Chapter 1 Prologue: The Burden of Secrets

Ava's POV

Silence was, I had always thought, my best defense; if I kept my head down and stayed invisible, I would be safe. But my secret seemed like a ticking clock, each pulse resonating in the hollow place where my heart used to be. Silence five years, hiding five years, and now it was all about to end. The truth was going to rip through the flimsy walls I had created, and there would be no turning back whether or not I was ready.

Perched on the brink of the forest, the tall trees created sweeping shadows across the road I had previously escaped. The clean autumn air pricked at my skin, reminding me of the evening I left-heartbroken, embarrassed, and alone. Except I was not by myself. Not then, either. not now.

My hand closed around the child's tiny, delicate fingers at my side. My daughter Lily is my lighthouse. Her clear green eyes reflected my own, wide with innocence and inquiry. She pulled at my sleeve, her gentle voice guiding me out of the depths of my mind.

Her wonder-filled voice questioned, "Mama, are we going to meet him today?" Caleb, her twin, followed us silently as usual, his eyes darting between the dark forest and the road forward.

Him: Jackson Wolfe. Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack. Their father they had never known.

I had not told them much-how could I? How could I communicate to them the agony of being turned aside like I intended nothing? How could I help them to realize that the guy they yearned to see had previously sent me away, saying I was too weak to be by his side?

My chest constricting, I looked down at Lily. She had a right to know the truth. Caleb ought to have known the truth. But that truth might be lethal. It may wipe out what I had attempted to create. But running from it was not something people did now. Not following events as they had happened.

The attack came quickly and mercilessly. Hunting us, rogue wolves tore throughout the community we had called home for the past five years. Searching for me. Though I was not sure how they had located us, they had. That evening burnt into my memories, the howls in the distance, the blood on my hands as I battled to shield my kids. My dormant powers, a reminder of the secret I had buried for too long, had erupted in a way I had not anticipated.

Then I realized we could not remain hidden any more. Not when the life of my children was on line. The pack had adversaries, strong ones who would not hesitate to turn against Jackson using them as leverage. Even after years of suffering and distance, and despite my continued resentment of him, I knew there was only one place they could be safe.

Along with him.

However, this did not make things any easier. Perched on the edge of the land I used to call home, I felt my past come crashing down on me. Jackson's steely eyes and the vicious twist of his lips as he spoke those words that had broken me ran through my mind.

You are not strong enough to be my Luna.

My gut turned. Now I was not that delicate girl. I had survived, and along that process I had produced two lovely, strong children. Still, the scars of his rejection burned deep, and I couldn't help but wonder how he would respond when he saw the kids he never knew existed. His pack's successors.

I inhaled deeply to help me to ground myself. One could not turn back. For Lily and Caleb, I would meet him. I would enter the den of the wolf who had previously broken me for their safety.

Still, a slithering of discomfort crept up my spine even as I tried to cool my beating heart. Something seemed wrong. The woodland was too silent, the air too motionless. The ground itself seemed to be waiting for something to happen, as though it were breathing.

Caleb stiffened next to me, his keen eyes glancing across the forest. Always seeing, always listening, he had always been more sensitive to danger than his sister. I sensed he felt it too as his hold tightened on my hand.

"We're not alone," he said, his voice almost above a whisper.

My heart accelerated. The smell first caught me-faint yet clear. Wolves are almost here. far too close. As I understood what this meant, my heart crashed against my ribs. Already the Blood Moon Pack recognized our presence. They were en route.

I dropped down to bring Lily and Caleb near to me. "Listen to me," I whispered gently, my voice firm even as my panic grew. Follow me. Leave my side no matter what happens. Do you follow?

Their eyes wide with terror but filled with the same quiet strength I had come to respect in them, they both nodded. Though they had no idea what was ahead, they trusted me. < I needed nothing else except it.

The silence broke with the sound of leaves rustling and a twig snapping. As I watched them-three wolves rising from the shadows, their eyes glowed amber in the last of the light-my breath seized in my throat. They were big, their fur tense and dark.

And Jackson Wolfe led them from the middle.

Towering and broad-shouldered, he was in human form and his presence dominated the area around him. His dark hair was longer than I had imagined, and his sharp, frigid silver eyes fastened onto me with an intensity that shivered my spine. The world seemed to slink for a time, memories drowning over me like a tidal wave. Those eyes had been void of interest the previous time I saw them.

But these days they are unreadable.

Ava.

His voice was low, gravelly, like a vice dragging me back into the past. But I couldn't afford to let the past chew through me right now. For my children, I had to be robust. regarding me.

"I didn't come back for you," I murmured, forcing the words out, my voice calmer than I felt. I returned specifically for them.

I moved aside to show Lily and Caleb, their little hands firmly clutching mine. Jackson's eyes flicked to them, and for a fleeting moment something tore through the frigid mask he wore. Startle. ambiguity. And then... realization.

"They're yours," I replied softly, staring at the fury building in his eyes. "Always yours have been."

Jackson stepped closer, his face darkening, but before he could say, a strong howl ripped through the tension like a dagger from the treetops. My blood turned frigid.

Renowned players.

They followed us.

Ji

Jackson's body stiffened as his gaze shot to the forest line as the distant sounds of coming wolves got louder. His tone stern and forceful, he continued, "We need to get back to the packhouse." "Now."

Looking down at Lily and Caleb, panic shot through me. Originally we had stepped directly into the lion's den, and now the wolves were closing in. We had nowhere to go and the same thing I had been away from for five years was here.

Jackson said, "Stay close," his voice piercing my terror. He changed then, his wolf under control and the change quick and smooth. Before me stood a large black beast with silver eyes shining in the evening.

I did not hesitate. Running toward the protection of the packhouse, we trailed Jackson into the forest, gathering my kids near. But one horrible idea kept running through me as the cries of the rogues neared.

Had I simply brought my kids into much more risk?

As the shouts of the rogues got louder and their footsteps resounded across the forest, it seemed to shut in around us. As we sprinted, Jackson's black shape led the way and my heart hammered in my chest. But a shadow too swift, too close appeared in the distance as we arrived at the clearing.

And then I noticed him.

A towering, strong man with vicious amber eyes and a smile that made my spine shudder. His presence exuding menace, he stood between us and the packhouse.

Blackthorne Marcus.

"I have been waiting for you, Ava," he continued, his voice full of contempt. And your tiny secrets.

My blood went ice.