Ava sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the moonlit garden outside her window. The dinner Lesley had arranged replayed in her mind in vivid detail—the soft glow of the lanterns, the warmth in his voice, and the way he looked at her as though she was the only person in the world.
It unsettled her.
She had expected coldness, avoidance, or even anger. Instead, Lesley had shown her sincerity, something she hadn’t anticipated. For weeks, she had been preparing to tear this pack apart, convincing herself that they deserved it. And yet, the look in Lesley’s eyes when he apologized—that raw, unguarded honesty—was something she couldn’t ignore.
“What if he truly cares?”
The thought made her stomach churn. Ava buried her face in her hands, her heart warring with her mind. She had spent so lon
