Ava's POV I was shocked at William's audacity. “I’ve never seen someone act in such a shameless manner before!” I snapped at him. “Why are you even here? I can not be responsible to you. My engagement has been arranged, and I can not be a part of this." I crossed my arms and looked away but William didn't seem to care, carrying on with taking his clothes off. "I’m not going anywhere," William replied, firmly. "You don’t have to be responsible for me, Ava. That's alright. But your marriage-” he scoffs “-you are not getting married to him. Do you understand? You are mine now." “No I'm not!" I exclaimed, backing away from him. “You’re so shameless! I am not yours, and I won't be! My father will be furious if he finds you're here. We have to end all of this—now!" William smiled, mischievously. The gesture made my skin crawl. "Your father doesn't have to know. We can keep this our little secret.” He walked closer, making me move a step back. “It has already been consecrated by Luna t

Mia's POV “Ava, your friend, has been prohibited from going outside,” my father informed me, concern clouding his features. He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Stay away from her for the meantime. Her father, our Alpha, he’s in a very bad mood right now.” “But father, why would he punish her so harshly? Ava didn’t even tell me about it last time we spoke.” A frown began to grow on my face but then it disappeared when I remembered, “The Alpha has always cherished his daughter. There must be a solid reason for this punishment.” I looked at my father sadly. “Remember when I was a child and I was often left out by the other female wolves. I had so much trouble fitting in. I couldn’t seem to make any friends, father.” I then smiled. “But then, father, Ava was kind-hearted and generous; she made me feel like I belonged. So now that I’m hearing that her dad prohibited her from going outside, I’m really surprised. I just can’t believe that my best friend, the one person who had always been

Ava's POV Mia's words of encouragement gave me a much-needed boost of confidence. This adventure was just too tempting to pass up. Mia led me down a winding path until we eventually arrived at the Shadow Clan's camp. “Mia, I’m scared,” I said, scanning the area of muscular men. "Don't worry," she whispered. "They are all busy today. You won't run into William." I tried to steady my nerves. “We could get caught.” “Oh stop fussing. You wouldn’t have agreed to come if you weren’t excited for the adventure of experiencing something new.” “You’re right,” I agreed. “I just couldn’t resist.” Together, we walked deeper into the camp, Mia leading the way. “This is it,” I thought. “The moment I’ve been waiting for.” As my eyes fell upon the Shadow Clan's ship, I was awestruck. “It’s so massive; I’ve never seen anything like this.” A group of shirtless Shadow Clan wolves noisily approached us. They carried crates and barrels, loading them onto the ship. “They look so strong and capabl

Ava's POV Over the next five days, William invited me to join him at the camp of the Shadow Clan. It was an opportunity for me to learn more about his way of life and the people he called family. “Why don't you come to Club Casablanca,” William invited one afternoon, surprising me. “Yes, why not?” I agreed and when we arrived, the place was buzzing with people and music. “Follow me.”vWilliam led me to a table at the center of the club. A waiter came towards us. “Is there anything you'd like?” William looked at me. “Do you want anything?” Shyly, I replied, “I don't know.” He looked back at the waiter and ordered drinks for us. When we were done, William asked me, “Do you want to go on a ride?” “Yes!” I couldn't control my excitement. “I mean, yes sure, if you want.” He just laughed slightly and led me to his motorcycles. He then took me on an exciting motorcycle ride through the camp. “I’ve never seen this part of the world before,” I whispered to myself. “I guess, spending

William's POV As Ava and Quill walked away together, I watched them with mixed emotions. "You did good out there, Boss," a familiar voice said behind me. I turned to see Thomas standing there, staring at me. "But you gotta control your temper. It's good to be passionate, but you can't let it cloud your judgment,” he finished. I nodded slowly. "I know." "And you can't let your love for Ava get in the way of what's best for the clan," Thomas added in a warning tone. I sighed heavily. "I know that too. But it's just so hard." Thomas sighed sympathetically and patted me on the shoulder. "I know, my alpha. I know." We stood there in silence for a few moments, lost in our own thoughts. "Thanks, Thomas. I appreciate it." “For what?” Thomas asked. “For always understanding me.” He smiled and patted me on the back. "Anytime, boss. Anytime." "Quill is no match for me," I murmured to myself. “I don’t consider him a threat. He only enrages me. How can my mate be engaged to another man