(Ava's POV)
I didn't remember leaving his office.
One second, Dante had said "I'm a Lycan." The next, I was outside, walking fast—no, running—down the hallway like the floor was on fire.
I had first stared at him, waiting for him to say he was joking.
But he didn't.
And then I ran.
The city lights blurred past as I stumbled into my car. My driver asked where I was headed. I didn't answer. Just said, "Drive."
Drive me away from him.
Drive me away from this.
Drive me back to the life I understood.
Because the life Dante just revealed? It wasn't mine.
I had bigger things to deal with. My father. My ex. My venomous stepsister. I didn't have time for… fantasy creatures and soul bonds.
I sat in my penthouse for hours, staring at the pendant he gave me.
I'd tried to throw it across the room.
It didn't leave my hand.
No matter how far I pushed it, it pulled back—like it belonged to me. Or worse… like I belonged to it.
I wanted to scream.
How dare he do this to me?
How dare he unravel my world without permission?
I needed control.
And Dante Ashcroft? He was the one thing I couldn't control.
I couldn't sleep. Couldn't eat.
And still, every time I blinked, I saw his face.
Not just the man. A wolf. The fierce, unstoppable creature beneath the skin. The one that told me—without a word—that I was his.
Mate.
The word clung to me.
Not girlfriend. Not partner. Not even lover.
Mate.
This wasn't what I signed up for.
I wasn't ready for that kind of claim. That kind of surrender.
So I did the only thing I knew how to do.
I disappeared.
From him.
From myself.
From the terrifying truth clawing at the edges of my soul.
I wasn't ready for all of this.
I had enough on my plate already to deal with already.