Avery's POV
The sound of the engine roared in my ears as I drove away from the pack house, the tires kicking up dust behind me as the road stretched out before me. I didn’t even bother looking back. I couldn’t.
It wasn’t just Aaron’s careless mistake that had me at the end of my rope. It was his constant need to trust Violet—his obsession with her, even when I knew damn well she was trouble. I didn’t know the details of their bargain, but I didn’t need to. I’d seen enough. Aaron had made a deal with the devil, and I couldn’t just sit by and let him destroy everything we’d worked for.
I couldn’t trust him anymore.
My fingers tightened on the wheel, and I let out a breath, the weight of everything pressing down on me. The sound of my tires hitting the road was the only thing breaking the silence, and even then, it only seemed to echo the emptiness I felt inside.
I needed space. I needed to think.
I didn’t even know where I was going at first. I just drove—away from the pack, away from Aaron, away from Violet. Eventually, I found myself heading toward the old family pack house. It had been years since I’d been there, and I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I needed something familiar to ground me, something that didn’t feel like a betrayal.
When I pulled up to the house, I couldn’t help but feel a rush of nostalgia. The old stone house, though weathered with time, still stood tall against the horizon. The trees around it were starting to show the first signs of spring, and the air smelled different—fresher, cleaner.
Before I could even take a step toward the door, a voice called out, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Avery?"
I froze, my heart leaping into my throat. I turned to find Isabella standing a few feet away, her dark hair blowing gently in the wind. She looked the same, but somehow, there was a new sense of maturity about her. It had been years since we’d seen each other—since everything had shifted, since Aaron had pulled away from his childhood friends, and the pack had fractured.
"Isabella," I breathed, my voice catching in my throat.
Without waiting, she closed the distance between us and wrapped me in a tight hug. I stood there for a moment, allowing myself to sink into the warmth of her embrace. It had been so long.
"I can’t believe you’re here," she said softly, pulling away just enough to look at me, her brow furrowed with confusion. "I didn’t know you were coming back. What happened? Are you okay?"
I couldn’t even find the words at first. My mind was spinning, the anger still bubbling under the surface, but I forced myself to calm down. Isabella didn’t deserve to see me this way.
"I—" I stopped myself, glancing away for a moment. What had happened? Where did I even start? "I needed to get away. Things... with Aaron, they’re not working out. He’s made a deal with her."
Isabella blinked, her eyes widening slightly. "Her? You mean Violet?"
"Yeah." I nodded, my teeth grinding together. "He let her out of the dungeon. He made some sort of deal with her. And I—I can’t stay around for that. I can’t watch him make mistakes like that. I’ve tried talking to him, Isabella, but it’s like he doesn’t even see it. She’s dangerous. She’s always been dangerous."
Isabella was silent for a moment, her gaze softening as she looked at me. "Avery, I know it’s been hard with everything that’s been going on, but—"
"No." My voice was sharp as I cut her off. "Don’t defend him. Not this time."
She looked taken aback, and I could see the flash of hurt in her eyes, but I didn’t care. I couldn’t afford to care anymore. Not when Aaron was so damn blinded by his feelings for Violet. If only he knew how much she was using him. If only he knew how much she wanted to destroy everything.
"I can’t keep trying to make him see reason when he doesn’t want to," I continued, my voice thick with frustration. "I told him—told him—she wasn’t to be trusted. And yet, here we are. She’s free. She’s running around like she owns the place, and Aaron—he just lets her. I can't do this anymore. I can't just stand by and watch him destroy everything because of her."
Isabella looked like she wanted to say something more, but before she could, I saw something in the corner of my eye. I turned, my stomach tightening.
Violet.
She was standing at the door of the house, leaning casually against the frame, a smirk already playing on her lips. My blood ran cold.
There she was. The problem I’d been avoiding. The one who’d wormed her way into Aaron’s life and into the heart of our pack. She was the reason I was standing here, angry and frustrated and completely done with everything.
Violet’s eyes locked on mine, her smile widening, a taunting glint in her gaze. "Well, well," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Look who’s come to join the party."
I didn’t even wait. The words came out of me like a hot stream of lava, too fast, too angry to hold back.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, my hands shaking at my sides. "I told you to stay away. I warned you, Violet."
She raised an eyebrow, not a trace of guilt on her face. "Stay away? Oh, darling, that’s not how this works. I’m not here to obey you. You can’t order me around anymore."
I took a step forward, my chest rising and falling in quick, shallow breaths. "I don’t want to order you around," I bit out, "but you’re a threat to everyone here. To the pack, to Aaron—"
"To you?" Violet interrupted, her tone almost teasing, like she was enjoying this. "Are you still playing the protective little sister, Avery? You’re so cute."
I felt my face flush with fury, and my hands curled into fists at my sides. "I don’t need your games, Violet. I don’t care what kind of deal you made with Aaron. But let me make this clear: you’re not welcome here. You never were. And you sure as hell aren’t going to destroy everything my family’s worked for."
Violet took a step closer, her heels clicking on the stone steps, every inch of her radiating arrogance. "You’re delusional, Avery. Aaron and I have a bond. You can’t just swoop in and expect me to leave. I’m here to stay."
I stared at her, my jaw tightening. "You think you’re so powerful, don’t you?" I spat. "But you’re just using him. You’ll destroy him just like you destroyed everything else you’ve touched."
Her smirk faltered for just a second, and I knew I’d struck a nerve. But it was too late. The words were out, and I wasn’t backing down.
"I’m done with you," I said, turning on my heel, my voice low and venomous. "And I’m done with this whole damn situation."