Page 11 of Snarl First, Kiss Later (Alpha’s Prophecy #2)

ELEVEN

AVA

A va shifted her weight as they dismounted and handed the horses off to a guard at the gate. She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until the gates loomed into view—tall, wrought from iron and tech, sleek and guarded, a mash-up of ancient instincts and modern security.

The Court.

It wasn’t castles and ceremonial garb like the history books droned about.

It was sharper than that. Concrete, glass, and steel reinforced with shifter muscle and territorial magic that tingled just enough to make her skin itch.

Cameras blinked discreetly along the fences.

Wolves stood at attention, weapons slung and golden eyes wary.

Her boots crunched gravel as she stepped out behind Silas and Caz.

Immediately, she felt it—that ripple. Heads turned. Whispers crept along the walls like wind threading through dry leaves. Ava didn’t need shifter hearing to pick it apart. Human. Outsider. Mate?

She rolled her shoulders, spine taut.

A woman emerged from the courtyard, unmistakable even if she hadn’t known her name.

White-blond hair spilling over a dark maternity sweater, ice-blue eyes that could slice or soothe, depending on the day.

Sonya moved like the world bent to accommodate her, not through arrogance, but strength earned and worn like armor.

“Silas,” Sonya greeted warmly, voice steady, then flicked her gaze to Ava. “You must be the human who dragged his half-dead body out of the woods.”

Ava blinked. “Uh. Yeah. That’d be me.”

Sonya offered her hand. “Sonya Hawthorne. Welcome to the circus.”

Ava took it hesitantly, surprised by the firm grip.

Sonya’s smirk was knowing. “You look like you’re waiting for someone to throw a tomato.”

Ava glanced at the guards, catching a few still eyeing her like she’d sprouted antlers. “Was kinda hoping for a red carpet, actually.”

Sonya chuckled. “Sorry. Fresh out.”

Caz stepped forward, grinning. “You two gonna be fine without me, or should I mediate when Silas starts brooding again?”

“Get lost,” Silas muttered.

Caz clapped his shoulder and walked off toward the barracks dragging Silas with him, no doubt to report in. Probably to spread a few rumors while he was at it.

Before Ava could panic that her only familiar face left her, Sonya turned back to her. “You hungry?”

“Starving,” Ava admitted. “But I think half the court might prefer I starve quietly in a corner.”

Sonya led the way through a side corridor. “You’re not wrong. Some folks here barely tolerate shifters who aren’t from their bloodline. A human? It’s a lot. But you saved one of ours. That earns you more than they’ll say out loud.”

“Right,” Ava said, scanning the wide halls. Polished stone floors. Art on the walls, some abstract, some etched in silver and red like battle honors. “This place is… cleaner than I thought.”

Sonya’s laugh echoed. “Landon’s big on diplomacy. We may be animals, but we try to keep the place from smelling like a kennel.”

Ava smirked.

As they rounded a corner, Sonya slowed. “How’s your shoulder?”

“Stiff, but manageable.”

“Silas didn’t leave your side for three straight days, according to Tamsin.”

Ava blinked. “He said he had better things to do.”

“Mm. He lies to himself more than he lies to anyone else.”

Ava bristled at that. “It’s not like that. We’re just… not dying together. That’s it.”

Sonya gave her a look that screamed, Sure, Jan , but didn’t press.

They arrived at a wide sitting area that was half lounge, half command post. Screens lined one wall. A table in the center projected a holographic map of surrounding territories. Wolves moved in and out, some nodding at Sonya, a few glancing curiously at Ava.

“Sit,” Sonya said, guiding her to a cushioned bench. “I’ll get you food.”

Ava opened her mouth to argue, but Sonya was already gone.

Alone, she tried not to squirm under the attention. Her leather jacket felt too worn, her boots too caked with dried mud. She didn’t belong here. She wasn’t a warrior, a shifter, or part of some divine bloodline.

Just a human girl from Shadowfall with a mouth too sharp and a scar that still ached when the weather turned.

Silas entered not long after, brushing snow off his shoulders. His eyes found hers immediately, then scanned the room like a protective reflex he couldn’t switch off.

“You settle in?” he asked.

Ava shrugged. “I haven’t been thrown into the moat yet, so I’d say I’m doing great.”

His mouth twitched. “We don’t have a moat.”

“Shame. Would’ve made a great exit strategy.”

He stood beside her, arms crossed. “You don’t have to stay long.”

She stiffened. “You trying to get rid of me?”

“No,” he said, too fast. Then, slower, “Just… warning you. This place chews people up. Doesn’t care how brave they are.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I know.”

The silence stretched between them. Charged. Unspoken.

“I heard some of the guards,” she said eventually. “Whispering about why I’m here. The word ‘mate’ was among them. Much like Caz’s jokes.”

His jaw locked.

“Why is everyone assuming–”

Sonya returned with a plate and handed it to Ava without comment while cutting her off at the same time. Then she nodded at Silas.

“Landon will see you both in an hour. Clean up. You smell like you’ve been wrestling grave dirt.”

He snorted. “You should see the other guys.”

Sonya rolled her eyes and left again.

Ava dug into the grilled meat, roasted vegetables, and bread that was warm and real. She ate like she hadn’t seen a meal in days. Because she hadn’t.

“You gonna keep avoiding the topic?” she asked through a mouthful.

Silas sat across from her, forearms braced on his knees. “I don’t have answers.”

“You sure?” she asked, swallowing. “Because I’m the one whose name got whispered like a curse from the minute I stepped through that gate. And I’m not stupid. I know what the word mate generally means, but I’m sure the shifter thing has its own definition. Something’s off.”

Silas sighed. “If it’s what I think it is, it’s not something either of us can control.”

“Try me.”

“It’s a bond. It’s instinct. Not a choice.”

Ava set the plate down. “Sounds like bullshit. I don’t need fate deciding who I care about.”

“Neither do I.”

Their eyes met. Unsaid things buzzed between them. Not trust, not yet. But something raw and real.

“I’m not a project,” she said. “Not some damaged little human you get to feel protective over.”

“I know.”

“You’re not a monster,” she added quietly. “Even if you think you are.”

He looked away and she didn’t push.

They sat like that, two people who didn’t fit in this world—at least not the way it expected—but somehow still orbiting each other.

When Sonya came back, she told them Landon was ready.

Ava rose to her feet, every muscle sore, every nerve braced.

“Let’s get this over with,” she muttered.

Silas moved beside her, a steady presence, even if nothing between them was steady.

As they walked the halls of the court toward the throne room, Ava’s pulse climbed. And deep down, even through her skepticism, some part of her whispered maybe she wasn’t as alone as she thought.