Chapter 12: Shadows
Ava couldn't sleep. Not that she expected to, given the ridiculous itch plaguing her skin.
"Doctor Mary's ointment will help," they said. "You'll feel better in no time," they said.
Liars.
She huffed in frustration and draped a silky robe over her shoulders, deciding that maybe a little night air would do what the ointment couldn't. Her feet carried her on autopilot to the training yard. The one place she felt powerful.
The quiet was comforting. Unlike the scheming concubines and their well-placed venom, silence had no ulterior motives. No whispered threats or sugar-coated daggers. Just peace.
Ava sank onto a bench as her mind whirred. If the concubines were targeting her, she had to be careful. If she wanted to survive, she had to be smarter. More cunning.
More powerful.
The realization settled heavily in her chest. She needed power, not the borrowed kind that came with the Alpha's favor. She needed something of her own.
Her brooding was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Then a voice.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
Ava turned slightly, already suspecting who it was before he stepped out of the shadows.