Marked Twice by the Alpha King Chapter 48

**Ava's POV**

"That snake!" Ella's coffee sloshed dangerously as she leaned in. "Shows up at your door playing hero while ghosting his fiancée? The balls on that guy!"

I stabbed the straw into my iced moonberry tea. "Yeah, well, the worst part? Sarah took one look at him and practically melted. Like he's some gift from the Moon Goddess herself."

Ella snorted. "Gift from the goddess? More like something Hunter would leave on the lawn."

"The thing is, his stupid soup actually worked," I said. "This morning Sarah got up, brushed her hair, even ate something. First time in forever."

"Shit." Ella's expression softened. "That's how he hooks you, isn't it? Does just enough good to make you question everything else." She tore little notches in her cup sleeve. "So... Blake's big investigation. Any news there? Or just more 'trust me' with zero details?"

My chest tightened. Jackson's questions buzzed in my head. *Ask him why William is being held in a special cell... Ask who ordered that you be kept away...*

"Nothing concrete," I admitted. "Just vague promises it's 'ongoing.'"

Ella bumped my shoulder. "Look, whether it's Jackson with his soup or Blake with his promises—neither one's exactly an open book. Just... keep your eyes open."

"Right now, the only straightforward thing in my life is teaching a seven-year-old how to not accidentally claw people."

"Then hold onto that." Ella squeezed my arm. "And for what it's worth, no matter what shit goes down, I'm your corner wolf. Always."

---

Wilson stood in Blackwood's entryway, his face pinched as if he'd caught a whiff of something foul when I walked in.

"Young Master Lucas awaits you," he sniffed. "He's been most... *eager*."

I brushed past without a word. The butler's dislike was about as subtle as a brick through a window, but with everything else on my mind, Wilson barely registered as an irritation.

Lucas knelt by the equipment rack when I reached the training yard, arranging wooden weapons by size. Hunter sprawled nearby, one golden eye cracking open at my approach.

"Ava!" Lucas scrambled up. "I did all the warm-ups already! Can we do the whole sequence today?"

Hunter's tail thumped against the ground—a wolfish greeting that still caught me off guard.

I tossed Lucas a practice staff. "Let's see what stuck from last time. From stance one."

"Everything? For real?"

"Front to back," I nodded. "Been sneaking in extra practice, haven't you?"

His smile cracked wide. "Only like... every night when everyone's asleep. I wanted to get it right."

Lucas moved through forms that should've been beyond him, each transition flowing with surprising precision. Where most kids his age flailed, he carved the movements with deliberate focus.

"Lower," I tapped his knee. "Center your weight... there. Now the counter-strike."

His staff whistled past my ear in a perfect arc.

"Nailed it!" His victory whoop echoed as he completed the final form. "Did you see that? I got through the whole thing!" 

"I see a warrior in the making," I said, meaning it. 

Lucas's grin faltered. "You think Dad would... I mean, if he saw me..."

My throat tightened. This little wolf, desperate for a scrap of attention from the father who always had a thousand responsibilities more pressing than a seven-year-old's training progress.

"He'd be blown away," I said. "No way he could miss talent like yours."

Lucas suddenly launched himself forward, skinny arms wrapping around my waist.

"Thanks, Ava," he mumbled. "Nobody else really *sees* me. They just see... Blake Morgan's son."

Something cracked in my chest. In a world obsessed with bloodlines and power plays, this kid just wanted someone to notice *him*.

"C'mon, squirt. History lesson. Gotta know where your pack came from if you're gonna lead it someday."

---

"So the first Alpha King got his power by drinking from the sacred waterfall?" Lucas squinted at the ancient illustration.

I leaned closer to the book. "Well, the legend says—"

The door swung open. My spine stiffened before I even looked up.

Jackson stood in the doorway, one arm around Sophia's waist. She clutched an absurdly large bouquet of moonlight silver flowers that glowed faintly, their petals probably worth more than my month's pay.

"Oh!" Sophia's eyes widened. "We didn't mean to interrupt." Her smile bloomed as she spotted Lucas. "How's my favorite brother's training going?"

Lucas launched into a rapid account of his achievements. I felt Jackson's gaze like ice water down my spine, his eyes never leaving my face while his thumb traced circles on Sophia's hip.

"These are gorgeous," Sophia buried her nose in the silver blooms. "You remembered they're my favorite."

Jackson pressed his lips against her forehead, the gesture so tender it would've fooled anyone who hadn't seen him the night before, offering to make me his secret second choice.

"Only the best for my future bride," he murmured. "I count the days until you become Mrs. Hayes."

I bit the inside of my cheek. Every word flowed like he'd rehearsed it, calibrated to seem like the perfect mate-to-be.

Sophia's cheeks flushed as she curled her fingers into his shirt. "Not many days left now," she whispered.

Jackson captured her mouth in a kiss that went on long enough that Lucas made a gagging sound beside me. Jackson's hand slid up Sophia's back, fingers tangling in her golden hair.

My stomach twisted—not with jealousy, but with the sick knowledge that the man kissing Sophia had stood in my kitchen last night suggesting I become his secret affair.

When they broke apart, Jackson's eyes slid deliberately to mine over Sophia's shoulder, challenge written in every line of his face. *See how easily I play this role?* I dug my nails into my palms, willing my expression to reveal nothing.

"Don't let us derail your lesson," Jackson said with fake consideration. "We just stopped by on our way out."

"No problem," I replied flatly, focusing on Sophia instead. "Lucas just mastered a sequence that takes most wolves months to learn."

"Impressive stuff," Jackson ruffled Lucas's hair. "You've got your father's warrior blood. You'll make him proud."

Each gesture calculated—showing me how seamlessly he'd inserted himself into the Morgan family circle.

"We should get going, love," he said to Sophia. "The Elders hate when anyone's late, even the future Alpha pair."

As they turned to leave, Jackson caught my eye one last time, lips forming silent words: *Remember what I told you.*

The door clicked shut. I released a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, a chill settling between my shoulder blades.

"Ava?" Lucas tugged my sleeve. "You okay? You look weird."

I forced my attention back to the kid and his history book. "I'm fine. Now, about that first Alpha King..."