Sleep didn’t come easy.
It hadn’t, ever since Victor stepped into their territory like he already owned the ending.
Ava lay awake long after the pack had gone quiet, staring at the ceiling, her thoughts circling the same words over and over.
She’s the key.
“To what?” she muttered under her breath again.
Still no answer.
Just that same lingering feeling—
Like something inside her was waking up faster than she could understand it.
Faster than she could control it.
And worse—
Faster than anyone could stop it.
By morning, the entire pack had shifted into something sharper.
More alert.
More dangerous.
This wasn’t defense anymore.
This was anticipation.
Ava stepped outside and immediately felt it—
Eyes.
Watching.
Not in fear.
In expectation.
“They’re waiting,” she said.
Kael, standing a few steps ahead, didn’t turn.
“They’re preparing.”
Ava crossed her arms slightly. “For him.”
“Yes.”
That didn’t sit well.
Not because she doubted the pack—
But because of how Victor had carried himself.
Like someone who didn’t rush into fights.
Like someone who already knew how they ended.
“I don’t like this,” Ava said.
“You don’t have to like it,” Kael replied. “You just have to survive it.”
Ava gave a short, dry laugh. “Comforting.”
The meeting was called shortly after.
Ava sat beside Kael this time—not behind, not at a distance.
Beside him.
The shift in position didn’t go unnoticed.
And neither did the way the room responded.
Respect.
Curiosity.
And something else.
Uncertainty.
Good.
They should be uncertain.
Because Ava was too.
“He’ll come again,” one of the elders said.
Kael nodded once. “Yes.”
“And when he does?”
A pause.
Then—
“We won’t wait.”
That got their attention.
Ava’s too.
“You’re going after him?” she asked, turning slightly.
“Yes.”
That was… bold.
Dangerous.
And maybe exactly what Victor expected.
Ava leaned back slightly, thinking.
“He wants that,” she said.
The room quieted.
Kael’s gaze shifted to her.
“Explain.”
Ava tilted her head slightly, piecing it together.
“He didn’t push the boundary,” she said. “Didn’t provoke a fight. He showed up, said what he wanted, and left.”
A pause.
“That’s not someone looking for a battle,” she continued. “That’s someone setting one up.”
Silence.
Then—
“You think it’s a trap,” someone muttered.
“I think,” Ava said slowly, “he wants us to move first.”
Kael studied her for a long moment.
Then—
“You’re right.”
That sent a ripple through the room.
Not disagreement.
Recognition.
“So we don’t go to him,” Ava said.
Kael’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“No,” he replied. “We do.”
Ava blinked.
“Wait—what?”
“But not the way he expects.”
A slow smile tugged at the corner of Kael’s mouth.
And for the first time since Victor appeared—
Ava felt it.
That edge.
That dangerous, calculated side of him.
“Explain,” she said.
By the time the meeting ended—
Ava understood one thing very clearly.
This wasn’t just about strength.
It was about control.
Positioning.
Timing.
Victor wasn’t the only one playing that game.
Later that evening—
Ava found herself alone again.
Or at least—
She thought she was.
The forest felt different now.
Less like a sanctuary.
More like a battlefield waiting to happen.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
Ava didn’t turn.
“I’m not alone.”
A pause.
Then—
Kael stepped into view beside her.
“Still,” he said.
Ava exhaled softly. “You’re hovering.”
“I’m protecting.”
“Same thing.”
Kael didn’t argue.
Because they both knew—
Right now—
It was.
“You’re thinking too much,” he said after a moment.
Ava huffed lightly. “Kind of hard not to when some mystery psycho wolf shows up and says I’m basically the center of everything.”
Kael’s gaze darkened slightly.
“You are.”
Ava turned to him.
“That’s not helping.”
“It’s not meant to.”
Ava studied him for a moment.
Then—
“What did he mean?” she asked quietly.
Kael didn’t respond immediately.
And that—
That was answer enough.
“You know something,” Ava said.
“Yes.”
Her stomach tightened.
“And you’re not telling me.”
“Not yet.”
Ava stepped closer.
“That’s not your decision to make.”
Kael’s jaw tightened slightly.
“It is if it keeps you alive.”
Ava’s eyes flashed.
“I’m not weak.”
“I know.”
“Then stop treating me like I am.”
“I’m not.”
A beat.
Then—
“I’m treating you like you matter.”
That hit harder than anything else.
Ava’s breath caught—
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
The tension shifted.
Changed.
Not gone—
But different.
Quieter.
Deeper.
Kael stepped closer.
Close enough that Ava could feel the heat of him again.
That pull.
That constant, undeniable pull.
“You felt it too,” he said quietly.
Ava swallowed.
“The mark?”
“Yes.”
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
“It’s getting stronger.”
Kael’s hand lifted slowly—
Brushing just barely against her arm.
Not enough to claim.
Not enough to hold.
Just enough to remind.
“I know.”
Ava’s pulse quickened.
“And that’s bad?” she asked.
A pause.
Then—
“Yes.”
Of course it was.
Because nothing about this was simple.
The air shifted again.
Subtle.
But real.
Ava felt it instantly.
Her head snapped toward the tree line.
“No,” she whispered.
Kael stilled.
“You feel that?”
“Yes.”
It wasn’t Victor.
Not directly.
But it was—
Connected.
A message.
A presence pressing just lightly against the edges of their territory.
Testing again.
Waiting.
Watching.
Ava’s chest tightened.
“He’s not coming yet,” she said slowly.
Kael’s gaze narrowed.
“No.”
Ava’s fingers curled slightly.
“He’s waiting for something.”
A beat.
Then—
Her breath caught.
“For me.”
Kael moved instantly.
His hand gripping her arm—firm this time.
“Inside,” he said.
Ava didn’t argue.
Not this time.
Because the feeling spreading through her now—
Wasn’t just tension.
Wasn’t just awareness.
It was something else.
Something deeper.
Something pulling at her from the inside.
Calling.
Awakening.
And for the first time—
It scared her.
That night—
The dreams came back.
But they weren’t fragmented anymore.
They weren’t distant.
They were clear.
Sharp.
Real.
She stood in the same forest—
But it wasn’t theirs.
Darker.
Older.
The air thick with something ancient.
And in front of her—
A figure stood.
Not Kael.
Not Victor.
Something else.
Something… more.
“You’ve begun to wake,” the figure said.
Ava’s breath caught.
“Who are you?”
A pause.
Then—
“The one you were before.”
Her chest tightened.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It will.”
The figure stepped closer.
And Ava felt it—
That same energy.
That same power.
But stronger.
Uncontained.
“You cannot stay between worlds much longer,” the figure said.
Ava frowned. “What does that mean?”
“It means,” the voice softened slightly, “you will have to choose.”
Ava’s pulse pounded.
“Choose what?”
A beat.
Then—
“Who you become.”
Ava woke with a sharp gasp.
Her body tense.
Her heart racing.
And the mark—
Burning.
Kael was there instantly.
At her side.
“What happened?”
Ava looked at him—
Really looked.
And for the first time—
There was something new in her expression.
Not just confusion.
Not just fear.
But realization.
“I think…” she said slowly,
“…I’m running out of time.”
