Ava’s POV
The heavy doors slammed but Mia’s cries still echoed inside my chest. I could hear them, cutting through me as if they came from my own throat. My legs felt weak but the guards didn’t let me fall. Their hands dug into my arms, forcing me upright while the Red-Eyed Alpha stood in front of me, calm, collected and terrifying.
My voice broke before I could stop it. “Please, don’t hurt her, she’s not part of this.”
He smiled faintly, that kind of smile that wasn’t meant to comfort, it was meant to twist the knife deeper. “And yet she is because she’s the one person you still care about.”
I shook my head frantically, trying to pull free. “This is between you and me! Not her. Do whatever you want to me but leave her alone!”
He stepped closer to me, the torchlight catching the unnat
