Chapter 10 CHAPTER 10
Ava's POV
I stood in the pack's training grounds at dawn, my body trembling not from cold but from the power coursing through my veins. Each hour that passed, the suppressants weakened further, and I felt more of my true nature emerging.
"Again," Marcus commanded.
He'd been training me all night, pushing me harder than any wolf should be pushed. But I wasn't just any wolf anymore. I was Lycan royalty, and in less than twelve hours, I would fight Nathan for my freedom.
I shifted, feeling my wolf form ripple and change. Each transformation was different now, my wolf growing larger, stronger. My fur, once plain brown, now had silver streaks that seemed to glow in the morning light.
Marcus shifted too, his massive black Lycan form dwarfing most wolves. But I was catching up. We circled each other, and I could feel his pride through our bond. He was magnificent in this form, all power and deadly grace.
We clashed, teeth and claws, but holding back enough not to cause real damage. He was still stronger, more experienced, but I was faster now, more agile. I managed to pin him for a moment before he threw me off.
"Better," he said after shifting back. "But Nathan won't hold back. He'll go for the kill if he can."
"Then I'll have to kill him first."
Marcus pulled me against him, both of us breathing hard from the training. "There has to be another way. The Elders—"
"Won't change their minds. You heard them. This is tradition." I rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat. "If something happens to me—"
"Nothing will happen to you." His arms tightened around me. "I won't allow it."
"You can't interfere. Elder Selene was clear. If anyone intervenes, I forfeit, and Nathan wins by default."
"Then I'll challenge him myself afterward."
"And if he's my mate by then? If the bond is severed and reformed?" I pulled back to look at him. "Marcus, you have to promise me. If Nathan wins, you'll let me go."
"Never."
"Promise me. The pack needs you as Alpha. You can't throw that away for revenge."
He cupped my face in his hands, his gray eyes stormy with emotion. "You're asking me to watch you die or worse, become his. I can't promise that."
"You have to. Please."
Before he could answer, Rachel arrived with my father. The tension between us was palpable—I hadn't forgiven him for the years of deception.
"The Elders have announced the trial publicly," Rachel reported. "Every pack within five hundred miles is sending representatives. This is... unprecedented."
"They want witnesses," my father said quietly. "The return of a Lycan princess, the trial by combat—this will reshape werewolf society."
"Or end it," I said. "If Nathan wins, he'll have control over both Moonvalley and Silvercrest packs, plus my bloodline. He'll be unstoppable."
"Which is why you can't lose," my father said. "Your mother would be proud, Ava. You're so much stronger than I ever let you be."
"Don't," I said sharply. "You don't get to be sentimental now. Not after everything."
He flinched but continued. "There's something else you should know. About your mother's death."
Marcus tensed beside me. "What about it?"
"She didn't die of illness like I told everyone. She was murdered. By Silvercrest wolves who wanted her bloodline." My father's voice broke. "I hid you to prevent the same fate. Maybe I was wrong in how I did it, but I couldn't lose you too."
The revelation hit me like a physical blow. "Silvercrest killed her? The pack that raised Nathan?"
"Yes. Which means…"
"Nathan knew. He's known all along what they did." Rage built inside me, hot and dangerous. "This isn't just about claiming me. This is about finishing what Silvercrest started."
My phone buzzed with a message from Nathan: "Wear white tonight, little princess. I want you looking perfect when you become mine."
I threw the phone across the room, shattering it against the wall. Power surged through me, and the windows cracked.
"Ava," Marcus said carefully. "You need to control it."
"I don't want to control it. I want to destroy him."
"And you will. But with strategy, not rage." He turned to Rachel. "I need everything you have on Nathan. Every business deal, every connection, every weakness."
"Already compiled," she said, handing him a thick folder. "But there's something interesting. Nathan's fortune? Most of it came from hostile takeovers of businesses that belonged to Lycan families. He's been systematically destroying Lycan bloodlines financially."
"He's eliminating competition," I realized. "He wants to be the only Lycan power left."
"Except for you," Marcus said. "You're the one bloodline he can't destroy. He has to claim you."
A knock interrupted us. Elder Selene entered without waiting for permission, her presence filling the room with ancient power.
"Princess," she said formally. "I come with a proposition."
"I'm listening."
"The trial doesn't have to be to the death. If you can make Nathan submit, publicly acknowledge you as his superior, it would be enough."
"He'll never submit."
"No," she agreed. "But you needed to know you had the option. Also, this." She handed me a small vial filled with silvery liquid. "Your mother's essence. Saved from before her death. It will complete your transformation, make you fully Lycan. But once you drink it, there's no going back."
I took the vial, feeling its warmth even through the glass. "What's the catch?"
"Full Lycans can only mate with other Lycans. If you drink this and win, your bond with Marcus will evolve or... dissolve."
I looked at Marcus, seeing the fear in his eyes. We could lose each other even if I won.
"When do I need to decide?"
"Before the trial begins. Once Nathan shifts, it will be too late." She moved toward the door, then paused. "Your mother was the strongest Lycan I ever knew. But even she fell to betrayal. Don't trust anyone tonight, princess. Not even those who claim to love you."
After she left, Marcus pulled me into his arms. "Don't drink it. We'll find another way."
"There is no other way. You know that."
"Then I'll drink something similar. Become full Lycan too."
"That's not possible. You're already Lycan, just not pure blood. The essence would kill you." I pressed my face against his neck, breathing in his scent. "Whatever happens tonight, I need you to know something."
"What?"
"This started as revenge. As a business deal. But somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you."
He pulled back, his eyes wide. "Ava—"
"Let me finish. I love you, Marcus Stone. Whether the bond survives or not, whether I win or lose tonight, that won't change."
"Ava, I—"
Another knock interrupted. Beta James entered urgently. "Alpha, Luna, Nathan has arrived. He's requesting a pre-trial meeting. Says it's about terms."
Marcus growled. "Tell him—"
"I'll meet him," I said. "But not alone."
"Damn right not alone," Marcus said.
As we walked toward the meeting room, I fingered the vial in my pocket. In a few hours, I would face Nathan in combat. I would either emerge victorious and changed forever, or I would lose everything.
But first, I needed to look my enemy in the eye and show him I wasn't afraid.
Even though I was terrified.