Marked By My Enemy Alpha

Episode7

I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night.

The scrap of hair lay wrapped in the same cloth as the note, hidden beneath the loose floorboard I had stumbled upon on my second day. One that Melissa hadn’t found yet. Every time I shut my eyes, that pale, thin strand flashed in my mind, along with the sound of Melissa’s voice, trembling with a fear that felt all too real. Don’t ask about her. Ever.

By morning, I had made up my mind. I was going to track down Ava. It wasn’t a tough task. Camille’s minions rarely wandered far from her, and Ava was always right there, a step behind, the first to laugh at whatever cruel scheme Camille concocted. I finally found her alone, of all times, in the narrow yard behind the laundry house, pinning wet linens to a line strung between two posts. No sign of Camille. No witnesses around.

I crossed the yard before I could second-guess myself. “We need to talk,” I said.

Ava jumped, a clothespin slipping from her fingers and landing in the dirt. She quickly regained her composure, straightening up with that same practiced sneer she always wore around me.

“I have nothing to say to you.” She replied “I think you do.” I kept my voice low and steady, even though my heart was racing. “You hid the wolfsbane. You did it so quickly that the guard didn’t even catch on. That’s not something you just pull off without some practice.”

Her expression didn’t change, but her hands stilled against the damp fabric.“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You handed it to her the moment she asked,” I pressed on. “You knew exactly where to stash it. Camille didn’t need to remind you.” I took a step closer. “How many times have you done that before?”

“Stop.” The word came out sharp, but I could hear the crack in her voice, thin and trembling.

“I’m not trying to hurt you,” I said, softening my tone a bit, even though every part of me wanted to shake the truth out of her. “I just want to understand why. Why do you protect her like that? Even when it means lying to your own Alpha?”

Ava’s gaze darted toward the laundry house and the entrance to the yard, making sure no one was eavesdropping. When she finally spoke again, her voice was barely above a whisper.“You don’t know what she’s capable of.”

“Then help me understand.” I said. For a moment, I thought she might keep it to herself. Her jaw clenched, and her fingers twisted the damp linen until her knuckles turned white. Then, all at once, it was like a dam bursting under too much pressure.

“My family isn’t from Silvercrest,” she revealed. “We moved here two years ago after our old pack fell apart. Camille’s father helped us relocate. He vouched for us to the Elders.” Her voice trembled. “Without that, we would’ve been rogues. No pack, no safety, nothing. Do you realize what that means? What happens to wolves without a pack?”

I did. I’d heard the tales, just like anyone raised in a pack house. Rogues didn’t last long, not really, without territory to claim and no one to back them up. “So she has power over you,” I said softly.“She reminds me,” Ava corrected, bitterness seeping into her tone, “every single day that my family’s place here is thanks to her father’s kindness. That it could be taken away in an instant. All she’d need to do is say the word.” Her eyes met mine, filled with a mix of fury and despair.

“So yes. I keep secrets for her. I lie for her. I’d do much worse if she asked, because I have a mother and two younger brothers who would be cast out onto rogue land if I didn’t.” The anger I had felt toward her began to crack, replaced by a reluctant understanding of the trap she was caught in. It didn’t excuse her actions, but I finally saw the weight she was carrying.

“I’m sorry,” I said, and I truly meant it. Ava let out a short, humorless laugh. “Don’t be. You’re not the one who has to witness what I see. You don’t know what she’s capable of when she doesn't get what she wants".There was something in the way she said it, low and certain, that sent a chill racing down my spine.

“What do you mean?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Ava’s gaze fell back to the linens, and for a moment, I feared she would completely shut down, retreating behind the mask she wore so effortlessly around Camille. But then, she took a breath, and the words tumbled out in a rush, as if she needed to get them out before she lost her courage.

“There was another omega. Before you.” Her hands froze, the damp fabric forgotten. “She caught Alpha Hunter’s eye too. Not like you, not a mate bond or anything, but he was kind to her. Talked to her sometimes. Camille didn’t like it.”

My heart sank. “What happened to her?” I asked “She’s not here anymore,” Ava replied, her tone careful. “That’s all I know. That’s all anyone’s allowed to know.”

“Allowed?” I echoed, confusion creeping in. “Allowed by who? Camille?” Ava’s eyes flicked past me, her entire body tensing up.

“I have to go,” she said abruptly, grabbing the fallen clothespin and turning back to the line, her hands shaking as she pinned the linen with frantic, clumsy movements.

“Ava—” “I’ve said too much already,” she hissed, avoiding my gaze. “Please. Just leave it alone. For your own sake.”

I opened my mouth to push for more answers, but the sound of footsteps crunching on gravel interrupted me—slow, deliberate, coming from the direction of the pack house.

I turned just in time to see Camille rounding the corner of the laundry yard, a small smile already playing at the corners of her lips, as if she’d known exactly where to find us. “Well,” Camille said, her gaze flitting between us, lingering just a moment too long on Ava’s trembling hands. “Isn’t this cozy?”

Ava’s face went completely pale. “We were just talking,” I said, instinctively stepping between them.

“Of course you were,” Camille replied, her smile widening, but her eyes remained icy, locked onto Ava with a look that made the other girl flinch.

Ava didn’t put up a fight. She just placed the last clothespin down, wiped her hands on her apron, and walked out of the yard with Camille, not even bothering to look back at me. I was left standing there, surrounded by the fluttering linens, my heart still pounding as I replayed everything Ava had said and everything she hadn’t.

"She’s gone now. That’s the only truth anyone is allowed to acknowledge."The pale strand of hair hidden beneath my floorboard suddenly felt like a weight I couldn’t shake off.

Because if Camille was the one dictating what could and couldn’t be said about the missing omega, then someone else...someone bold or desperate enough to challenge her had left that warning on my floor.

And judging by the expression on Camille’s face just moments ago, I had a sinking feeling I already knew who she thought it might be.