Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 140

**Ava's POV**

My last shirt hit the bottom of my ratty duffel with a sad little thump. I sucked in a deep breath that did nothing to ease the weight crushing my chest. Freedom at last—but Sarah wasn't coming. My throat tightened around the thought.

Three days. Just three lousy days in Hayes territory had twisted my insides into knots. Every meal barely edible, every night on a cot that felt stuffed with rocks, every morning waking up to some new Hayes goon hovering outside my door.

I caught myself touching the mark on my neck again, feeling that now-familiar warmth pulse beneath my fingertips—my weird little lifeline to Blake. Then guilt slammed into me like a freight train. What about Sarah's lifeline? Who'd watch her back in this viper pit? Would Martha actually give her that fancy medical position, or was that just another pretty lie?

"She's tougher than you think," I muttered to nobody, folding a sock that didn't need folding. "Way tougher than you."

Truth was, Sarah had always been our family's backbone. When William got arrested, she cried exactly once, then switched into survival mode while I was still falling apart. And here I was, running back to Blackwood while she stayed behind. The thought made me want to throw up.

"Survival isn't selfish," I reminded myself, zipping the bag with more force than necessary. "She picked her path."

I'd just turned to grab my jacket when the door crashed open like someone had kicked it. My body reacted before my brain—knees bent, center of gravity dropped, fists half-raised.

Vanessa lounged against the doorframe, looking like she'd stepped out of a werewolf fashion magazine. Her custom leather training suit probably cost more than everything I owned, and those Hayes family rings glittered on her fingers like winking eyes.

"What's this, housekeeping day?" She curled her lip at my sad little duffel. "Finally realized you're better suited for scrubbing toilets than combat training?"

I counted heartbeats, willing my wolf to stay calm. No point in starting shit when I was minutes from freedom. "I'm out. Done with this place."

She laughed—that high-pitched, nails-on-chalkboard sound that made my molars ache. "Out? Like you have a choice?" She stalked into the room, snatched my bag, and tossed it across the floor. "Nobody walks away from Hayes territory without permission, especially not trash like you."

My wolf snarled behind my ribs, her anger bubbling up into my eyes. I could feel them changing, going feral at the edges, but I kept human. Barely.

"Back off, Vanessa." I didn't raise my voice. "Not in the mood for your mean-girl routine today."

"Ooh, scary," she wiggled her fingers in fake terror, then dropped the act like a hot stone. "A packless nobody, daddy rotting in prison, thinks she can talk to me like that? You know why my father let you stay at all?"

I kept my mouth shut, tracking her body language instead. The way her weight shifted forward. The slight flex of her fingers. Classic predator tells.

"Jackson needs a chew toy," she sneered, showing too many teeth. "Since you can't be his mate, you'll be his dirty little secret instead. Not exactly Alpha-wife material, but good enough for a quick—"

"If you've got beef with Jackson, take it up with him." I cut her off, surprised at how bored I sounded. "Don't dump your daddy issues on me."

Bull's-eye. Her face flushed crimson, genuine hurt flashing across her features before hardening into something sharp and dangerous.

"You think you're hot shit?" She took a step closer, voice rising. "Just because Jackson marked you once? Because the big bad Alpha King has a hard-on for you? Get real. Nobody actually gives a damn about you. Sarah signed her life away to stay here—picked the pack and your deadbeat dad over her own daughter."

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper. "Cool speech. Door's that way." I pointed, forcing my voice to stay steady.

"You're not going anywhere!" She lunged suddenly, her human nails stretching into razor-sharp claws mid-leap.

I twisted sideways but caught the tail end of her swing. Fire erupted across my forearm as her claws sliced through skin. The burning sting told me everything—silver powder. Only the dirtiest fighters coated their claws with that shit.

I grabbed her wrist and cranked it backward, forcing a pained yelp from her throat. But she was quick, hooking her ankle behind mine, trying to take me down. I staggered but kept my feet, narrowly dodging her next swipe.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" I ducked another swing, backing up. "You know what happens to wolves who attack someone from Silverpeak?"

"If you never make it back, who'll know?" The look in her eyes made my skin crawl—wild, unhinged. "Poor Ava, tried running away, got torn apart by rogues at the border. So tragic."

She came at me again, faster this time. I didn't move quite fast enough. Her claws raked across my cheek, and the world went white with pain. Warm blood trickled down my face, silver burning like acid in the wound. My knees wobbled dangerously.

Just as I braced for her next attack, the door exploded inward. Tyler burst through with two Silverpeak guards, their faces set in stone.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Tyler's voice cracked like a whip.

Vanessa froze, caught in the act. The guards were on her in seconds, pinning her arms.

"She attacked me!" Vanessa's face transformed from psycho to victim so fast it was almost impressive. "The traitor's daughter tried to kill me!"

Tyler's eyes locked on my bleeding face, his jaw tightening. "That right? So why are your claws dripping with her blood?"

The door banged open again as Martha and Richard rushed in, their expressions shifting from confusion to horror as they took in the scene.

"What the hell is happening here?" Richard's voice had that edge parents get when they know their kid screwed up royally.

"Seems your family's got a death wish," Tyler said, cool as ice. "Or did you forget the Alpha King's warning five minutes after he gave it?"

"This has to be a misunderstanding," Martha stammered, her perfectly composed mask slipping. "Vanessa wouldn't—"

"Save it." Tyler cut her off with a look that could freeze fire. "We're taking Rivers out now. This just sealed your fate."

He turned to me, ignoring my weak protests as he scooped me up. The silver was working fast, making the room tilt and spin.

"Sarah..." I managed through gritted teeth, the name barely audible.

"She's covered," Tyler murmured, his voice steady and sure. "Blake made damn sure of it."

As darkness crept in from the edges of my vision, I caught one last glimpse of Vanessa's face—twisted with hatred—and Richard's expression of pure, existential dread. The Hayes family had finally fucked around and found out what happens when you cross the Alpha King.