Ava''s POV


    "He KISSED you?!" E''s voice exploded in my head like a mental firecracker. I winced and cranked the mindlink volume down before my skull could crack open.


    "Yeah, no big deal." I kept it breezy whilest night''s memory yed on repeat - Steven''s lips finding mine under that stupid romantic moonlight. Just your ssic heat-of-the-moment thing.


    The carriage hit another pothole, jostling me as tree shadows danced across myp. I rubbed the mark on my neck, noticing how it barely stung anymore.


    "Spill everything! Was it hot? Did your knees go weak? Sparks? Fireworks? Anything?"


    "E, chill," I blew out a breath. "It was just a kiss, not a marriage proposal. What I didn''t mention was that while it felt nice enough, that''s where it ended. No racing heart. No breath catching. None of the stuff I sometimes caught myself imagining with... nope, not going there.


    "Fine, but you owe me the uncensored version when you''re back," E grumbled.


    Yeah, yeah. Pulling up to ckwood now. Later." I cut the connection, tossed some coins at the driver, and hopped down.


    Standing in front of ckwood''s massive entrance, I found my brain betraying me by reyingst night''s kiss - except it kept switching faces. Steven had been gentle, sure, but why did ke''s face keep barging into my thoughts? That brooding mountain of an Alpha with those damn storm-gray eyes that seemed to strip away all my defenses. Every time he popped into my head, my mark tingled and my wolf paced restlessly, like she was waiting for something.


    Stupid. So freaking stupid. I mentally kicked myself. Sure, ke saved Dad from execution, but that was just Alpha King 101 - upholding justice. I wasn''t special. Just some Shadow Creek nobody teaching his kid how to throw a punch without breaking his thumb. He couldn''t care less who I kissed or where I spent my nights.


    Steven had made that crystal clear. ke didn''t give a rat''s ass about us going out gether. That truth shouldn''t feel like a knife twisting in my gut, but here we were. I should be grateful someone actually gave a damn about my problems.


    "Miss Rivers." Wilson''s voice could''ve frozen hellfire. Dude had hated my guts since I embarrassed him in front of ke. Now he wasn''t even allowed to talk about me to the Alpha King.


    "Young Master Lucas awaits in the training yard." His tone suggested I was runningte, though my watch said I still had ten solid minutes.


    "Thanks, Wilson." I brushed past him and headed straight for training.


    I still couldn''t crack why this guy had it out for me when I was just doing my job. Maybe he had a built-in Shadow Creek detector that triggered his asshole reflex. Whatever. Everyone''s got their own agenda.


    In the yard, Lucas was hammering through basic stances I''d drilled into him, his face scrunched in concentration. Kid worked harder than wolves three times his age. Then I spotted Sophia perched on a bench at the edge of the yard, and my smile vanished.


    "Hey Ava.” Her voice sounded like she''d been dragged through hell backward.


    "Sophia." I nodded, trying for friendly. At least she''d left Mr. Perfect Fiancé at home.


    I debated asking about Jackson but ditched the idea when I clocked her exhausted eyes. Definitely another fight. Tyler had mentioned they''d been at each other''s throatstely - Sophia had even ducked out of pack gatherings to avoid him.


    Just thinking about Jackson sent a weird cocktail of emotions sloshing through my stomach. Bumping into him and Sophia at Moon Lakest night was a shock, but even weirder was him not starting shit with me. Maybe he finally got the memo that we were done? Or maybe he was just ying Mr. Devoted in front of Sophia.


    "Mind if I hang out and watch?" Sophia asked, picking at a loose thread on her sleeve. "Been ages since I''ve seen Lucas train. Could use something else to focus on."


    I nced at Lucas, who''d spotted his sister and lit up like a full moon. "Sure, if you don''t mind getting dusty."


    She slumped back against the bench, tension visibly draining from her shoulders as I kicked off today''s session.


    We burned through an hour of basic drills before tackling the trickier defensive moves. Lucas was soaking it up like a sponge - his reaction time had sharpened since ourst go-round. Every now and then, I''d catch Sophia actually watching, her eyes tracking Lucas with genuine interest. Weird. I''d figured


    Chapter $9


    she just needed somewhere to hide out.


    "That''s a wrap, squirt, I finally tapped Lucas''s shoulder. "Practice that defensive crouch daily or I''ll know. Your bnce is still webbly


    "On it?" Lacas grinned, puffing his chest out. "Next time I''ll totally take Steven down!"


    Steven''s name triggered an instant rey in my head - his lips meeting mine, nice enough but missing that electric jolt. Nothing like what I sometimes caught myself wondering about with ke...


    What the hell, brain?


    "Keep dreaming, kid," I snorted, shaking off those ridiculous thoughts. "Fix your footwork first or you''llnd on your butt again."


    Lucas stuck his tongue out before darting off to shower. I started gathering training gear, tossing knives back into their slots and stacking pads. The hairy on my neck suddenly stood up - someone watching me. I nced up to find Sophia still nted on that bench, eyes boring into me.


    I pretended not to notice and kept cleaning. Ball''s in her court.


    When I finally turned around, I nearby mmed into Sophia hovering right behind me. Pure reflex almost dropped me into battle stance before I caught


    "Shit-sorry," she mumbled, gnawing her lower lip raw. Her fingers twisted nervously around her pack totem, shoulders hunched like she was bracing for impact.


    "You okay?" I eased up, noting the dark circles under her eyes. "You look like you''ve been through the wringer."


    "Not reality sure," she exhaled slowly. Just feeling lost about some stuff."


    She paused, seeming to search for words. "Ava, would you maybe want to take a walk with me tonight?"


    The question bindsided me sopletely I nearly choked. "Me? You sure about that?"


    "Nothing fancy, she rushed to add. Just find somewhere quiet to talk. Just us girls."


    I hesitated. Any particr reason you''re asking me?"


    "Not really her gare drifted toward the mountains, voice dropping. Just need someone to talk to. Someone not all tangled up in pack politics."


    "Look, I''m probably not your best option," I tried to let her down easy. "I''m Shadow Creek, remember? We barely know each other."


    Tve got nobody else right now, Axn," her voice cracked slightly. "Just need a break from... everything. Please?"


    Looking into her eyes, I caught a sh of something genuinely raw and vulnerable. Made it damn near impossible to brush her off. I finally sighed. "Alright,