Marked Twice by the Alpha King novel Chapter 155

Ava’s POV

I was about to tell Blake we needed to be smart about this–just walking out with him would trigger every alarm in Hayes territory. My mind raced through the fallout: Martha’s revenge, Sarah caught in the middle, and William’s case tanking overnight. But before I could voice any of this, a soft knock on the door made us both freeze.

My heart jumped to my throat, wolf senses cranking up to eleven. Heat crawled up my neck and into my ears–dead giveaway. Meanwhile, Blake didn’t even break a sweat. He stepped back smooth as butter, shooting me that half–cocky, half–soothing look that made me want to smack him. The man had ice in his veins while I was over here about to jump out of my skin.

The door creaked open and there stood Sarah, smelling like healing herbs and raw fear. Her eyes went dinner plate wide at the sight of Blake–can’t blame her, most wolves go their entire lives without seeing the Alpha King up close–before zeroing in on me.

“Good heavens, Ava!” She rushed in, hesitating just a beat before touching my arm. “What on earth happened to you?”

“Nothing major,” I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking. My wolf hated the lie, pacing and whining under my skin. “Just zigged when I should’ve zagged during training. Alpha Morgan was passing by and helped patch me up.”

I held up my bandaged arm like it was no big deal. Sarah’s fingers barely skimmed the gauze, her eyes getting that watery shine that always broke my heart. The slight quiver at the corner of her mouth told me everything–she wasn’t buying it for a second, but she wouldn’t call me out. Not with William’s life hanging in the balance. Not with our whole future riding on playing this stupid game.

In that moment, I hated Jackson with everything in me. The guy I once thought hung the moon now just made my stomach turn.

“I should’ve never brought us here,” Sarah murmured, absently rubbing that old scar on her wrist.

“Hey, none of that,” I cut in, sounding more like the parent than the kid. “Just a bump in the road, okay? Nobody’s fault.”

Another lie to pile on the growing mountain between us. Blake’s eyes burned into me–he could smell the bull from a mile away. His anger wasn’t the cold, calculated kind anymore; it was living, breathing, filling up the room like smoke. I gave him the tiniest head shake I could manage. Not now. Not in front of her. His jaw unclenched just a fraction, but those eyes stayed molten.

“Sarah, Blake said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it, “I’ve got a place up north on my territory. Private cabin, crazy secure. Even I only go there when I need space. I want you both to stay there for a while.” He paused, hands open at his sides. “No strings. No timeline. Just somewhere safe.

Sarah’s head snapped up so fast I swear I heard something pop. My pulse stuttered–he wasn’t just offering me an out, but Sarah too? Something warm and sharp twisted in my chest, like someone had pressed a hot star against my ribs.

The silence stretched out so long I could feel my hope slipping away like water through fingers. I knew that look on Sarah’s face all too well–the one that said she’d already made up her mind and nothing short of an act of God would change it.

“Alpha King,” she finally said, her voice weirdly high, “would you mind giving me and my daughter a minute alone?”

Blake looked as surprised as I felt, glancing between us before his eyes settled on me with a clear What’s going on? I gave a small shrug that said Your guess is as good as mine.

“Take your time,” he nodded, the Alpha edge gone from his voice. ‘I’ll wait outside.”

The way he looked at me before walking out–man, I couldn’t even begin to untangle all the things hiding in those storm–blue eyes. When the door clicked shut, the room still smelled like him, all pine and leather and that something uniquely Blake that made my mark tingle. Sarah turned to me, her face a complicated mix of worry and something that looked weirdly like resolve.

“Sarah?” I leaned forward, catching that nervous edge in her scent. “What’s really going on here?”

She squared her shoulders, eyes narrowing. “First things first. What’s the deal with you and Blake? And don’t feed me some line about professional. boundaries. My nose still works just fine, and you’re practically drenched in Alpha scent.”

My stomach did a somersault, blood rushing to my face fast enough to make me dizzy. My wolf cowered inside me, tail tucked, ears flat–busted.