Claimed by Wolf King

The Girl Without a Wolf

By six in the morning, Ava had already made breakfast, folded the laundry, and spent nearly an hour scrubbing the kitchen floor. She wanted everything finished before Vivian came downstairs, but the ache in her ribs made it difficult to bend.

Charles had been furious when she returned late from the pack clinic the night before. An elderly wolf had come down with a fever, and Ava had stayed until another nurse could take over. Charles hadn't cared about her explanation. When she'd tried to defend herself, he'd grabbed her wrist and punished her for talking back.

She'd barely slept, and now she was running out of time.

“Ava! Where are you?”

“In the kitchen.”

Vivian appeared in the doorway wearing a silk robe. Her eyes swept over the freshly scrubbed floor before settling on Ava.

“Why are you still cleaning? Breakfast should've been ready ages ago.”

“It is. I covered everything so it wouldn't get cold.”

“Then put that bucket away. You've got a dress to fix before tonight.”

Ava straightened carefully. “What dress?”

“The gray one that belonged to Charles's sister. The Wolf King is coming to Ashbourne, and Alpha Carter is throwing a gala for him. Every unmarried woman of age is expected to attend.”

Ava knew who Ethan Knight was. Everyone in the Western Territories did. Some wolves admired him, others feared him, but nobody questioned his authority.

“Does that include me?” she asked.

Vivian's expression hardened. “You're going because the Alpha expects everyone to be there. You'll stay behind Liana, keep your mouth shut, and remember that nobody invited you for your company.”

“Yes, Mrs. Marlow.”

“And cover those bruises. I don't want people asking questions about this family.”

Ava pulled her sleeve over her wrist.

Outside the house, Vivian loved telling people how generously she and Charles had taken in an orphaned girl who'd never developed a wolf. Nobody asked why Ava slept in the attic or why Charles took the wages she earned at the clinic.

A few minutes later, Charles entered the dining room, followed by Liana, who was already talking excitedly about the gala.

“Do you think he'll stay the whole evening?” Liana asked. “Olivia says the Wolf King hardly ever goes to these things.”

“Then make sure you look your best,” Vivian replied.

Ava carried the coffee to the table.

Liana had shifted into her wolf before turning seventeen, and the family had celebrated for days. Ava remembered her own first-shift ceremony very differently. She'd spent the whole night in the clearing, waiting for a wolf that never appeared.

Five years later, people still called her wolfless.

Liana noticed her standing beside the table.

“Please tell me you're not wearing that old gray dress tonight.”

“Your mother said I had to.”

“The one Aunt Celeste used to wear?” Liana laughed. “Well, I guess nobody's going to be looking at you anyway.”

“The sleeve is torn,” Ava said. “I'll need some time to fix it.”

“Then fix it.”

“I will. I just meant—”

Charles grabbed her forearm, pressing directly into yesterday's bruise. Ava gasped, and the coffee pot slipped from her hand. It struck the floor and shattered.

“Stop making excuses,” he snapped. “We give you a home and feed you, and you still can't handle the simplest things.”

Ava crouched to gather the pieces before he could continue. One sharp fragment sliced deep into her palm.

A faint silver light glimmered beneath her skin.

Ava stared as the cut closed before her eyes. Within seconds, not even a wound remained.

“Ava, clean that up!” Vivian snapped.

Ava quickly closed her fingers.

Nobody had noticed. Charles had returned to his newspaper, and Liana was looking at her phone.

Ava slipped the bloodstained porcelain fragment into her apron pocket and finished cleaning. She'd worked at the clinic long enough to know that wolves healed quickly, but she'd never seen a deep wound disappear in seconds. And she'd certainly never heard of silver light coming from someone's skin.

Later, Ava carried the gray dress upstairs to her attic room. It held little more than a narrow bed, an old wardrobe, and a window that let cold air in during the winter. She'd lived there for as long as she could remember. Once, she'd wished for one of the spare bedrooms downstairs, but at least she could shut the door up here.

She hid the porcelain fragment beneath her mattress and took out the dress. The fabric had faded, but it was still good quality. With careful stitching, she thought she could make it look decent.

She'd barely threaded her needle when Liana came in without knocking.

“I don't know how you stand living up here.”

Ava kept sewing. “Did you need something?”

“I wanted to see what you're wearing tonight. Mother doesn't want you embarrassing us.”

Liana wandered around the room, inspecting Ava's few belongings. Then she noticed the crescent pendant beside her pillow.

“You still keep this ugly thing?”

Ava set down her needle. “Give it back.”

The pendant was one of the few things connecting her to her earliest memories, though she didn't know where it had come from. Sometimes she dreamed of a woman singing beside dark water. Other times, she remembered being held against someone's chest while a man spoke nearby. She couldn't tell whether those memories were real, but she'd always kept the pendant close.

Liana turned it between her fingers.

“Do you really think your real parents are going to come looking for you just because you kept their jewelry?”

“I didn't say that.”

“Maybe they knew what you were and decided they didn't want you.”

Ava stood.

“Give it back, Liana.”

“Then come and get it.”

Ava reached for the pendant and grabbed Liana's wrist.

Cold rushed through her arm. Silver light flashed across her fingers, and an invisible force hurled Liana backward into the wardrobe.

The pendant fell to the floor.

Ava stumbled back, staring at her hand. The light was gone, but the broken wardrobe and Liana's terrified expression made it clear what had happened.

“What the hell did you do?” Liana demanded.

“I don't know.”

“You threw me!”

“I didn't mean to. I don't know how it happened.”

Liana backed away.

“Wolfless girls can't do that.”

Ava had no answer. She'd spent her whole life being treated as though she were weaker than everyone around her. Now she'd hurt someone without even knowing how.

Liana hurried to the window.

“He's here.”

Ava joined her.

A convoy of black vehicles moved through the valley toward Alpha Carter's estate, surrounded by royal guards. People had gathered along the road, and several lowered their heads as the vehicles passed.

As the lead vehicle drew closer, warmth spread beneath Ava's ribs. She gripped the windowsill, startled by its intensity.

This wasn't like what had happened with Liana. She wasn't angry or afraid. Something inside her simply seemed to recognize that the convoy was coming.

Then a low growl sounded inside her mind.

Ava went still.

She'd spent years wishing she could hear a wolf speak to her. Now, when something finally stirred, she couldn't understand it.

She waited for the sound to return, but the presence faded, leaving her staring after the vehicles.

Whatever had awakened inside her had done so on the exact day Ethan Knight arrived in Ashbourne.