Thorns

The day Raventhorn would arrive was recognized even by the skies. The clouds bunched together, thick and swollen with the promise of a storm. The wind howled through the compound, rattling window panes and setting the nerves of every living creature on edge.

Ava stood outside the grand hall. She was flanked by Alpha Leon, Luna Selene and a Gamma, the only witnesses to what she privately referred to as her death sentence. They called it a political arrangement and they didn't have the decency to make her look worthy and presentable at least.

Luna Selene looked like she had just won a grand prize. She clung to Leon's arm with the kind of satisfaction one gets from sweeping up the last slice of pizza before anyone else can grab it. Leon looked about as comfortable as a man standing before a firing squad. His lips were drawn into a tight line as if realizing that he had invited a wolf into his home and was now about to serve him dinner.

Ava held her head high despite her circumstances. She wore a plain grey dress that did little to hide the bruises that bloomed across her skin. Bruises gifted to her by the same pack now shoving her off like unwanted leftovers. If she ever imagined dying, she had considered scenarios like starvation, or perhaps being beaten to death. She never thought her fate would be wrapped in silk and called a peace treaty.

Then came the sound of engines. The gates groaned open, and a motorcade rolled into the compound. Two motorcycles flanked a sleek black Lamborghini Urus, a sight so out of place among the old-world grandeur of the Crimson Pack that it was almost laughable.

Then he stepped out. Alpha Lucas Raventhorn.

The monster. The butcher of the Silver Pack. The man who could silence a room simply by breathing.

He was tall, well built with scars winding around his wrists like trophies of war. His silver eyes swept the scene, landing on Ava and immediately visually cataloging every weakness. She felt small under his gaze. And that was saying something, given that her life had been a running competition of how much smaller she could shrink each day.

Raventhorn approached with the lazy confidence of a predator, his men falling into step behind him like shadows. Even with only two guards, the weight of his presence made it clear that if he wanted to, he could burn this place to the ground with nothing but sheer willpower.

Leon swallowed hard, visibly fighting the urge to shrink back. He was regretting this already.

Raventhorn's lips curled into a wicked grin. "Leon. I see you still lack a spine."

Leon exhaled through his nose.

Raventhorn's smirk deepened. "Let me guess, this is the gift you had me come all this way for? Alpha, you wound me." His tone dripped with mock hurt as he flicked his fingers in Ava's direction. "Step forward, little offering. Let me get a better look at you."

Ava resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Oh, fantastic. A full appraisal. Maybe he'd even check her teeth like she was a horse.

She walked forward, keeping her face carefully blank.

"You think so little of me that you assume all I want is to fuck some stray?" Raventhorn's voice was sharp. He stepped closer, towering over her, and without warning, he grabbed her jaw, tilting her face up to his. His grip was firm, nails biting into her flesh just enough to make a point.

"Not to mention," he continued, "that she is weak and without a wolf."

He shoved her face away as though she were something distasteful, turning back to Leon with a sneer.

Selene flinched beside Leon, her perfect confidence splintering for the first time. She had expected Raventhorn to be eager for their little trade. Not dismissive. Not this.

Ava forced herself to meet Raventhorn's gaze again. If she was going to be tossed around like an old rag, she'd at least do it with some dignity.

"I was expecting something more… creative, Leon," Raventhorn mused. "Something I couldn't resist. Instead, you hand me a beaten dog."

Leon's jaw tightened. "She is all I have to offer."

"I do not agree."

Selene jumped in. "She is the rejected mate of an Alpha. She will serve you well."

Raventhorn turned to her with an expression of utter condescension. "Oh, Luna," he drawled, "the rumors about you are true. You really don't have the brains to match the beauty."

Ava almost smiled.

Selene's face darkened with rage, but Raventhorn was already back to business.

"Do you think I'll just accept this and spare your pathetic territory?" he asked Leon. "I could take ten of your finest gammas instead. Or better yet, blood."

Leon's voice came out strained. "I will have to refuse."

"Hmmm… well then, let's ask the sacrificial lamb what she thinks." Raventhorn turned back to Ava.

Ava hesitated. For the first time, Leon looked at her with something like guilt.

She inhaled sharply and straightened her spine. "You have to take me."

Raventhorn tilted his head. "Oh? And why would I have to do that?"

"Because I was once his mate," Ava said. "You want someone angry enough to bring down territories? Someone fueled by vengeance? Then take me." She turned toward Leon and Selene letting her anger show. "Because if you don't take me, I am already dead. If you so badly want to take over Crimson pack, I am all the weapon you need."

Selene screeched and lunged for Ava, claws outstretched but Raventhorn's backhand sent her flying across the floor.

"Take her," he ordered his men, then turned to Leon. "Be safe… for now."

As Ava was led toward the waiting car, she looked back one last time at Leon, the man who had once been her future. Now, he was nothing more than a stepping stone in her revenge.

The Lamborghini's doors closed around her. One thing became crystal clear in her mind.

She would become the thorn in his side. And she would make him bleed.