Ava’s POV
“Liam…” I sucked in a sharp breath, eyes bulging, backing up a step, my words barely a murmur, heart slamming against my ribs. “I can’t do this.” The words came out bitter, loaded with edge, tumbling like some raw admission, my chest squeezing tight with dread and grief, Sarah’s death still ripping me apart, tangled up with flashes of Liam taking me rough and savage, his hands branding me, now poisoned by Lucy’s bullshit claims that I hooked up with Steve to wreck my world.
The pack drew in a collective gasp, some balling their fists in surprise, whispers buzzing like angry hornets. What gave me the guts to reject the Oakwood Pack’s Alpha? Some had pegged me as his first mate, the one he’d dumped, so was I flipping the script now? It was almost laughable, their gawking stares j
