Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 111

**Ava's POV**

Sophia yanked me through the crowd, her smile plastered on like cheap makeup. We pushed past the regular ceremony space into a restricted area where a ring of ancient stones loomed against the moonlit sky.

"VIPs only past this point," she muttered, her voice suddenly cold and unfamiliar.

The air reeked of burning herbs, making my head fuzzy. At the center of the stone circle, a freakishly blue fire crackled, throwing weird shadows across faces of Shadow Creek's elite. Every eye locked onto us like we were fresh meat.

"Say hello to our pack's inner circle," Sophia said, dropping my arm like it burned her. "They've been dying to meet our... special guest."

She stepped back, creating a gap between us that felt miles wide. The transformation in her hit me like a sucker punch.

"Got future-wife stuff to handle," she said, eyes suddenly empty. "Have fun."

Before I could spit out a response, she'd spun away, golden hair catching blue firelight as she vanished into the crowd, leaving me stranded in shark-infested waters.

*What the actual fuck?* My gut clenched as I realized the Sophia who'd fought beside me in that cellar had completely ghosted me. This stranger had just thrown me to the wolves.

I straightened up, scanning for a friendly face and coming up empty. Just as I weighed making a run for it, a tall woman broke from the pack and strutted over.

She moved like she owned the place—shoulders thrown back, hips swinging way too much. Her outfit belonged in a nightclub, not a sacred ceremony, with a neckline that plunged to her navel. Her ice-blue Hayes eyes locked onto me like I had a target painted on my forehead.

A Hayes family crest dangled from her neck, practically screaming "inner circle." Vanessa Hayes—Jackson's cousin and Shadow Creek's queen bitch.

"Well, damn," she smirked, deliberately shoulder-checking me as she circled. "We bet on whether you'd show your face. Thanks for costing me twenty bucks."

She flicked my warrior emblem with a blood-red nail. "This little badge is garbage now. Just like your standing in this pack."

I bit the inside of my cheek, ignoring the heat crawling up my neck. "Still a Shadow Creek warrior, no matter what crap you talk about my father."

Vanessa cackled, the sound like nails on a chalkboard. "A warrior? Give me a break. A warrior without a pack is like a declawed kitten—pathetic and completely useless."

Snickers rippled through the crowd that was gathering like vultures. My face burned, but I planted my feet wider, chin up—exactly how Dad taught me. *Never let these assholes see you sweat, kiddo.*

The circle tightened around us. I frantically searched for my mom but spotted her trapped in conversation across the grounds, completely clueless to the ambush happening.

People I'd known forever—wolves I'd trained with, fought with, shared beers with—now stared at me like I was something gross stuck to their shoe. Not one stepped up.

The crowd split apart as a silver-haired woman approached, spine straight as a sword despite her age. Eleanor Hayes, Shadow Creek's oldest elder and Jackson's grandmother—the pack's scariest bitch after the Alpha.

She stood before the blue flames, the light carving deep shadows into her face. "Rivers' girl. You've got some nerve."

Her staff hit the ground with a crack that jolted through my bones.

"Know how many warriors died because of your father's betrayal?" Her voice carried across the suddenly dead-silent crowd. "What makes you think you can stand on sacred ground during our celebration?"

I met her eyes head-on. "My father is innocent. The truth will come out."

Eleanor's mouth twisted like she'd tasted something rotten. "Loyalty. What a waste on a traitor."

She turned to address the crowd. "Look at her—warrior dumped by fate, daughter of a traitor, thrown away by her own mate."

Her words cut deeper than she knew. I struggled to keep my poker face as another figure joined her—Richard Hayes, Jackson's dad, in a suit that reeked of wealth and power.

"I once thought a Rivers-Hayes union might benefit our pack," he announced, looking at me like I was something stuck to his shoe. "Dodged that bullet, didn't we?"

He moved closer, voice dropping low. "An adopted nobody. You never got what bloodlines mean, did you? How can you stand here without crawling under a rock?"

The mark under my scarf pulsed warm, a painful reminder I didn't belong here anymore. In this place I once called home, I suddenly felt like a complete stranger. Weird how this pack used to be my whole world, but now my heart pulled toward Blackwood Manor.

I looked Eleanor dead in the eye. "My father is innocent. The Alpha King knows it—why else stop your execution plans?"

Richard's face twisted with disgust. "Nobody believes a traitor's kid."

I squared my shoulders. "I'm a Shadow Creek warrior. Nothing changes that. And whoever framed my father might be standing right here with us."

My words hit home. Vanessa's face contorted with rage, veins popping in her forehead. "You question Jackson? You mention that mark he wasted on you? That ship has fucking sailed!"

Before I could dodge, she snatched a ceremonial goblet from nearby. "You don't deserve to breathe his name!"

Ice-cold liquid slapped across my face and chest, soaking my uniform. The alcohol stung my eyes and the bitter herbs clogged my nose as shocked gasps turned to mocking laughter.

I stood frozen, sacred wine dripping from my chin, staining the blue leather I'd spent hours polishing.

Vanessa stepped closer, another goblet in hand. "Still not getting the message? Maybe another drink will help wash away that pathetic look."

Eleanor's mouth curved into a smug smile. "Seems you've worn out your welcome, Rivers. Leave before you further embarrass yourself at my grandson's ceremony."

Richard nodded. "Consider this a lesson in knowing your place. Shadow Creek isn't your home anymore."

I stood there, drenched and humiliated, as their laughter swelled around me.

Just as I debated between fighting back or walking out, the air suddenly changed—growing thick and heavy. The blue flames thrashed wildly, nearly going out. An eerie silence dropped over everyone.

My mark blazed hot against my neck.

"I thought Shadow Creek knew how to treat guests better than this."

The deep, dangerous voice sliced through the silence. I knew that voice anywhere—Blake.

"Someone want to explain," he said, voice deadly quiet but vibrating with power, "why an invited guest is getting treated like this?"