41. Ava

"Dad."My voice carries the turmoil roiling within me, casting me back into the memories of a child who saw her father as an unapproachable, mythical figure. Now, confronting him on clan lands, the shock of his presence intertwines with the harsh reality of his intentions—he is the leader of the Puritas cult, an enemy to my kind.

That's when it hits me that I chose spiritkin over humans like my father. Not that I didn't realize before, but now, when faced with the one who I thought loved me and backed by those who love me unconditionally, it sinks into my soul.

"For heaven's sake, Ava, cover yourself," he sneers, his voice heavy with scorn as he casts a disparaging look at my naked form.

I hadn't even noticed I was bare, too caught up in the moment. Who cares about clothes when everything's on the line? Here, amongst friends and foes, the absence of clothing seems insignificant, especially against the backdrop of my father and his hunters, all clad in black, their intentions as dark as their attire.

I can feel their hostile stares fixed on shifters, their fingers poised over triggers, ready to enact their misguided justice. The air between us crackles with tension, the night sky ominously clouded, concealing the moon's light.

"No," I state, angling my head to let my hair shield what modesty I may, and for the record, I'm only doing it because trigger finger over there is staring at the girls.

Focusing on my father, I repeat, "No." I can't help but think that Mama would be proud of me right now. "I refuse to hide or concede to your distorted commands." My gaze locks with his, my pulse racing. "I stand with them." I gesture toward the clan, all of them fanned out behind us. Even Alpha Hughes is giving me this moment to confront my father. In a twisted sense, I feel accountable for all of my father's actions—a burden born from my lineage. Who knows how far back this goes? "This is our home, and you aren't welcome here."

My father's expression hardens, his contempt for my defiance palpable. "You've always been a defiant little bitch," he retorts. "Aligning with spiritkin? You know the consequences."

"Consequences?" I challenge, standing my ground. "Tell me, Father, what would you have me do? Turn my back on those who have accepted me when you secretly hid my heritage from me? When you broke my mother? Did you kill her? Did you kill my mother?" My heart clenches as I struggle to get the words out.

He takes a step forward, his hand twitching as though needing to grab onto something or someone.

A suffocating silence ensues, our standoff unyielding, his eyes betraying a guilt that confirms my darkest suspicions—his involvement in my mother's death.

"I had no choice," he confesses, his tone heavy with artificial earnestness. "She became a liability to our purpose."

That's what I waited for—his confession. It only makes it worse.

"Liability? She was your wife!" My voice soars, heavy with indignation. "She was my mother!" It's as if I'm yelling into an abyss. He's unmoved, heedless.

He doesn't care. I don't think he ever did. Mama was nothing more than a challenge to him.

"She betrayed us," he asserts coldly, casting a dismissive glance toward his hunters. "And you, Ava, siding with spiritkin, are defying our laws."

"Your laws, not mine," I repeat, the anger bubbling within me reaching its boiling point. "I refuse to be muzzled or manipulated by your warped creed any longer."

My rebellion ignites a fury in him, his face twisting into an expression of pure loathing. "Has that spiritkin poisoned your mind with such idiocy?"

"It's not idiocy. It's about acceptance and equality—concepts alien to you," I retort. "But most of all? Love. Unconditional love. I doubt you ever truly loved me."

"How can you believe that?" He advances, holding his hands up in innocence, but his eyes betray him. "I love you, Ava. Why do you think I'd risk coming onto clan lands to retrieve you?"

I swallow. I want to believe him, or rather, the little girl still alive in my soul wants to believe him, but I don't. I can't.

"Christopher, allow me to handle my wife." Elijah steps out from the shadows, his voice laced with a bravado that feels fake. It's so arrogant, I immediately feel the urge to knock that smugness right off his face.

"Playing the coward, I see." I let out a derisive laugh, comforted by the presence of my chosen family. Brody's hand is a gentle weight on my shoulder, Ethan's warm palm steadies me on the small of my back, and Tyler… Tyler is just doing his usual, unpredictable thing.

Elijah's smirk does nothing to hide the malice in his eyes. "I am not a coward, Ava. I'm here to rectify the chaos you created by aligning with these…creatures." His disdain is palpable, proving even more just how much of a piece of shit he is.

Even though I can brush off his words, my mates aren't able to do the same. Elijah wrote his own fate the day he put his hands on me, and I won't hold my mates back as they take their revenge.

Their protective energy radiates strongly from their tense bodies as they gather closer to me. Elijah's menacing presence triggers a fierce protectiveness in them, reminding me of their vow to stop him at any cost. Before, I felt suffocated by their protectiveness, but now, I'm proud to have them stand beside me.

For a brief moment, I wonder if more violence is the answer, but that thought is quickly banished as I remember the detailed plots my father and Elijah concocted against those standing with me. No, the scales of justice have yet to balance. That is evidence enough by the fallen—both the hunters and the spiritkin.

When will enough be enough?

"Elijah," my father cautions, but it's in vain. Elijah takes a few more steps toward me.

"No, Dad, let him continue. I want to hear the bullshit that's about to fall from his mouth," I taunt, bracing for the onslaught of deceit that he no doubt has lined up.

Elijah's laugh is devoid of humor. "There are no lies here, Ava. Your mother was a menace to our cause, colluding with these…beings. We had no choice but to intervene." His gaze hardens, his contempt for me evident. "It seems you inherited her weakness."

"He murdered her! He killed her spirit," I accuse, my voice breaking. "And you, both of you, sought to break me just the same." Tears burn the backs of my eyes. "She was the only one who ever truly loved me."

My father's reaction is subtle, a slight flinch, whereas Elijah remains stoic, his cold gaze fixed on me. "Our actions were necessary to shield humanity from these monsters, Ava," Elijah replies emotionlessly. "And now, I'm here to prevent you from making a mistake." His hand edges toward his weapon. "You're coming with me, one way or another."

Rage consumes me, like a wildfire that threatens to engulf everything.

"She's under our protection," Ethan rumbles—a warning that reverberates through the night.

"And what will you do to stop me? You and your beasts against our guns?" Elijah taunts, underestimating the power of spiritkin. I know I did.

"That's it!" My voice cuts through the tension, strong and clear. As I take a bold step forward, my entire being is focused on facing down my father and Elijah. "Enough."

My father's expression is absolutely priceless. "Ava, you're out of line."

"No, I'm not," I retort, my anger bubbling out of control. "I refuse to deny my true self any longer."

"That's unfortunate," my father snarls. "She'll prove more challenging to break," he comments dismissively to Elijah, feigning nonchalance.

"Not if she's incapacitated," Elijah responds, a malicious grin spreading across his face. His outward charm might fool others, but his soul is deeply tainted. His hand inches toward his weapon—a move that's clearly premeditated.

Time slows, and my senses sharpen. Before Elijah can draw his gun, however, a thunderous roar pierces the night, accompanied by the protective growls of my pack.

Our attention is pulled toward a skirmish already in motion—a Puritas hunter is under attack by a powerful wolf shifter. The hunters try to retaliate, but my family is faster, rushing in to shield one of their own.

"Stop!" My plea for peace is desperate, but everything is beyond my control.

A gunshot shatters the brief silence, the bullet finding its mark in a wolf shifter's chest. "No!" My heart shatters as I dash toward the fallen, tears blurring my vision.

My father, unmoved by the tragedy, looks on with satisfaction. "This is the purity we must preserve! They are mere beasts!"

Fury consumes me. "You're the beasts! You instigated this massacre!" The lifeless body before me belonged to someone—someone loved and cherished. "How can you justify this bloodshed?"

Ethan and the others hold me back. "Not now, Ava," Ethan whispers. "We'll seek justice later."

His words fall on deaf ears. Chaos erupts around us, the sounds of battle filling the air. As violence consumes the clearing, I'm powerless to stop the bloodshed that taints the ground, the dirt churning into mud.

"We need to get you to safety." Ethan tries to pull me away, his face full of sorrow and fury. "We need to leave. Please, Ava."

"No," I protest, tearing free from their hold. "It ends now."

As if the spirit comet consents to my declaration, the clouds part, allowing the moon to cast a solemn light over us, signifying renewal and hope.

I embrace my transformation, the shift as natural to me as breathing.

"Ava, no!" Ethan's plea echoes in the clearing.

I ignore him. The moon's promise of a fresh start, a new dawn for the spiritkin, empowers me. Now is the time for change, for the spiritkin to embrace a new beginning, one forged from unity and strength.

My father watches the ensuing chaos with detached amusement, taking in the fall of hunters and shifters alike. As I draw closer, though, a sense of conviction emboldens me. Gone is the girl they wanted to manipulate, and in her place is a fierce shifter, fully prepared to protect her family.

His laughter is scornful when his eyes latch onto me. "What can you possibly do? You're merely a woman and just as weak as your mother?—"

He doesn't get to finish. With a surge of strength, I tackle him, cutting off his words. Elijah intervenes, but I quickly dispatch him, sending him into Ethan's grasp.

Hovering over my father, I tremble with uncontainable rage. He's gravely mistaken about us, and his refusal to see the truth seals his fate.

"We are the superior ones," he defiantly claims.

In an instant, I'm back in my human form. "You're wrong," I declare, my fury undiminished. "We aren't here to claim superiority. Our purpose is coexistence." The devastation surrounding us, filled with loss and destruction, is a scene I'll never forget, and one I never want to see again.

For the first time, fear creeps into his eyes, but his realization comes too late. He had decades to realize his actions are harmful.

"And you were prepared to kill me, just as you killed Mama?" I question, my voice ice-cold.

"She was tainted," he insists.

"So am I," I respond, the threat in my voice unmistakable, but before I can act, a sharp pain pierces my stomach. I was too distracted, thinking I had the upper hand.

"If that's the case, then you are better off dead," he retorts bitterly.

Oh hell no. With a swift motion, I retaliate, slicing a claw along his neck, his blood marking me as I witness his demise. He was never a father to me.

I wait until his breaths slow, until his lungs rattle, until his eyes glaze over. Only then do I acknowledge the pain in my stomach.

Gasping, I tilt to one side. I know I shouldn't move, but I can't help it.

"Ava." Brody rushes to my aid, concern etched in his expression. "Ava." His hands hover around me as if he doesn't know how to help me or where to touch me.

Silly doctor.

Ignoring the pain, I focus on Brody. "He'll never harm another spiritkin," I say, even as my strength wanes. All around us, spiritkin take out the last of the hunters, though I know many got away.

Brody lays me down on the ground, his worry palpable.

"It's not silver," I tell him. "Listen, if you yank it out and I shift really fast, it'll heal."

"Pulling it out could be dangerous," Brody cautions. His fingers ghost along my skin just below where the knife protrudes.

Ethan joins us, crouching down beside me, his lips pulled taut. "What should we do?" he asks, looking to Brody for guidance.

I can't help but laugh, despite the situation. "Aren't you supposed to be the experts?" I try to wave at them. "A doctor and paramedics."

"Shift," Tyler instructs firmly. "On three, Brody, you remove the blade, and Ava, you shift."

I brace myself, the anticipation of pain tightening my muscles. Move past it. "All right, on three. One…two…three!"

As the blade is removed, triggering my transformation, agony engulfs me. Despite the pain, I push through, allowing my wolf form to emerge. My skin burns and aches as I begin to heal. My legs can't hold me up, and I collapse to the ground, whimpering as my skin knits back together.

As soon as I can catch my breath, I shift once more.

Ethan's nostrils flare. He is still in the exact same crouch, but now his shoulders sag with relief. "Don't ever, and I mean ever, do that again."

"I don't plan to," I reply weakly. Naps and bingeing shows are on my schedule for the next week at least.

Alpha Hughes steps up to us. Thankfully, he's wearing pants, because there are some things a girl just doesn't need to see. "Ava, you will make a formidable luna one day."

"Thank you, Alpha," I reply, hoping he can see just how much I needed to hear those words. "All right, one of you help me up."

"I've got you." Brody lifts me up, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. I can just make out the slight tremble of his touch. "I need to know you are okay."

"I'm okay." I place a palm on his chest, feeling his heart beat beneath my fingertips.

"I think you need a spanking." Tyler steals a kiss. "Running off like that… You were supposed to hide."

"Oh, you should have known better than that." I rest my head against Brody, his warmth chasing away the nightmare surrounding us.

"Handcuffs," Ethan mutters. "I'm buying handcuffs."

"Sounds kinky," I tease.

Ethan just snorts. The three of them surround me, and I don't feel overwhelmed anymore. I feel protected and loved.