Ava''s POV


    One second Lucas was fine, the next he was on the ground thrashing like he''d been electrocuted.


    "What''s wrong?" I dropped to my knees beside him, my heart hammering so hard it felt like it might crack my ribs.


    His body twisted unnaturally as silver-blue light rippled across his skin. Blood streamed from his eyes as he wed at his throat, his screams ripping through the air. This wasn''t a normal training mishap-this was catastrophic.


    "Lucas! My hands hovered uselessly over him. I''d handled pulled muscles, sprained ankles, even broken bones, but this? His body was caught halfway between forms, skin stretching grotesquely over shifting bones. What the hell had gone wrong? "Stay with me, kiddo."


    The training room doors exploded open. ke charged in like a force of nature, eyes zing gold, his Alpha aura radiating around him in visible waves.


    "Move," he ordered, dropping beside his son.


    I stumbled back as ke ced one hand on Lucas''s chest, the other on his forehead. He began chanting in ancient wolf-tongue, his body glowing with the same deep gold as his eyes.


    I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood, hoping, praying, bargaining with any deity that might be listening. When Lucas''s convulsions finally began to ease, the tight band around my chest loosened enough for me to breathe.


    "Tyler!" ke''s voice cracked like a whip. "Medical team. Now."


    Tyler vanished without a word. ke gathered Lucas into his arms, murmuring into his hair, looking nothing like the fearsome Alpha King-just a terrified dad cradling his kid.


    My hands wouldn''t stop shaking. If Lucas had-if he''d-


    "What. Happened." ke''s head snapped up, storm-blue eyes locking onto mine. The words weren''t a question but a demand.


    "I don''t know," I said, my voice sounding distant in my own ears. "He drank the catalyst and just... copsed."


    ke grabbed the vial from the ground. "This isn''t training catalyst." His voice dropped dangerously low. "This is adult-grade. High concentration. It''s poison to cubs."


    "That''s not-" My stomach lurched. "I grabbed the same bottle I always use. From the kitchen. The training one."


    That familiar feeling flooded back-being a kid again, med for something I didn''t do. But this wasn''t about a broken vase or missing cookies. This was


    Lucas''s life.


    The doors flew open again. Sophia burst in, her designer perfume hitting me a second before she did.


    "Lucas!" she shrieked, falling dramatically beside him. Her hands fluttered over his face, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Is he going to be okay? Please tell me he''ll be okay!"


    ke squeezed her shoulder, "He''ll be fine."


    She sobbed harder, but something about it felt... rehearsed. When Tyler exined about the catalyst, her eyes darted to me, something calcting flickering behind the tears.


    "That''s so strange,'' she sniffled. ''Ava''s always careful..."


    ke turned to Tyler. ''Check the storage cab."


    Tyler returned looking grim. "Adult catalyst''s missing from the locked cab. Cub form''s still there, untouched."


    "That cab stays locked," ke said, frowning. Only you and I have keys."


    ''Means someone got hold of a key, or..."


    ''I''ll find out who,'' Tyler promised.


    ke nodded, still cradling Lucas. "If I''d been one minuteter-"


    "But you weren''t, Tyler cut in gently. ''Blood connection. You felt him in danger."


    ''Get to the bottom of this," ke ordered.


    As the medical team arrived, Sophia''s tears miraculously dried up. She leaned close to ke, voice pitched just loud enough for me to hear.


    ''Maybe it was an ident,'' she murmured, eyes downcast. "But Ava''s been so stressed about her fathertely... Perhaps she shouldn''t train Lucas anymore? At least for now?"


    The medical staff exchanged nces. Just like that, without making a direct usation, she''d poisoned the well.


    ''I''m going with Lucas," ke announced, lifting his son. "Sophia, go with them.”


    She nodded, giving me a look that seemed apologetic on the surface but had something cold underneath. Something I''d never seen in her before.


    When everyone cleared out, leaving ke and me alone, the silence felt like a physical weight.


    "Tell me what happened," he said, voice deliberately even.


    I met his eyes. "I swear on everything I care about, that was the training catalyst when I grabbed it. I checked thebel. I''d never mess around with Lucas''s safety."


    His eyes shed that telltale Alpha gold, assessing my truthfulness. "You understand what almost happened? If I hadn''t sensed something wrong-


    I''d never put him at risk," I said, my voice cracking. "I love that kid."


    ke nodded, but took a step back, literally putting distance between us. That tiny movement hurt more than if he''d shouted.


    ''I believe you wouldn''t hurt him on purpose," he said carefully. "But until I know exactly what happened, I need to be cautious."


    I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him. Make him look at me. Really look at me. But his eyes held something worse than anger-doubt.


    "While we investigate, I can''t let you continue training Lucas."


    I felt oddly calm hearing the words, like I''d been bracing for this blow all along.


    I understand,” I said, straightening my shoulders. "I''ll clear out my stuff."


    His brow furrowed. "I didn''t say you need to leave ckwood."


    A bitterugh escaped me. "But you''re thinking it, right? I gestured between us. "Every time you look at me, you''ll remember this. You''re a father and an Alpha. You can''t take chances. I get it."


    The fact that he didn''t immediately deny it was answer enough.


    "This isn''t personal," he finally said.


    I''d make the same call, I admitted, turning away so he wouldn''t see my eyes


    filling. "If it were my dad on the line."


    I reached the edge of the training field when his voice stopped me.


    "Ava."


    I half-turned, keeping my face shadowed. ''Heard Shadow Creek''s recruiting instructors. Martha already found Sarah... maybe that''s where I belong now."


    The words came out easier than expected. Maybe because deep down, I''d always known this was borrowed time. A warrior and an Alpha King? Talk about a pipe dream.


    Three days crawled by like three years. I tried to see Lucas twice-both times turned away by Tyler with ufortable ''doctor''s orders. I knew bullshit when I smelled it. No doctors were keeping me out; ke was.


    I''d packed, unpacked, and repacked my stuff, trapped in limbo. Sleep was a joke, food tasteless. My mindlink attempts to ke hit nothing but walls. The only sound from ckwood was silence, and it was deafening.


    There was a soft knock on my bedroom door. Sarah stood in the doorway, dark circles smudged under her eyes like bruises.


    I''d told her about the ident, but kept my suspicions about Sophia to myself. Gut feelings don''t hold up in pack court.


    "Decision time?" Sarah asked, perching on my rumpled bed. "About the Hayes position?"


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    Chapter Comments


    user2504055800


    need some work on chapters


    Visitor


    how can she burst in when a few minutes ago she was there before ke and


    Tyler?


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