Chapter 16: Desire
Ava practically flew to her room, her legs moving faster than her thoughts. The air in her lungs felt thick and yet she refused to break.
The door slammed shut behind her, the sound like a gunshot in the quiet night. She stood there for a moment trying to hold herself together. Then, like a dam bursting under the weight of an unrelenting tide, the tears came.
They ran hot and fast down her cheeks as she sank onto the bed, curling in on herself.
What an idiot she had been.
She had let herself believe that Alpha Lucas would pick her above the others. That she was special. That she meant something.
Because he had given her his credit card that day? Because he had bought her coffee?
Ava let out a hollow laugh, shaking her head at her own stupidity.
No, she was just another option in a sea of desperate women, just another name on his list. And worse? She wasn't even at the top.
*****
Hours later, when the tears had dried and the weight in her chest had settled into something dull and throbbing, Ava found herself slipping out of bed. The walls of the concubines' quarters felt suffocating, pressing in on her from all sides. She needed air.
She wandered outside until she found herself at the training yard.