t so ready to give up her life here like I was.

“May I ask who your lover is?” Elise asked then, breaking the silence.

I opened my mouth to respond, then shook my head. “No. It’s private.”

Elise grit her teeth. “You shouldn’t keep such things a secret from the pack. If a new Luna is in the making…”

“It’s not pack business,” I replied, striding past Elise to tower over Ava. “And furthermore, I intend to marry this person once I find a suitable replacement Alpha and return to the human continent. There will be no Luna—not one of mine, at least.”

For a moment, there was another silence as both Elise and Ava processed what I had just said. Beside me, I felt Ava stiffen but remain silent.

“Very well,” Elise finally said stiffly, turning on her heel. “Thank you for the tea, Ava. I’ll see myself out.”

Ava and I watched as Elise left. Only once the door slammed shut behind her did I finally move, dropping to a crouch beside Ava’s chair and grabbing her head. I searched her scalp where Olivia had pulled her hair, cursing under my breath as I saw dried beads of blood around the back of her head.

“Dammit,” I growled, feeling a fresh burst of anger rush through me at the thought of what Olivia had done. “Ava, are you—”

Before I could finish, Ava gently pulled my hand away and met my gaze. There were fresh tears in her eyes, although I wasn’t entirely sure whether they were tears of sadness or tears of joy.

“Did you mean that?” she murmured, still holding my hand. “About… marrying me?”

I swallowed, and a silence fell over us. I didn’t know what to say—or what she would think. But it was true; I did want to marry Ava. I had wanted it ever since I could remember.

“Is that what you would want?” I found myself asking, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll marry you, take you to the human continent… I’ll buy you a big house, and…” My voice trailed off.

For a moment, Ava’s eyes seemed to twinkle with an expression that I couldn’t quite read, but one which almost felt like… hope. But then, she dropped her gaze and released her grip on my hand, biting her lip to conceal the smile that threatened to come.

“Chris… How many times do I have to tell you?”