Ava's POV
My heart was racing, but not from fear of the scooter.
“No, I…” I pulled away from him, shaking my head, my thoughts a tangled mess. I looked up at him, hope, fear, and desperation crashing into each other so violently I could barely sort through them.
“Alpha Anderson…” My voice came out uneven. I swallowed, forcing myself to steady it. “I can’t explain everything right now.”
My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin.
“Let me find Maria first,” I continued, my gaze locking onto his. “Then I’ll tell you everything.”
Because I couldn’t say it yet. I couldn’t risk saying it. What if I was wrong? What if I let myself believe, just for a moment, that I had found her… only for it to be ripped away again?
No… I couldn’t survive that twice.
I went back to Maria’s house, forcing my
