Chapter 3: Thorns
The day Raventhorn would arrive was recognized even by the skies. The clouds bunched together, thick and swollen with the promise of a storm. The wind howled through the compound, rattling window panes and setting the nerves of every living creature on edge.
Ava stood outside the grand hall. She was flanked by Alpha Leon, Luna Selene and a Gamma, the only witnesses to what she privately referred to as her death sentence. They called it a political arrangement and they didn't have the decency to make her look worthy and presentable at least.
Luna Selene looked like she had just won a grand prize. She clung to Leon's arm with the kind of satisfaction one gets from sweeping up the last slice of pizza before anyone else can grab it. Leon looked about as comfortable as a man standing before a firing squad. His lips were drawn into a tight line as if realizing that he had invited a wolf into his home and was now about to serve him dinner.
Ava held her head high despite her circumstances. She wore a plain grey dress that did little to hide the bruises that bloomed across her skin. Bruises gifted to her by the same pack now shoving her off like unwanted leftovers. If she ever imagined dying, she had considered scenarios like starvation, or perhaps being beaten to death. She never thought her fate would be wrapped in silk and called a peace treaty.
Then came the sound of engines. The gates groaned open, and a motorcade rolled into the compound. Two motorcycles flanked a sleek black Lamborghini Urus, a sight so out of place among the old-world grandeur of the Crimson Pack that it was almost laughable.
Then he stepped out. Alpha Lucas Raventhorn.
The monster. The butcher of the Silver Pack. The man who could silence a room simply by breathing.
He was tall, well built with scars winding around his wrists like trophies of war. His silver eyes swept the scene, landing on Ava and immediately visually cataloging every weakness. She felt small under his gaze. And that was saying something, given that her life had been a running competition of how much smaller she could shrink each day.
Raventhorn approached with the lazy confidence of a predator, his men falling into step behind him like shadows. Even with only two guards, the weight of his presence made it clear that if he wanted to, he could burn this place to the ground with nothing but sheer willpower.