CHAPTER 3 Comfort

Ava POV

The young man held my hand on the ride to his place. We didn’t talk much. I couldn’t help thinking that if we talked, we’d have to deal with the fact we hadn’t shared much in the way of personal information such as names.

I felt a little talked-out, actually, and not sharing phone numbers or even pack affiliations kept it completely clear this wasn’t about starting up a relationship. I was hurting, but looking into his lovely eyes and thinking about what those lips could do to me was more than distracting.

We were so in sync, in fact, that after he opened the door with a key card and a tender smile, we were kissing again even as we walked over the threshold. It did feel like a fancy place for such a young man, but I didn’t have too much attention to spare for the room.

I was right about his lips. They felt as wonderful on my neck and shoulders as they did on my stomach and thighs. He kissed me while taking off our clothes with only a little fumbling. I realized I was glad he wasn’t perfect coordinated. He was so lovely—and young!—I was intimidated enough already.

Very soon, we were stretched out together on the clean white sheets. His hands were warm and soft, and I felt precious and cherished and more excited by his body than I had for a very long time. He brought me up in a slow, steady spiral.

When I clenched down around him, I had tears of release in eyes.

“I’ve wanted this since . . .” I heard him murmuring.

“What?” I asked, not sure if I heard him clearly.

That was when the sound of New Year’s bells rang in my ears.

“I said, Happy New Year, love.” He’d started calling me that not long after we got to the room. I didn’t mind. We both knew how he meant it, and it beat the heck out of “baby” or something like that.

“Happy New Year,” I said back to him.

Sunlight peeking through the gaps in the curtain woke me up, and at first all I thought about was my aching head. Squinting, I took in the room, the bed, and the man’s arm wrapped around my waist.

I lay there waiting to feel guilty for having spent the night with a man ten years younger than I was, but I didn’t. It had hurt no one, and the lovely young man had been right. I’d been betrayed, made to feel worthless and “used up.”

Now, I just felt grief, and that was something I knew about and could face. I still had a nightmare or two left in me, but I felt much better than I would have after spending the night alone.

I got out of bed without waking him and read 8 a.m. on the clock by the bed. I quickly got my clothes on, then shut the door behind me without a sound. I thought about leaving him a note, but at his age, the night had doubtlessly meant nothing more to him than some sweet fun. I had more important things to worry about.

I just caught the 9 a.m. ferry, a simple steel-hulled boat, across the straight back to Werewolf Territory, which meant I needed to have some sort of idea what to do with myself when we would dock at 11 a.m. In fact, I needed to figure out pretty much everything.

As wife to the pack’s acting beta, I had been in a position to address some things that need to change. Unlike Alpha Chris, I couldn’t help adding in my head. He’d disliked our ways so much he’d run off. I had thought it was to learn things he could bring back home, but now I knew it was for how own good.

I thought again of the sweet child Chris had been, and I mourned him along with the rest. The lure of the more modern Human World had drawn him away from the rich heritage of our territory with its fresh air and rich resources, both natural and beyond. I had been glad to promise my father and the late Alpha Adam I would always protect the island.

But how could I do that now? Would I be able to work with Ethan and Olivia at all? What were their plans for me?

The sun was high in a bright blue sky when we reached Moonstone Pack’s dock, a spot of technology among the lush foliage of the island. I and the dozen others with me on the boat lined up to show our arms to the pier guards. I looked down at my glowing moonstone tattoo, feeling grounded by the small magic of the ink milked from a flower that grew only on the island.

Humans who had seen my tattoo thought it had been done with luminous paint. Except for the rare Human mates who were allowed to know the island’s secrets—some of them—their kind couldn’t appreciate how brightly the tattoo would glow when the moon was full or what the runes in the design meant about my own skills, including a mastery of the mind-link that bound me to my brethren. Most modern Werewolves, even in the Moonstone Pack and much to the distain of the Elders, just used Smartphones these days to keep in touch.

The guards nodded me through, and soon I was walking up the path to town skirting around the parking lot. My home, or what had been my home, wasn’t far. For a moment, I pushed all worries from my mind and basked in the welcome of the tall green tress and swaying blue grasses that lined the path.

The softness in the air made me think of the young man I’d taken to bed last night, and I actually smiled.

I decided I would go to the Elders first. They should know that Ethan rejected me yesterday and decided to bond with Olivia.

My phone buzzed, and I pulled it from my bag to see a text from Ethan: The Square, noon, mandatory attendance for Moonstone Pack decree.

I snorted, realizing how much it irritated me when Ethan sent messages like that. A “decree”? Had he always been so officious?

I reached the Square twenty minutes later; it was already crowded with people drinking coffee or tea as they stood around the brazier in the Square’s center, burning brightly even on such a warm day. I took some coffee from a stand with thanks for the young omega working there. She seemed stunned at the courtesy, and I felt my usual anger for the omega slavery the pack still practiced.

The sun was warm, not hot, and everyone was curious about what Ethan wanted. Several Wolves approached me to ask for news. At first I was at a loss. Then I decided Ethan could explain everything. In the meantime, I enjoyed the friendly smiles and the knowledge that I was cared for by my pack, if not by my ex-husband or former best friend.

A bell rang out, and everyone turned to the circular portico of City Hall. Ethan and Olivia stood there looking fierce and regal, and though I tried to hate them, I couldn’t just turn off my concerns after so many years. It took my spotting the wedding rings on their fingers to feel the true depth of their betrayal, and it was an iron weight pressing down on my body.

“Moonstone Pack!” Ethan called out. “To best serve you as future Alpha, I have broken my bond with Ava and am now married to the future Luna of our pack, Olivia!”

There was a stunned silence in the crowd, and many turned to look at me. I kept my face blank and my chin up. The mug of coffee burned my now-chilled hand.

“But we will not be turning Ava from our house!” Olivia declared, and I felt a moment of hope. The said announced, “She will always have a place in our household!”

That hopeful spark turned ice cold while several in the crowd began to mutter angrily. Olivia would never have misspoken that word, “household,” on accident.

She and Ethan were claiming me as their omega house slave.