Chapter 5 Boundaries Broken, Loyalties Tested

Ava's POV

"Again!"

"You're standing too wide. You'll lose your balance if someone charges at you." Elias spoke. I let out a deep breath and adjusted my foot on the ground. My muscles ached, but it was a good kind of ache. The kind that reminded me I was still alive.

"Like this?" I asked, locking eyes with him. A smirk curved at the side of his lips, softening his usually unreadable face. "Better. Now hit me."

"Unless you're planning to charm anyone you fight into surrendering, then hit me." He lifted his chin, challenging me. He caught my wrist easily, pulling me off balance.

I stumbled right into him, my palms slamming against his chest. Solid, warm. Our faces were suddenly too close. His breath was hot against my cheek, sending a shiver racing down my spine.

"See what I mean?" He murmured. "It's easy for them to knock you off balance." But he didn't let go. And neither did I. For a second, the voices in my head began to fade, the scars Caden had left behind slowly disappearing.

It scared me how much I wanted this moment to stop, but I still wanted it to last. All I could feel was this steady heartbeat under my palms, the way his gaze softened when it rested on me.

"I....I'm learning, " I whispered. "I won't be this weak forever." He frowned, his thumb brushing against the red mark on my arms. "You're not weak, Ava. You survived what would have broken most people, sometimes strength isn't always loud."

His words hit me deeper than I wanted to admit. I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how fast my heart was beating. I shouldn't be feeling this way, not after my heart had been shattered by the one person I gave it to.

"Again," I said, pulling back slightly as I forced a playful smirk onto my lips. "Maybe next time I'll land a hit." A slow grin broke across his face, hinting at something I couldn't understand.

"We'll see about that."

I finally managed to land a glancing blow on his shoulder, letting out a real, unguarded laugh that startled even me. "There she is," he said softly, pride shining in his eyes. "The real you."

I froze, my smile fading. No one had ever seen me smile in years. Not like this. The weight of his eyes settled over me, burning and tender all at once. Slowly, almost hesitantly as he stepped closer.

"Elias..." My voice trembled, part warning, part plea. He lifted a hand, brushing a stray strand of hair from my cheek. His fingertips lingered against my skin, setting fire to every nerve ending.

He leaned closer, slowly, giving me every chance to pull away. But I didn't. I lifted my chin, meeting him halfway, our lips inches apart when...

BAM.

The door slammed open.

"Ava!"

Caden's voice cut through the night like a whip, sharp and accusing. I staggered back like I had been burned, stumbling out of Elia's reach.

He stood there, his chest rising and falling in heavy gasps, his eyes wild and furious, flickering between us. His fists clenched at his sides, as if he was barely holding himself together.

"What the hell is going on here?" His voice, low and dangerous. For a while, no one spoke. Silence hung thick and heavy in the air between us. I opened my mouth to explain, but why was I even trying to give him an explanation? He didn't deserve it. Not after what he did to me

Elias stepped forward, calm but unyielding. "Back off, Caden."

"Don't tell me to back off!" Caden snapped, standing between us like a storm about to break. His voice was sharp and cold. "Ava, what is this? What? You're trying to trap him since you couldn't do the same to me?

I flinched, anger burning in my chest. Why did I feel like I was the one caught doing something wrong? He was the one who had rejected me. He threw me aside like I was nothing. But the words stuck in my throat, too tangled with old hurt.

Before I could find my voice, Elias stepped forward, his body shielding me. His posture was calm, controlled-but I could feel the tension coiling off him like heat from a fire barely contained.

"Caden," Elias said evenly, his voice low but steady. "This isn't what you think."

Caden's laugh was sharp and humorless. "Isn't it? Because from where I'm standing, it looks exactly like what I think." His eyes moved past Elias, pinning me in place. "Did you think you could sneak around with my beta? Behind my back?"

"She's not yours, Caden. You made that clear." For a moment, I thought Caden would strike him for challenging his authority. His jaw clenched so tightly I heard his teeth grind. The veins in his neck strained, his fists trembling at his sides.

But he didn't lash out.

Instead, he took a slow, deliberate step closer until he and Elias stood toe to toe. Alpha and beta. Brother and rival. "Watch yourself, Elias," Caden growled, his voice low and dangerous.

"I trust you. And I choose you as my second. Don't make me regret it." Elias didn't move, but I saw it-the flash of pain and was in his eyes between loyalty and something deeper.

"I've always had your back as my Alpha," Elias said quietly, his voice strained but unbroken. "I won't stand by and watch you tear her down again."

"This is about the chain of command. Loyalty. You need to know your place. He turned to face me, casting a look that made my stomach twist. Something unreadable flickering in his eyes-jealousy? Possessiveness? Regret?

I couldn't even tell. Then his eyes cut back to Elias, sharp as a blade. "Stay away from her," Caden commanded, his voice like iron. "Or you'll no longer be able to call yourself my beta.

"Hell, you won't even be a member of this pack."

With that, he walked out. Leaving me stand there, caught between the man who broke me.....

And the one who was starting to put me together again.