Chapter 2 Alpha Ryder

• He was breathtaking. His presence was commanding, like the calm before a storm, and his eyes—intense—were fixed on her. His gaze held an edge of curiosity, though his features were unreadable. Ava was sure that he was a man used to being in control, and right now, he was looking at her with that same controlled intensity.
• "Hi," he said, his voice smooth, like velvet.
• Ava’s throat tightened. She wanted to speak, to say something—anything—but no words came. Her mind went blank. This—this was her mate with everything she had hoped for. Her heart raced as she realized just how humiliating it was to be seen like this, bound and broken. She wasn’t the proud wolf she once was, not the woman who would stand by Jax’s side. She was a slave now, a fallen member of this pack. And her mate—her mate—was witnessing her lowest point.
• Her lips trembled, but she could not bring herself to speak. Instead, she lowered her gaze to the ground, unable to meet his eyes. Her whole body felt like it was on fire with shame, every muscle frozen.
• The silence between them felt suffocating, thick with unspoken words.
• Then, a voice broke through the quiet.
• A guard stepped forward and bowed low to the man. "Welcome to Creekwood Pack, Alpha Ryder. I hope the journey wasn’t too stressful."
• Ava's stomach churned. The words stung with a terrible realization, and her heart plummeted as though it were sinking through the earth beneath her feet.
• Alpha Ryder? Her mate was Alpha Ryder—the brother of Lily, the woman who had stolen everything from her.
• Ava felt her world tilt, a wave of disbelief crashing over her as the full weight of her mistake settled into her bones. Her chest tightened painfully as waves of shame, embarrassment, and disappointment flooded her mind. How could fate be so cruel?
• "My journey wasn't stressful at all," Ryder replied the guard.
• Then Ryder turned his gaze back to her, and his eyes softened slightly as if he noticed her discomfort. He bent down, his movements slow and deliberate, like he was trying to read her. There was a brief, almost tender pause before he asked, "What is your name? Why are you wearing shackles?" His voice was calm, and genuine, yet there was a flicker of something else—a hint of concern or maybe curiosity.
• Before she could speak, the guard beside her stepped in, answering for her. "Alpha Ryder, this is Ava. She was the one who tried to kill your sister. That is why she’s in shackles."
• For a split second, it was as if time itself had stopped.
• Ava felt her entire body tense, every muscle locked up in a vice grip. Ryder’s face changed instantly. His kind expression disappeared, replaced with a hard, cold mask. His eyes darkened, and Ava could feel the change in the atmosphere—the moment he realized who she was.
• His jaw tightened, and his voice, when he spoke, was chilling. "I see." His gaze hardened as he stood, straightening. "Let’s go. Where is my sister?"
• The guard gave a quick bow and gestured for Ryder to follow. "This way, Alpha Ryder."
• Ryder turned without another glance at her, his back straight as he walked away. Ava stood motionless, frozen to the spot. She didn’t dare move, didn’t dare make a sound. She wanted to scream, to beg for his forgiveness, but the words were lost on her. Her body trembled with fear, dread, and regret.
• She whispered to herself, her voice a broken murmur, "Don’t cry... Don’t cry..." But her body betrayed her as tears welled up in her eyes.
• As Ryder’s figure disappeared into the distance, Ava collapsed to her knees, the weight of everything crashing down on her. How could fate be so cruel?
• After a while, Ava was still crouched in the garden, her hands dirty from hours of weeding, when two guards appeared and yanked her up roughly by her arms.
• “What’s going on?” she asked, struggling against their grip, but the guards offered no response.
• They marched her across the grounds, the familiar landscape blurring in her vision as her heart began to pound in her chest. When they reached the prison, Ava’s breath caught as she saw Jax waiting for her, his expression cold and unreadable. The guards threw her to the ground in front of him, her body landing hard against the dirt floor.
• Jax looked down at her, his voice sharp and distant. “Alpha Ryder, Lily’s elder brother, has requested that you be transferred to the Fireblood Pack. He wants to handle your punishment personally. I’ve agreed to this, so you’ll be leaving Creekwood today.”
• The words hit Ava like a physical blow, stealing the air from her lungs. Ryder, she thought, her heart sinking with fear. Her own mate, who now saw her as his enemy. This meant punishment, pain—and likely far worse. Ryder was known for his cruelty, and the thought of falling into his hands made her skin crawl.
• But what hurt even more was the fact that Jax had agreed to it.
• Her Jax. The one who’d once been her best friend, her love. He’d decided to send her away, knowing exactly what awaited her. Ava’s hands trembled as she tried to steady herself.
• She forced herself to speak. “I see. Can I at least say goodbye to my father before I leave?” she asked, her voice shaking.
• Jax shook his head, his gaze averted. “That won’t be possible. Your father isn’t here, and Ryder is leaving now. You can leave a message, and the guards will deliver it to him.”
• Ava’s stomach twisted in disbelief, her heart shattering as she looked up at him. There was no trace of kindness or familiarity in his eyes anymore, only indifference. It was as though the years they’d spent together, the years he’d promised to protect her, had meant nothing.
• She took a deep, shaky breath. “You know what this means, don’t you, Jax?” Her voice was barely a whisper. “You know he’s going to kill me, right?”
• Jax’s expression remained impassive, his gaze fixed on a distant spot over her shoulder. He said nothing.
• The silence was crushing, an answer in itself. Ava felt her last hope crumble as she watched him turn away from her, the betrayal sinking into her heart like a knife.
• Ava’s voice cracked, her heart breaking all over again. “Doesn’t our friendship mean anything to you?”
• Jax’s eyes turned to hers, cold and unyielding. “I stopped thinking of you as my friend the moment you tried to harm Lily,” he said, his words as icy as his expression.
• Ava felt tears prick at her eyes, but she fought them back, clinging to the last threads of her pride. “She isn’t as innocent as she seems, Jax,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper.
• “Don’t even try to blame her,” Jax snapped, his face hardening with anger. “I know my mate, and I believe her. Goodbye, Ava.”
• She lowered her head, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
• After what felt like an eternity, footsteps echoed down the corridor, stopping right in front of her. Ava’s heart pounded as she forced herself to look up, her blood running cold at the sight of the face she feared most—Ryder.
• “Stand up, you will come with me,” he commanded, his voice as sharp and unforgiving as steel.
• Ava’s heart pounded, her mind racing. As he turned to lead the way, Ava’s mind clung to a single desperate thought: Would this be the end? Or was this the beginning of something far, far worse?