Chapter 57: I wasn't sold.
Ava's POV
“What are we going to do?” I asked Gwen, my voice sharp with determination. Letting Lara off the hook wasn’t an option.
“Lara is my cousin. Let me handle her,” Gwen said, her tone decisive. “I beat her once, and I can do it again.”
“Alright then,” I replied, though my anger still simmered beneath the surface.
“When will you be leaving?” Anastasia asked abruptly. What did that have to do with anything?
“Soon. I don’t have a specific date, but it’ll be before the end of summer,” I answered vaguely.
“Will you be coming back?” Gwen’s voice wavered with sadness.
“I don’t know,” I admitted honestly. “There are things I need to take care of.” The truth hung heavy between us, I didn’t know if I would return, or if I even could. All I knew was that I had to go back to my realm.
“Could you stay until after our wedding? We’ll hold it before the end of summer, I promise,” Anastasia said, her voice tinged with fear.
“Why would I do that for you? You haven’t exactly been kind to me,” I replied, fixing her with a pointed look.
“I want you at my wedding,” Gwen interjected, wringing her hands nervously. “I wouldn’t have made it through any of this without you.”
Her earnestness gave me pause. “I can’t promise anything, Gwen,” I said gently. “But I’ll try to stay.”
“Can I ask why you’re leaving?” Gwen ventured hesitantly.
I hesitated. Gwen had trusted me with her story; perhaps it was time to return the favor. “I suppose you deserve to know,” I said finally. “I’m going back to my old pack.”
Gwen frowned. “Why? Didn’t they abandon you and sell you as a slave?”
“No,” I said firmly, surprising both of them.
“No?” they echoed in unison, their confusion evident.
“I wasn’t sold. I came here on my own.” I moved to sit in a chair facing them. This story would take a while. “But it’s not something you’re likely to believe.”
“Try us,” Gwen said, offering a small, reassuring smile.
I took a deep breath. “My mate got engaged to my sister and refused to reject me. He loved control, the power of seeing me broken. To him, I was nothing more than a pawn. No one in my pack ever stood up for me because I didn’t have a wolf. I was the hopeless Beta’s daughter, a disgrace to my family. When Landon, my mate, did what he did, no one cared.”
The room fell silent, my words sinking in.
“That’s horrible,” Gwen whispered, her voice thick with sympathy.
Anastasia looked pale, almost as if she might faint. My story was horrific, I knew that. But they hadn’t even heard the worst of it yet.
“It was worse than that, wasn’t it?” Anastasia asked, her eyes filled with pity.
“Yes,” I said softly. “Much worse.” Gwen looked like she might be sick.
“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” Gwen said kindly.
“No, I need to. You deserve the truth.” I steeled myself. “My sisters killed me because of my mate. Landon didn’t care about me, just the power he held over me. My elder sister had my heart ripped out and crushed right in front of me.”
Gwen gasped, her face frozen in horror. “W-what?”
I laughed bitterly, trying to mask the pain of reliving that memory. “Yeah. My own sister. She was cruel beyond measure.”
“Why would she do that?” Gwen stammered.
“Because of Landon,” I said, my voice hard. “Landon, the nephew of your king, Raphael.”
Their shocked gasps filled the room. “What?!” they exclaimed together.
“Oh, that’s not even the most ironic part.” I let out a humorless laugh. “Raphael is my second-chance mate.”
Anastasia swore softly. “What the hell?”
“Exactly,” I said.
“How did you survive that night?” Gwen asked, her voice trembling.
“I don’t know,” I admitted quietly. “I thought it was the end for me. But when I woke up, I was eighteen again—with a wolf. Back to when everything started going wrong.”
“Holy shit,” Anastasia breathed. Gwen clasped her hands over her mouth.
“Yeah, that’s the right reaction,” I said with a grim smile. This wasn’t as difficult to share as it had been with Raphael, though the pain lingered.
“We’re coming with you,” Anastasia declared suddenly, her tone leaving no room for argument.
“What?” Gwen and I said in unison.
“I want to see those bastards suffer,” Anastasia said, her expression maniacal.
Gwen and I exchanged glances, uncertain. Then, Gwen nodded resolutely. “She’s right. You deserve the world, Ava. We know you’re not telling us everything, but we won’t let you face those monsters alone.”
The words hit me like a tidal wave. Tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them. One drop, then another, until I was sobbing uncontrollably. All the pent-up anger, rage, and despair poured out at once.
Gwen and Anastasia moved to my side, shielding me from the curious gazes of the maids. They didn’t say a word, simply letting me cry until I had nothing left.
When my tears had finally subsided, I wiped my face and sat up. A question tumbled from my lips before I could stop it. “I understand why Gwen would want to come with me, but you... I don’t understand.” My gaze settled on Anastasia, waiting for an answer.
She exchanged a glance with Gwen before they both returned to their seats.
“I’ve been there,” Anastasia began, her voice steady but heavy with emotion. “Maybe not exactly like you. In your case, it was your mate, pack, and family who did those terrible things to you. In mine, it was my father and brothers, and none believed me when I spoke out.”
I froze, her words stirring something deep and familiar inside me. Were men just monstrous everywhere, no matter the realm or age? “You don’t have to talk about it,” I said softly, though I couldn’t mask the sympathy in my tone. “I understand now.”
But when I looked at her again, I realized she wanted to share. Her expression was resolute, her shoulders squared as though preparing to bear a heavy weight. I decided to stay quiet and let her speak.
“My father and brothers were the worst beings the goddess ever created,” she said, her words clipped and seething with anger.
Gwen reached out and took Anastasia’s hands, patting them gently, a silent show of support. The action seemed to steady her, and she continued.
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