Chapter 146

Ava

There’s a strange stillness that comes after war. A silence not of peace, but of recalibration. Of figuring out where the pieces fell—and who’s strong enough to start putting them back together.

And I was still trying to find where I fit among them.

The battle had changed everything. Not just for the pack, but for me. For us.

The once scorned omega was now the warrior who’d saved them all. The one who bore power in her blood and lightning in her soul. The one the Moon Goddess hadn’t abandoned—but chosen.

And while the pack celebrated me with feasts and chants and awestruck glances every time I passed, I still hadn’t gotten used to it. Their respect. Their admiration. Their belief in me.

It terrified me more than the battle ever had.

Because it meant I was no longer invisible.

I stood in the training grounds, watching the younger wolves spar, most of them throwing glances my way when they thought I wouldn’t notice. I crossed my arms and tried to focus on their technique.

“You’re inspiring them,” Logan said behind me.

I turned, my heart fluttering in spite of myself. He had that look again—the one that said he was holding back everything he wanted to say, and it was killing him.

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing,” I muttered.

“It is,” he said, stepping closer. “You’re what they hope to become. Strong. Resilient. Chosen.”

I raised a brow. “You mean traumatized, emotionally unavailable, and allergic to trust?”

His smile was slow and genuine. “You’re funny when you’re deflecting.”

“Am I?”

He nodded, then grew quiet. “I miss you, Ava. All of us do. We don’t want to overwhelm you, but it’s hard pretending we’re not craving your presence every minute.”

His honesty made my chest ache.

“I’m not pretending,” I admitted. “I think about you. All of you. Constantly.”

Hope sparked in his eyes. “Then let us show you we’ve changed. Let us earn our way back.”

“I’ve seen you fight for me. Bleed for me. Die for me.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”

I stared at him for a long moment. “That loving you again will hurt more than losing you did.”

He exhaled, stepping forward until we were inches apart. “Then let me be the one who proves you wrong.”

I wanted to lean into him. To feel his lips on mine, to remember the heat and the safety and the chaos of loving him.

But I wasn’t ready.

Instead, I reached out and took his hand. Not as a mate. Not as a lover.

But as someone who might someday be both again.

“Walk with me?” I asked.

He didn’t hesitate.

We strolled through the edge of the forest as the sun began its descent, casting golden light over the trees. It felt oddly like old times—before the rejections, before the war, before my entire world was torn and rebuilt from ash.

“I used to come here after training,” I said softly. “When I needed to cry where no one could hear me.”

His grip on my hand tightened. “I wish I could go back. Change everything.”

“I used to wish that too,” I said. “But if I hadn’t been rejected… if I hadn’t been cast aside… I might never have found out who I really was.”

“And who are you, Ava?”

I stopped walking and turned to face him.

“I’m not just an omega anymore. I’m not just your mate, or your mistake, or your guilt. I’m someone who fought to be seen—and I won’t let myself disappear again.”

“You never disappeared,” he whispered. “Not from me.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. So I didn’t say anything.

Instead, I leaned into his chest, allowing his arms to wrap around me, steady and warm.

“I’m not promising anything,” I murmured against him.

“You don’t have to,” he said. “Just let me stay close.”

And for now, I did.

Later that night, I sat in the circle of flames behind the packhouse. Logan had gone to check on the injured, leaving me in the quiet crackle of the firelight.

One by one, they came.

Landon was first—silent and steady, sitting beside me without a word, offering only the warmth of his presence. Then Lucas, who brought me a mug of tea laced with honey and herbs, pressing it into my hands like it was a sacred offering. And finally Liam, who didn’t sit at all. He stood behind me, his hand resting on my shoulder, grounding me without trapping me.

None of them spoke.

And somehow, that was exactly what I needed.

Four flames danced in the firepit. One for each of them. One for me.

Five souls, bound by fate, scarred by history.

“I forgive you,” I said softly.

All four of them stilled.

“But forgiveness isn’t the same as forgetting,” I continued. “You hurt me. And I’ll carry those scars forever. But I see now… you’ve changed. And maybe I have too. Maybe enough to try again.”

Lucas’s breath hitched.

“I don’t know what this path looks like,” I said. “I don’t know how to love four people who once broke me. But I do know that I feel something when I’m with you. And I want to explore it.”

Landon’s hand closed around mine.

Liam knelt beside me, his eyes fierce with emotion. “We’ll never stop fighting for you. Not now. Not ever.”

Logan returned then, his gaze locking with mine across the firelight. “Then we start over. One step at a time.”

I nodded.

The fire roared.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel like I was standing alone in the flames.

I had four shadows at my back.

Four hearts slowly re-learning how to beat in sync with mine.

And maybe, just maybe…

That would be enough.