36. Ava
“I’ll go easy on you, I promise.” Lucy flashes me a playful smile.
I groan. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“Where are you guys going?” Jaxon’s voice interrupts us.
We both glance at him as he steps out of the kitchen door and onto the patio. “Lucy is taking me for a run,” I say, lifting my hands to tighten my ponytail. “I needed time to stretch my legs and get out of the house for a bit. I still need to build up my stamina.”
Jaxon’s eyes sparkle at my new determination. “That’s my girl.”
My cheeks flush at those three simple words. “Be ready to pick me up from the floor when I get back because I might be unconscious.”
“Have more faith in yourself.” He walks towards me and slips an arm around my waist. “I do. I always have.”
I flick my gaze between his dark blue eyes. There is a huge smile on his lips that encourages me to believe in myself—if he can, why can’t I? Today is a chance to prove it’s mind over matter, even if my lungs want to give out.
“Come on. Let’s go.” Lucy beckons her head towards the trees.
I step away from Jaxon’s grip and give him a firm nod. He shoots me one right back. “See you later.”
Lucy sets the pace, and I attempt to keep up despite being torn from the inside out. I breathe as deeply as possible, but I’m definitely not cut out to be a marathon runner.
“It’s all about practice!” she shouts as we run—more like jog slowly—through the trees. “You won’t improve if you don’t practice.”
And she’s right. Practice is what makes us better, and I want that for myself. My mind. My health. My self-belief.
“I’m dying,” I exhale through a jagged breath.
I keep up with Lucy’s pace—barely. She could run round the perimeter of their territory twice before I even get to the next tree. When I feel like my lungs are about to burst, I halt in the dirt and press my palms to my knees.
We’ve been running for at least thirty minutes. That’s a record in itself.
“Ava!”
“Go.” I wave her off. “I’ll catch up. Promise.”
She hesitates before turning back. “I’ll do a lap and meet you.”
I don’t think my legs are going to last another lap. My chest constricts and puffs out at a rate I’ve never seen it move before. I place my hands on my hips and glance around the forest.
In the distance, I spot the warehouse. Jaxon told me Lucien and Damon are dead. Jaxon and Kayden took turns tearing them apart little by little. I didn’t want to know the gory details, but I knew it wasn’t quick and it certainly wasn’t pretty.
Curiosity peeks inside my brain, and I start walking in the direction of the building. Jaxon hasn’t mentioned Evan since I was last here, and I pray he’s in better conditions—he should never have been dragged into this.
A guard stands in front of me as I approach. “Can I help you with something, Ava?”
“Is there someone still inside the cells?”
He stares at me for a long, hard moment. “The Alpha grants access to the cells.”
I narrow my eyes. “I am the Alpha’s mate, if you didn’t already know. I want to go inside. Let me inside.”
“Ava–”
“Now, please.”
He hesitates for a moment before nodding. I follow him down to the dungeon, and I’m hit by that hideous smell. The first cell is empty, but when I step closer, I find Evan in the same position as before.
“Evan,” I murmur and step towards the closed bars.
His legs are chained to the wall, and his body is covered in dirt, shivering from the coldness of this disgusting basement. I didn’t think he heard me until his head slowly peeks up.
My lips part at the glumness of his face. His eyes are burning red and sore.
How could they leave him like this? I grit my teeth.
“Ava,” he chokes out.
“Are you okay?”
He shakes his head, tears streaming down his pale face. I see the fear in his eyes. It’s a similar representation of how I used to feel. Helpless—absolutely helpless.
I twist my head down the hall of the dungeon to find a bottle of water and a paper bag on the floor outside of his cell. I furrow my brows and lean over to look inside. Food. I glance at the guards. “You had food and you didn’t give it to him?”
None of them speak. Fury burns inside me so bright it hurts.
“Don’t,” one of the guards barks. “He’s dangerous.”
A hand lays on my arms in a firm grip. I turn to him, my throat clenching. “I suggest you take your hand off me,” I hiss through my teeth. “He’s not dangerous. He’s a child. Touch me again and the Alpha will be the first to know.”
I’ve never seen someone retreat so quickly, but he scowls under his dark lashes. I couldn’t give a crap what he thinks. This isn’t any way to treat someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.
“Here,” I say, poking my hands into the cell doors and cracking the lid of the water. “You must be so thirsty.”
He pushes himself up from the floor on wobbly legs. I break at the sight of him. Once he takes the bottle, he downs it so quickly that most of it splashes over his face. “T-thank you,” he rasps.
“I’m sorry they kept you like this, Evan,” I say as gently as possible. I reach for the bag of food and pass it to him. He sinks his teeth into a sandwich like he’s never seen food before. “I told Jaxon to get you out.”
He chews for a moment before swallowing. The darkness under his lashes make his bloodshot eyes stand out. “It’s okay. I’ve been waiting for my execution.”
“I’m not going to let them hurt you.” I shake my head. “You should not be in here.”
Evan shrugs and continues to eat the sandwich slowly. “I won’t have anywhere else to go. It’s probably best if they put me out of my misery.”
“Don’t say that,” I whisper. “We’ll work something out.”
He scoffs. “The Alpha hates me.”
“Well, we’ll–”
“Ava!”
My name is shouted at the top of Jaxon’s lungs as he rushes down the stairs to the dungeon. I glance over my shoulder when he bellows my name again. His footsteps echo through the emptiness of the space, and then he steps into view, his face struck with worry until he locates me.
“What are you doing down here by yourself?”
“What the hell is this, Jaxon?” I point towards Evan. “They didn’t even give him water or food; they left it outside of his cell so he couldn’t reach it.”
His forehead creases. “You should not be here, Ava.”
I pull back from him slightly. “You’ve left him down here for what reason? I told you not to hurt him. He doesn’t deserve this. He let me go. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead.”
Jaxon flinches from my declaration. The word clearly triggers something in his brain. “You put yourself in danger.”
“The guards are here.” I gesture to them down the hall. “We can trust Evan. He’s safe. If you don’t believe me, ask Lucy to look into his past. She’ll show you exactly what happened when he let me go.”
“We can’t trust him regardless,” he grunts.
My eyes begin to sting. “We haven’t even given him a chance. Jaxon, please. I am literally begging you.”
He breathes through his nose heavily, and for a moment, I think he’s about to shake his head without any negotiation. But when his dark gaze flicks to mine, something in them simmers. “Fine.”
Soon, Lucy joins us and holds out her arms. “What the hell, Ava? You disappeared. I couldn’t find you.”
“I was down here,” I murmur.
“I see that now. Why am I here? It stinks,” she says before pinching her nostrils together and wafting a hand.
Jaxon turns to her. “We need you to look into Evan’s past. I want you to tell me what happened when he let Ava go. If he’s hiding anything.”
She sucks in a breath and narrows her eyes at him. “Ugh, you owe me for this.”
“I know,” he grunts.
Lucy approaches Evan, who’s silently watching this entire encounter. “Hi,” she greets him politely. His body trembles as she steps closer. “Hold out your hands.”
He moves his fingers towards her, and despite how dirty and pale they look, she latches onto them and closes her eyes.
Evan whimpers, his eyelashes twitching. Lucy holds her focus and doesn’t move an inch. Jax’s warm presence alerts me, but I won’t rest until he grants Evan freedom. I stand like stone, watching the silent encounter—it might sound stupid, but I trust him with my whole heart.
After a few minutes, Lucy opens her eyes and takes a step back from Evan. His entire body slumps forward, barely giving himself a chance to grab onto the bars. Lucy grabs his wrist. “Easy,” she warns. “Reading your memories will have worn you out. Rest, okay? You’ll need to sleep it off.”
He sinks to the floor, legs muscles failing him. My fingers itch to help him, but I know I’ll be pulled back before Lucy has the chance to explain what she saw.
“Well?” Jaxon asks.
“Good as gold if you ask me.” She shrugs simply. “And he did let Ava go and almost got killed because of it. He hasn’t done wrong, Jaxon. He’s a kid who was brought up in an environment that was toxic.”
I sigh a breath of relief. I never doubted him. Now, Jaxon has no choice but to let him go and treat him with the respect he deserves. “Fine,” he snaps. “He can stay, but he’s still going to be under watch until I trust him. He’s related to that monster, and I won’t ever forgive myself if something happens to Ava or the pack.”
“Do not keep him in the dungeon.” I shake my head. “Move him to the annexe at least where he can be watched.”
“He is not to be alone with Ava or any of the other girls, not until I can completely trust him. I’m not taking any chances.” He flicks his eyes between us and the guards before they land back on me again. “Especially not where you’re involved.”
I huff. “Jax–”
“Do I make myself clear?”
My core tightens at the tone of his authoritative voice. “Yes,” I whisper because there is no point arguing with him right now.
“Great.” He nods.
“He needs a shower,” Lucy says with her lips twisted downwards. “And a hearty meal.”
Jaxon turns to the guards. “Take him to the annexe and don’t let him out of your sight. He is to wash and have food brought up to his room. If he wants to leave the annexe, then he must be accompanied by at least two guards. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Alpha.”
“If I see him walking around without guards or in places he shouldn’t be, I will gut each and every one of you,” he threatens in a lethally calm tone.
I shudder watching him. “Yes, Alpha.”
“Good,” he rasps before turning back to me. “Let’s head to the house.”
Jaxon takes my hand and leads me out of the dungeon in silence. I peek up at him, but his eyes are set forward and narrowed. I frown at the moody expression.
“I take it you’re pissed at me.”
“For going down there without telling anyone first? Yes.”
My eyes flicker at his sharp tone. “I knew I was safe. The guards were there.”
He pauses and turns to me suddenly, his tall stature backing me into the nearest tree. My spine hits the bark with a light thud. “What if something happened to you?”
“But it didn’t.” I tilt my chin towards him.
He breathes through his nose heavily. “That is beside the point, Ava. Do not do that again. Do not scare me like that again.”
Within the flash of a second, fear and relief cross his eyes like a blur of light. My lips twitch downwards at his reaction. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “Evan crossed my mind and my curiosity got the better of me.”
Jaxon’s hand slides across my cheek, and his fingers lightly grip the back of my hair. “I would never forgive myself if something happened to you, Ava. Never.”
“I’m okay.” I press my face into his hand. “I’m right here.”
“Please, ask me to come with you when you want to explore.”
“I knew you’d say no.”
“I wouldn’t have said no.” He shakes his head firmly. “I wouldn’t have agreed with it, but I would never stop you from doing it. I’ve told you before, we are equals.”
My throat contracts. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Jaxon rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. “I know, baby.”
“I’m sorry.” I lean up onto my toes and kiss the corner of his mouth.
He presses me back into the tree and claims my lips with every ounce of energy he possesses. I sigh, feeling all of his emotions flood out of him when he kisses me deeper, and I don’t want to make him feel like this again.