From His Shadow to an Alpha's Throne

"Shut up!" he glared at me, his eyes filled with disgust. "Ava, who do you think you are? How dare you even speak his name? Are you trying to get us all killed? Stop spreading rumors that you have some connection to him!"

His followers echoed his outrage, their eyes burning with hostility.

"Do you have any idea what you're doing, Ava?"

"This is our one chance to make a good impression on Mrs. Devereaux! Are you trying to ruin the alliance between our pack and the Council?"

"Julian clawed his way up to be our pack's Beta. You're just a broke, dumped nobody. Who do you think you are, waltzing in here and pretending to be Ronan's mate?"

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and slowly turned my head to meet Julian's gaze.

Perhaps my calm, cold eyes unsettled him, because his brow furrowed.

Brooke noticed. Her voice grew sharp with resentment. "Ava, you ungrateful traitor! Is this how you repay Julian for his kindness? Don't think you're in any position to throw a tantrum!"

Her words echoed through the past five years. No matter what I did, Brooke would always twist my intentions.

At first, Julian would scold her. But later, he began to use her words against me.

Just like old times, Julian shot me a disappointed look. "You haven't changed at all. Still so bitter and jealous."

This time, however, he paused, then pulled out a bank card and held it in front of me.

"For old times' sake, I'll let this slide. Use this to buy yourself some decent clothes. If you don't want to be a nanny, I'll find you a more respectable job in a few days."

"Don't worry. I'm a Beta now. This kind of money is nothing to me."

I looked at the bank card. Then I looked at him.

That smug expression. That arrogant tone.

In the stunned silence of the crowd, I slowly pushed away the hand holding the card and calmly took my bracelet back from Brooke.

"Keep your money," I replied coldly. "I don't accept charity from strangers."

Ignoring a red-faced Julian, I turned to leave.

But I didn't get far before he grabbed me. "Ava, you don't want my money?" he questioned coldly. "What do you mean? What, are you trying to burn all your bridges?"

I looked him straight in the eye. "There's nothing between us. We should keep our distance, so no one gets the wrong idea."

My thoughts drifted to Ronan, my fiercely possessive mate.

If he found out another man had touched me in public, the poor soul would regret ever being born.

But Julian glanced at Brooke, clearly thinking he had it all figured out.

"In three days, our Alpha is hosting a welcome party for the Supreme Alpha. I plan to take you and show you what high society is like."

"But first, you have to change out of that trash you're wearing. I don't want you to embarrass me—"

Before he could finish, I cut him off firmly. "No, thank you."

Hearing my second refusal, Julian's face darkened. The hand holding the bank card froze in mid-air as he gritted his teeth.

"Ava, it seems your temper has grown. You don't want to go? Fine. I'll take Brooke."

At the thought of Julian taking her, Brooke's eyes lit up, and she immediately interjected, "Julian, I'll be on my best behavior. I promise I won't embarrass you."

I had no interest in getting further entangled in their drama. I turned and walked away quickly, leaving them with one last sentence. "I hope you two are still this confident in three days."

I rushed out of the arrivals hall, the fresh air slightly easing my nausea.

Five years ago, on the night Julian rejected me, I had agreed to mate with Ronan.

A month later, we had our bonding ceremony. A year after that, we welcomed our first pup, Jasper.