Shadow of the Zodiac

Chapter Three -Ava

Ava’s POV

The sound of the door chime rings loud enough that I can hear it from the back room.

“I’ll be right there," I say as I finish unpacking a hideous vase that apparently is over three hundred years old and worth more than my entire family combined makes in a year. Can’t buy taste, obviously.

I walk into the front of the shop and find my best friend Emelia sitting on the main front counter.

“You know my mom will kill you for sitting on there, right?”

“Well, she’s not here, so all is good. What time are you done for the day?” She jumps off the counter and leans on it, giving me a look that I know all too well.

“Oh no! Not happening, Em, not after last time, I’m still recovering!”

“Ava, you need this. You’re twenty-four years old, live a little! And this time will be different, Ryan is going to come along, so we will be totally fine.”

I raise an eyebrow.

“Your mate coming doesn’t exactly reassure me.”

“Excuse you, Ryan is delightful.”

“Ryan encourages your bad ideas.”

“Which is why he’s delightful. Ava, this isn’t just another pack party”

That immediately gets my attention.

“What makes this one different?”

Emelia grins.

“Three neighbouring packs are attending.”

“So?”

“So,” she says dramatically, “there will be new people there instead of the same wolves you’ve known your entire life.”

I groan.

“There it is. I knew this wasn’t about spending time with me.”

“Of course it’s about spending time with you,” she says. “Finding your mate is just a bonus.”

I roll my eyes, knowing that saying no isn’t an option when Emelia has gone this far down the rabbit hole. “Fine, you win. I’m off in about an hour, so pick me up at home in about an hour and a half so I can make myself look somewhat respectable”

Emelia lets out a squeal and runs around the counter and gives me a tight squeeze before running out the door, yelling out how I won’t regret this. I’m not sure I believe her.

********************************************

I’m just finishing up my makeup when I hear the doorbell ring. Muffled voices travel up the stairs, followed by footsteps making their way to my bedroom. Ryan’s laugh reaches me first. Emelia steps in and gives me a once-over glance before huffing and walking over to my closet.

“What I’m wearing is just fine, Em, what are you looking for?”

“We are looking for your mate, not going to one of your mom’s boring auctions”, she states very matter-of-factly as she starts to throw clothes over her shoulder onto my bed.

I laugh.

Not because it was funny.

Because after all these years, it felt ridiculous.

Most wolves met their mates in their late teens or early twenties.

I couldn’t even shift. Finding a mate seemed like a problem for someone else’s life.

I look in the mirror at the outfit I chose and think it looks really good on me, but I know the look Emelia wants me to go for isn't what I’m wearing.

“A-ha! I knew there was something in here! Go put this on.”

She holds up a dress I vaguely remember receiving from her as a birthday gift a couple of years ago.

“Absolutely not”

“Oh, absolutely yes.”

Before I can argue, she shoves the dress into my hands and points towards the bathroom.

Five minutes later, I step back into my bedroom.

Emelia’s mouth falls open.

“Told you.”

I roll my eyes and turn towards the mirror.

The dress was a deep emerald green that somehow made my eyes look even brighter than usual. It hugged my waist before skimming over my hips, the soft fabric falling to just above my knees. The off-the-shoulder neckline left my collarbones exposed and made me feel far more visible than I was comfortable with.

I looked….

Different.

Not like the girl who spent her days unpacking antiques and helping her mother run a*****e.

Not like the Omega I pretend to be.

I looked confident. Powerful, even.

The thought made me laugh.

“Why are you laughing?” Emelia asks.

“Because this is ridiculous.”

“It isn’t ridiculous.”

“It is. We both know I’m not meeting my mate tonight.”

Her smile softens slightly.

“We don’t know that.”

I look back at my reflection.

You’re going. Antares’ voice appears suddenly in my head.

“I don’t remember asking for your opinion”

Good. Because I wasn’t asking for permission.

A reluctant smile tugs at my lips. For someone trapped behind a magical prison, Antares was surprisingly demanding.

“We’re going to be late,” Emelia says, grabbing my wrist and dragging me towards the door.

As she pulls me into the hallway, Antares stirs again. This time, there is something different in her voice. Something almost eager. Not happy, expectant.

Good.

I frown.

“What’s good?”

For once, she didn’t answer. And for some reason, that worries me more than if she had.

********************************************

The parking lot outside the Pack Hall was already overflowing by the time we arrived.

Cars lined both sides of the road, and wolves crowded around the entrance, their laughter and conversations carrying through the warm evening air. Music drifted from inside the hall, accompanied by the scent of food and enough testosterone to choke a person.

“This is ridiculous,” I mutter as Emelia parks the car.

“This is exciting,” she corrects.

“It’s crowded.”

“It’s a celebration.”

“Those are not the same thing.”

I narrow my eyes at her.

“We have very different definitions of fun.”

Ryan laughs from the driver’s seat.

“She’s got you there.”

Emelia ignores us both and practically drags me from the car. The closer we get to the entrance, the stronger the unfamiliar scents become.

Pine and cedar.

Wood smoke.

Fresh rain.

Pack scents I didn’t recognise. The visiting packs had already started arriving.

For most wolves, that would be exciting.

For me, it just meant there were more strangers to avoid.

My fingers brush against the ring on my thumb. Antares had been unusually quiet during the drive. Now she wasn’t quiet any more.

Awake.

Alert.

Interested.

A strange knot forms in my stomach.

“Seriously,” I mutter under my breath. “What has gotten into you tonight?”

This time I don’t expect an answer. So when she speaks, I nearly stumble.

Something’s changed.

The words send a chill down my spine. Before I can ask what she means, Emelia grabs my arm and pulls me through the entrance.

The noise hits me the moment we step inside.

Music echoed through the hall while wolves crowded around tables and the makeshift dance floor. The scent of food mixed with the scents of dozens of different packs until it became almost overwhelming.

“This is my nightmare,” I muttered.

“It’s your opportunity,” Emelia corrected.

“For what?”

“To stop acting like a ninety-year-old trapped inside a twenty-four-year-old’s body.”

Ryan snorted, “She’s got a point.”

"Traitor."

Ryan raises his drink, “I made vows, Ava. My loyalty belongs to my mate.”

I grabbed a drink from one of the servers and followed them further into the hall.

The Black River Pack wasn’t huge, but tonight it certainly felt like it was. Wolves filled every available space, many of them wearing colours and symbols I didn’t recognize.

“The visiting packs?” I asked.

Emelia nodded.

“The wolves wearing navy are from Silver Falls. The ones near the dance floor are from Crystal Rock, and the group over by the bar is from Pine Ridge.”

I glanced around the room.

The Silver Falls wolves stood out immediately. They weren’t louder than everyone else. They didn’t need to be. Confidence seemed to cling to them like a second skin. Even the way they carried themselves felt different.

Most of them looked like they could probably snap me in half without breaking a sweat.

Not that I was intimidated.

Okay, maybe a little.

“You look worried,” Ryan said.

“I’m considering my chances of escaping”

Emelia hooked her arm through mine before I could make good on the threat.

“Not happening.”

A groan escaped me.

For the next hour, I endured introductions, conversations, and more awkward small talk than any person should ever have to endure.

At one point, Emelia introduced me to a wolf named Brandon, who spent ten minutes talking about fishing.

Another spent even longer talking about himself. I honestly preferred the fishing.

I was seriously considering hiding in the bathroom.

You could at least try

I nearly choke on my drink.

“Try what?”

Having fun

“Ava?”

I looked up to find Emelia staring at me.

“What?”

“You’re doing that thing again.”

“What thing?”

“The one where you disappear into your own head.”

“Sorry.”

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously but thankfully let it go.

A loud burst of applause suddenly drew everyone’s attention towards the stage at the front of the hall. Alpha Alton stepped forward and raised a hand for silence. I’d known him my entire life, but tonight he looked older somehow. Gradually, the room quietened.

“Thank you all for joining us tonight,” he said.

The Alpha exchanged greetings with the visiting packs before thanking them for making the journey to Black River. Most of it was exactly the kind of speech I expected.

Until his expression darkened.

“As many of you are aware, there have recently been reports of increased rogue activity across several territories.”

A murmur spread through the crowd. My stomach tightened. Across the room, I caught sight of several visiting warriors exchanging grim looks.

Whatever was happening, it wasn’t just a Black River problem.

Rogues were always dangerous, but they were usually predictable.

Hungry.

Desperate.

Disorganized.

The concern in Alpha Alton’s voice suggested something different.

“We encourage everyone to remain vigilant while travelling beyond the pack lands. Warrior patrols will also be increased until we know more.”

The hall fell quiet.

Then, almost as quickly as it had begun, the mood shifted back towards celebration.

Music started again, and conversations resumed. But something felt off; the unease remained.

Well, that’s new.

Antares… finally

“What?”

Nothing

The answer came far too quickly; my wolf never lied well.

“Antares”

No response. A chill ran down my spine. The last time she had gone quiet like this was on my sixteenth birthday.

The day everything changed.

I suddenly wasn’t enjoying myself anymore.

Somewhere across the crowded hall, a glass shattered. Several wolves turned towards the noise.

I followed their gaze but couldn’t see what had happened through the crowd.

For a split second, Antares surged against the ring.

Hard.

Hard enough that I felt the familiar vibration shoot through my hand.

Well, that’s interesting.

My pulse quickened.

“What is going on?” I whispered.

Antares didn’t answer.

She was staring at something.

Or someone.

On the opposite side of the room.

And for the first time in years, my wolf sounded genuinely alert.

Pay attention, Ava.

For the first time in eight years, I wished I could see what Antares was seeing.