Page 96 of Fool Moon First Aid

“We need to confirm,” I say, feeling the weight of leadership on my shoulders as I run a hand down my face. “We need more information on your father, Ava.”

“You believe her.” Ava’s voice breaks, echoing the hurt and disbelief in her eyes, and I loathe myself for adding to her pain.

“Ava…” I reach out, an attempt to bridge the gap, only for her to step back out of my reach. Her fury whips out, and I swear I feel it lash across my face.

“After what he just put me through, you are willing to believe her over me?” Her voice is a whisper of venom, and indifference flashes across her face as her chin juts out. “He tried to marry me off to a man who was willing to beat and rape me into submission, and you believe her.”

“Ava,” Ethan says before Ava turns on a delicate heel and marches her way to the front of the house, leaving us in her wake. “Fuck,” Ethan curses, except this time, there’s an undercurrent of worry. “She’s about to get really pissed.”

“What did you do?” Tyler rounds on Ethan, his frustration boiling over as he faces his brother. “Ethan,” he demands, a shove punctuating his question.

I turn to Ethan, already knowing what he did. “I knew it was a bad idea.”

Admitting my own doubts to them isn’t something I’m willing delve further into, so I bite my tongue. I face Ethan, the morning’s fleeting optimism now overshadowed by the weight of his stupid decisions.

“What the hell is this?” Ava’s scream from the front of the house cuts through the tension.

“This is all messed up.” Ethan turns to me, his face a mask of guilt and concern. “I know she didn’t know about her dad, and even if Natalie is right, Ava didn’t know.”

“Then you should have led with that,” I accuse, frustration clear in my voice.

“I didn’t see you backing her up either,” Ethan snaps at me.

Regret burns in my stomach like acid.

As I round the corner, Ava’s fury scents the air like burnt toast. “What did you do?” she demands, her eyes locked on Ethan.

“Hear me out.” Ethan holds up his hands, taking a step toward the moving truck.

“You packed up all of my shit without my consent,” she screams at him, her anger rolling off her in waves.

“You’re our mate,” Ethan roars back, his voice filled with authority and desperation. “Your apartment isn’t safe, your old life isn’t safe, and it’s my job to keep you safe!”

“That doesn’t give you the right to uproot my entire life,” she counters, then calmness washes over her, her demeanor shifting to one of indifference.

“As your alpha, it gives me the right,” Ethan snaps back, their energies clashing.

“Bullshit!” Ava retorts, her defiance clear.

“Ava, you know I’m right,” Ethan insists, the fury between them simmering with equal intensity.

“You’re no better than them.” Ava’s accusation strikes a chord. “No better than the Puritas, wanting to control what doesn’t belong to you.”

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Ethan’s anger flares, but Tyler steps in, creating a barrier between them.

“You heard me.” Ava stands firmly, jumping off the back of the moving truck, unaware of her newfound strength. “My father wanted to marry me off to a cruel man, and you know what? If you had just spoken with me, I would have agreed,” she says, her admission heartbreaking.

“Ava.” Tyler approaches, drawn to her by the cascade of her tears.

“I’m not done,” she yells at Tyler, her voice a mix of defiance and pain. “You robbed me of the choice to stay, to choose you, to bond with you. I would have said yes,” she says, her anger wrapping around her like armor. “I would have chosen you if only you’d asked.”

Ethan’s own anger simmers just beneath the surface, and he chooses silence over words.

I find myself stepping forward, the mediator within me wanting to soothe the tension, but the words that usually come easily to me seem trapped. On one hand, I want to protect her as much as Ethan, and on the other, I know she deserves the choice.

“You’re right,” I concede, acknowledging Ava’s protest. “We owe it to you to prove ourselves,” I add, feeling the weight of Ethan’s and Tyler’s irritation through our bond, but I remain focused only on her. “Is there a place where you feel safe? Somewhere I can take you?”

“What the fuck?” Tyler interjects, disbelief lacing his tone as he pulls me aside. “You can’t be serious.”

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