Chapter 84. Trapped

Avery’s POV

My lungs burned, my legs ached, and every instinct screamed at me to run. To escape. To put as much distance as possible between me and Dylan.

The revelation of the mate bond had shattered me, sending a shock wave through my very soul. Just moments ago, I had been basking in the relief of Nova’s return, reveling in the completeness I had long been denied.

Her presence was a balm, soothing the raw, aching wounds that had festered in her absence. But that fleeting moment of peace had been ripped away, replaced with a cruel and twisted reality.

Dylan.

My second chance mate. The man who had destroyed my pack. Fate had a cruel sense of humor, and I was its favorite joke.

My mind reeled, my thoughts a tangled, chaotic mess of emotions I couldn’t control. Confusion. Anger. Hatred. Fear. And underneath it all, buried so deep I almost convinced myself it wasn’t there....desire.

No.

I refused to acknowledge that.

I tore