Chapter Fourteen: The Ex at the gate

Chapter Fourteen: The Ex at the gate
Eva's POV

"Alpha Liam of the Jade Moon Pack has crossed the northern border."

Kyle’s voice echoed in the Alpha’s office like a dropped dagger. My heart jerked violently inside my chest. I blinked, unsure I’d heard correctly.

Trent stood by the window, his back rigid. “Let him in. But under surveillance. I want two warriors at each flank.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Kyle responded, his tone clipped before he disappeared through the mind-link.

Trent turned to me. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the tension rolling off him like waves.

“He has no right to step into this land,” I whispered, curling my fingers into fists.

“I agree,” he said. “But if he came this far, it's either stupidity… or desperation.”

My stomach twisted. I wasn't ready for this. Seeing Liam again after everything—the pain, the betrayal, the countless nights I bled under his silence and their mockery. I inhaled deeply, steadying myself, even as my pulse refused to calm.

“He says he wants to talk to you,” Trent said after a beat.

I scoffed. “Talk to me? After everything?”

“He’ll only speak to you under my protection. You won't face him alone.”

My eyes met his. That quiet power in Trent's gaze—it was unshakable. In that moment, something settled inside me.

“Then let’s get it over with.”

\---

The courtyard was already packed when we arrived. Warriors lined the perimeter, tense and alert. The energy in the air was taut—like a bowstring pulled too far.

And then, I saw him.

Liam.

He looked just like I remembered—and nothing like I remembered.

He stood tall in his dark green Alpha jacket, polished and proud, but his face carried something I’d never seen before: uncertainty.

Gone was the arrogant smirk, the cold gleam of superiority. Instead, there was something softer—calculated, yes, but softer.

I stood beside Trent, holding my chin high. If Liam expected to find the broken girl he’d tossed aside, he was in for a rude awakening.

“Eva,” Liam said, stepping forward.

Warriors moved instantly. Spears of energy bristled through the pack members as the intruder dared to close the distance.

“That’s close enough,” Trent said, voice low but carrying the weight of a thousand alphas.

Liam halted. He bowed slightly—not fully, but just enough to acknowledge Trent’s authority.

“Supreme Alpha Blackwood,” Liam said respectfully, though I saw his jaw twitch.

Trent’s eyes narrowed. “State your business.”

“I came to see Eva.” He turned his gaze to me. “Please.”

Trent looked to me. He wouldn’t speak for me—not this time. He was letting me decide.

I nodded once, never breaking Liam’s stare.

Trent stepped slightly to the side, but stayed close—shoulder to shoulder with mine.

Liam took a breath. “I know I have no right to ask for your forgiveness. But I need to explain—”

“You don’t,” I interrupted, voice sharp.

He faltered. “I was wrong. I see that now.”

I crossed my arms. “Wrong when you let your mother spit on me in the dining hall? Or when Rachel made me sleep in the stables like an animal? Or when you marked her in front of me and watched me crawl away?”

“I thought I was protecting my pack,” Liam said quickly. “I didn’t know who you were—”

“Don’t,” I snapped, stepping forward. “Don’t you dare talk about who I am. You never cared. You never asked.”

“I was blind,” he pleaded. “And manipulated—”

“By who?” I demanded. “By Rachel? Your mother? Or your own ego?”

Silence stretched between us. I could feel the eyes of the entire pack on us, but I didn’t care. I didn’t feel shame anymore. I felt fury.

“I came to bring you back,” Liam finally said.

The courtyard erupted in shocked murmurs.

Trent’s body tensed beside me. He didn’t speak, but I could feel his wolf pacing beneath his skin.

“I realize now what I lost,” Liam continued. “You were my mate. My true Luna. I made a mistake. I came to right it.”

A cruel laugh bubbled from my throat. “You came to claim me now that you think I’m valuable? Now that you saw me standing beside the Supreme Alpha?”

“No! That’s not it—”

“You lost me the day you chose her,” I said, and slapped him across the face.

Gasps spread across the crowd like wildfire.

Liam staggered back, blinking as if he hadn't expected it. My hand burned, but I didn’t regret it. Not a single second.

“You’re not a man, Liam,” I said coldly. “You’re a coward dressed in Alpha’s robes.”

His nostrils flared. “I still care about you—”

“Spare me.”

“I’m offering you a second chance.”

“She doesn’t need one,” Trent finally growled, stepping forward.

Everyone fell silent.

“She never needed to be chosen,” Trent continued. “Because she’s not an option. She’s mine.”

I blinked. Liam’s face twisted. “You’re claiming her? Just like that?”

“I already did,” Trent said, his voice calm but heavy with authority. “And let me make this clear for every soul in this courtyard—if anyone disrespects Eva Grey, they disrespect me. And I will not tolerate disrespect.”

His aura surged—powerful, ancient, deadly. The ground seemed to tremble beneath him. Even Liam flinched, instinctively bowing his head slightly.

“She’s not just under my protection,” Trent said. “She is my Luna.”

A hush fell.

Liam’s expression cracked, disbelief and rage mixing in his features. “You would choose her? A slave? A stray? Over—”

“I’d choose her a thousand times,” Trent said.

And that was it.

The final nail.

Liam’s fists clenched at his sides. “You’ll regret this.”

“I regret letting you speak,” Trent replied.

Liam turned his eyes back to me. “I won’t stop. You’ll remember what we had.”

“There was nothing,” I said quietly. “Nothing but pain.”

Trent stepped forward then, his body shielding mine. “Leave. Before I drag you back across the border myself.”

Liam hesitated, then turned sharply. Warriors parted for him as he stormed away, his pride in tatters.

The courtyard held its breath.

And then, Trent turned to me.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly, just for me.

I nodded. “I don’t feel afraid anymore.”

“Good,” he said. “Because you’re not alone.”

I felt it then. A warmth I didn’t recognize. Not from being claimed—but from being seen. I looked around the courtyard.

No one laughed at me. No one sneered.

They looked… different.

Curious. Conflicted. Some were even smiling.

I looked up at Trent again. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” he said. “You only need to believe it.”

I looked down at my trembling hands, then at the spot Liam had stood.

Maybe I was worth something.

Maybe, just maybe, this time… I wasn’t disposable.

I whispered it to myself, too soft for anyone else to hear. “Maybe I’m finally worth something.”

But someone else heard it.

From the shadows behind a tree, hidden from view, a pair of sharp eyes glittered with rage.