AVERY

I ran my fingers over the small bundle of parchment, tracing the intricate patterns of the announcement I had been practicing in my head for days. My heart thudded with excitement as I stared at the delicate golden thread binding the scroll, a symbol of my news—news I’d waited years to share. I was pregnant.

Five years. Five long years of trying, praying, and enduring cold stares and whispered doubts. But finally, the Moon Goddess had blessed me. The tiny spark of life within me was proof of my worth, my destiny. I smiled, imagining Tobias’ face lighting up when I told him. Perhaps this would heal the chasm that had grown between us.

With the scroll clutched to my chest, I made my way to Tobias’ office, my steps light with anticipation. The door was ajar, and I heard hushed voices from within. I hesitated, but curiosity tugged me closer.

“Now that Ashley’s back, what are your plans?” Tobias’ Beta, Marcus, asked, his voice low but clear.

My breath caught at the mention of my sister’s name. Ashley had been gone for years, recovering from the damage I’d unwittingly caused as a child. I leaned closer, my heart hammering.

“Avery is barren,” Tobias said coldly. “She’s useless to me. It’s obvious now she’s not the one from the prophecy.”

My blood turned to ice.

“Ashley is the one I’ve always wanted,” he continued. “She’s strong, beautiful, and capable. I’ll sever my bond with Avery and marry Ashley instead. With her, I’ll secure the Twilight Twins.”

The scroll slipped from my trembling fingers, fluttering to the ground like a fallen leaf. My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes. For years, I had endured his growing coldness, his distant gazes and dismissive words, but I had never imagined this. He planned to discard me like a broken tool.

I stumbled back, my heart shattered. The joy of my pregnancy turned bitter, a secret I would no longer share with the man who had betrayed me.

That night, I returned to our chambers, my hands still shaking. When Tobias entered, his presence filled the room like a storm cloud. His eyes, once warm and full of love, were now cold and unyielding. I searched for the man I’d married five years ago, but he was gone.

“Ashley is back,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. “We’re leaving for the Red Hollow Pack tomorrow.”

Not a word about how I was. No questions, no affection, just a command. I nodded, biting back the words clawing at my throat.

The next day, the familiar scent of pine and earth filled my senses as we crossed into the Red Hollow territory. Memories of my childhood resurfaced, each one tainted by the hatred and blame I had carried like a cloak. My heart sank as the familiar stares greeted me. The taunting eyes, the judgment etched into every sneer—they hadn’t forgotten. To them, I was still the cursed child who had poisoned her family.

Inside the council hall, Ashley rushed forward, her golden curls bouncing as she threw her arms around me. “Avery! I missed you so much!” Her voice was syrupy sweet, but her grip was iron.

“We need to talk,” she said, pulling me away before our father could intervene.

Once inside her room, the facade dropped. Her eyes turned venomous, and her hand struck my cheek before I could react.

“You have the nerve to show your face here?” she hissed. “After what you did to me, to our family? And now you’ve stolen Tobias? Do you think you can just take everything that’s mine?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Ashley was already moving, scratching her arms and chest with her nails. Her screams pierced the air as she collapsed to the floor.

The door burst open, and in rushed my father, Lucas, and Tobias. Ashley lay on the ground, blood trickling from her self-inflicted wounds.

“She attacked me!” Ashley cried, her voice trembling as tears streamed down her face. “I tried to talk to her, but she’s…she’s insane!”

“Avery!” My father’s slap came so fast I barely saw it. The sting burned, but the pain in my chest was far worse. “You’ve disgraced this family enough. Get out of my house before I do something I’ll regret.”

Tobias stood there, silent, his eyes filled with disgust. He didn’t even look at me as he bent down to help Ashley to her feet.

“I’ll take her to the infirmary,” he said softly, his hand brushing Ashley’s cheek. The tenderness in his touch shattered the last fragments of my heart.

I watched them walk away together, Ashley leaning on Tobias as if she belonged there. My breath hitched as tears blurred my vision. This was the moment I realized there was nothing left for me here. Not Tobias, not my family, not even the pack I once called home.

I placed a hand on my stomach, cradling the life growing within me. My voice was low but heavy with determination as I silently whispered, “I promise to you, my little one, after this, we’ll never live under their shadows again. You’ll have a life full of love, free from this pain. I’ll make sure of it.”

Each step I took away from that house felt like a battle cry. They could try to break me, but I wasn’t the helpless child they thought I was. I had a new life to protect, and for that, I needed strength. Strength to sever every tie, to walk into the unknown, and to face whatever lay ahead.

AVERY

I returned to the Gray Moonstone Pack with a storm raging inside me. Tobias had ridden ahead, his cold demeanor leaving me to make the journey alone. My mind churned as I thought about Ashley. Why was she back? Was it coincidence or something orchestrated by the Moon Goddess to test me? And what would I do now? Fight for my marriage? Fight for Tobias and our unborn child? Or walk away entirely?

Deep down, I still loved him—the man he used to be. The man who held me through countless nights, whispering promises of forever. I wanted to believe he could be that man again. But doubt gnawed at me. Would Tobias even care if I told him about the baby?

That night, I waited for him in our chambers. I paced, my hand occasionally brushing my stomach as if seeking comfort from the life growing within me. The hours dragged on, but Tobias never came. My chest tightened, anger and despair clashing within me. Just as I was about to give up and go to bed, my phone buzzed on the table.

It was a message. From Ashley.

With shaking hands, I opened it.

The first image was of two plane tickets, Tobias’ name glaring back at me like a brand. The next was a picture of Ashley and Tobias together, laughing in some sunny foreign city. My heart twisted painfully.

Then came the last photo: a pregnancy report. Her name. Positive results.

I dropped the phone as if it had burned me. My breath came in short gasps as the words in her message seared into my mind:

“Back off. Tobias doesn’t want you. He will sever the bond soon. You’re nothing but a stepping stone. It’s my turn now.”

A sob tore from my throat. Ashley was pregnant. Tobias had been with her all this time while I waited for him, believing we could mend what was broken. Was I ever anything to him? Or was I just a tool for the prophecy?

I curled up on the bed, clutching a pillow to my chest as tears flowed freely. The life inside me stirred, a faint reminder of what I was fighting for. But that night, exhaustion overtook me, and I fell asleep crying, my resolve shattered.

The next morning, loud knocks jolted me awake. I stumbled to the door, wiping my face hastily. A maid stood there, her expression nervous.

“Ma’am, you have a visitor,” she said, her voice low.

Confused, I followed her to the main hall. There, sitting casually as if she owned the place, was Ashley.

Her golden curls gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the windows, but the smile on her lips was anything but warm. She stood as I entered, holding a folder in one hand.

“Did you get my messages?” she asked sweetly, though her tone was laced with malice. “Or should I give you more proof?”

I stayed silent, my nails digging into my palms. She tossed the folder onto the table between us. It slid open, revealing another copy of her pregnancy report.

“There. You can’t ignore it now,” she said, her smile widening. “I’ll be telling Tobias later, but… he already knows, of course. We were together last night. Our father and Lucas know too.”

Her words were knives, each one slicing deeper into my already wounded heart.

“Tobias needs me,” she continued, stepping closer. “The pack needs me. Father’s right—you’re just a liability. And since it’s clear you’re not the one to bear the Twilight Twins, Tobias will discard you soon enough. He’s just waiting for the right moment.”

My wolf growled in fury, but I swallowed it down, refusing to let her see my pain.

“Tonight,” Ashley whispered, leaning in so close I could feel her breath, “Tobias and I will celebrate properly. You might as well pack your things. There’s no place for you here anymore.”

She left me standing there, my legs trembling with the effort to hold myself upright.

That night, Tobias didn’t come home. My phone buzzed again, and this time it was an address. From Ashley.

Against my better judgment, I went. A fire burned in my chest, part anger, part desperation. I needed to see it for myself. I needed to know if Tobias had truly abandoned me.

The address led me to a secluded cabin just outside the pack borders. Through the window, I saw them. Tobias sat on the couch, his arm around Ashley as they laughed together. She rested her hand on her stomach, her face glowing with contentment.

I clenched my fists, my wolf howling inside me. Every instinct screamed for me to confront them, to demand answers. But I didn’t. I turned away, tears streaming down my face as I stumbled back to my car.

When I got home, I knew what I had to do. There was no use clinging to a man who had already chosen someone else.

I sat at the desk, my hand shaking as I wrote:

Tobias,

I’m ending this marriage and severing our bond. You’ve made your choice, and now I’m making mine. Goodbye.

I placed the letter on his nightstand, along with the ring he had given me on our wedding day. The weight of it lifted slightly as I turned and left the room.

It was time to take back control of my life. Tobias didn’t deserve me or my child. And if the prophecy was true, I’d raise the Twilight Twins on my own.

The first step was leaving him. The next? Finding the one place Tobias would never dare to follow.

But where?

A shiver ran through me at the thought, but it wasn’t fear. It was anticipation. If I couldn’t find a home here, I’d make one where even Tobias feared to tread.

I stepped into the night, the cool air wrapping around me like a promise of freedom. For the first time in years, I felt alive. And I wasn’t turning back.

AVERY

The cold wind stung my face as I stepped off the last bus into the heart of a sprawling city. A new world stretched out before me, its skyline glimmering like a promise of anonymity. For the first time in my life, I wasn’t a Holloway, a mate, or a wolf. Here, I was nobody, and I clung to that anonymity like a lifeline.

The decision to come to the human world wasn’t easy, but it was necessary. Tobias, my father, and the entire werewolf world would be looking for me, though I doubted they’d think to look here. It had been weeks since I severed my bond with Tobias and left the Red Hollow Pack, and I had ensured that no trace of me remained.

Finding my footing among humans took time. I rented a small, rundown apartment under a fake name, purchased with the little money I had managed to steal from Tobias before I left. With my altered ID, I managed to secure a job as a cleaner in a local cafeteria. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was honest work, and it gave me the stability I needed to begin anew.

Mia, one of the baristas, was the first to welcome me. “You’re a mystery, you know that?” she said one afternoon as we cleaned the tables together. Her easy smile and kind eyes made me feel lighter, even if I never fully let my guard down.

“I like it that way,” I replied softly.

Mia laughed. “Fair enough. But if you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

The days passed slowly, and I sank into a routine. I cleaned, worked, and kept to myself. The dull ache of my severed bond still lingered, but I buried it deep, focusing on survival. My wolf, however, was restless. She reminded me often that Tobias and his men were likely scouring the werewolf world for me, but I refused to let fear dictate my life.

Weeks turned into months, and as my belly swelled, I started to feel the tiniest flickers of joy. The twins were my only family now. Their kicks reminded me that despite the pain and betrayal, I had something precious to protect.

One evening, Mia and I sat on the café’s back steps after closing. She offered me a steaming cup of tea and tilted her head. “So, any big plans for the future?”

I hesitated, unsure how to answer. “I’m just taking things one day at a time,” I said finally.

Mia nodded, her gaze thoughtful. “Well, you’ve got grit. I like that about you.”

I smiled faintly, touched by her words. But the truth was, my future was far from certain.

The final weeks of my pregnancy were the hardest. My body ached constantly, and my wolf grew more restless with each passing day. I stayed indoors as much as possible, knowing the full moon would soon bring a heightened risk of being discovered. My instincts whispered that danger was closing in, but I ignored them, too tired to care.

Then, the night of the full moon arrived.

The pain came suddenly, sharp and relentless, as labor began. Alone in my tiny apartment, I struggled through the hours, my wolf lending her strength when I thought I couldn’t continue. By the time the first cry echoed through the room, tears streamed down my face.

Cairo. My eldest. He had a fierce cry, his dark hair already thick and wild. Minutes later, his twin followed. Caelum was quieter, but his presence felt just as powerful, his eyes shimmering with an otherworldly light.

I held them close, their tiny bodies fitting perfectly against mine. “Cairo, Caelum,” I whispered. “You’re everything to me now.”

The exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave, but I fought to stay awake, my wolf growling low with unease. Still, the pull of sleep was too strong. I curled protectively around my newborns, letting my guard drop for just a moment.

When I woke, the apartment was eerily silent.

My heart stopped as I reached for the bassinet. It was empty.

“Cairo? Caelum?” I called out, my voice breaking.

Cairo and Caelum were gone.

The scent of wolves lingered in the air, faint but unmistakable. Panic surged through me as my wolf howled in despair. They’d found me.

For a moment, I was paralyzed. Tobias? My father? Had they sent someone to take the prophecy’s children? Or was it something—or someone—else entirely?

My mind raced as I stumbled to my feet, scanning the room for clues. A single thought burned through my fear, igniting a resolve I didn’t know I had.

No one was taking my children.

I grabbed the dagger I kept hidden beneath my mattress and stormed out of the apartment, my wolf snarling with rage. Whoever had taken them would pay, and I wouldn’t stop until Cairo and Caelum were safe in my arms again.

As the full moon hung heavy in the sky, I swore to myself that no force in this world—human or wolf—would keep me from my children.

The city stretched out before me, a labyrinth of shadows and danger. But I would find them. And when I did, the world would know what happens when a mother is pushed too far.