Prologue: Before

“Shane! Stop it!”

He only forced himself onto her more, the bark from the tree that she was currently up against, scrapped her spin and made her flinch. “Come on, Ava. We have been together for a year.”

“I’m only sixteen!” She cried, her legs kicking him to get him off her. “I don’t like when you do this, Shane. I’ve told you so many times that I’m not ready to have sex.”

He growled, his soft green eyes were now a darker shade due to his wolf. Taking a step back, he acted as if she were the filthiest thing he had ever had the displeasure of touching and that only made her tears stream even faster. “So what!? We are just never going to have sex? We will never complete the mate bond?”

Ava shook her head and flinched at his words. “That’s not what I’m saying at all.”

“Then what are you saying!?”

She flinched again. Ava hated being so weak but he had an advantage over her that she hated. Shane was the Beta’s son in the Midnight Pack and because she was a part of the Shadow Pack, Ava had an obligation to keep their mate bond and combine the two packs into one. “I… I think we should take a step back and reevaluate our relationship.”

This only made him angrier. His bold head seemed to reflect the sunlight into her soft, golden-brown eyes as she squinted and waited for him to hit her again. But instead, he chuckled darkly. “I have done nothing but be patient with you Ava. Hundreds of females would love to have me and here you are, refusing to comply with your obligations.”

“I am complying!” She fought back with a sob. “I’m staying with you when I don’t want to!”

That struck a nerve as she was suddenly on the ground. Her cheek burning from the punch that was just inflicted but she didn’t cry out or weep from it. When she does, this only drives him to hit her more. “You are a pathetic, waste of fucking space for a she-wolf! I, Shane Jones, Reject you, Ava Gailey as my mate and Beta-female.”

She felt her chest burn as the bond was suddenly broken. Her hands clenched her heart as she looked up at him with tearful eyes and whimpered. “I, Ava Gailey, accept your rejection, Beta Shane.”

His eyes blazed again, not accepting her acceptance as he kicked her in the gut and stormed off. Her ribs ached as she allowed herself to cry and curl up into a small ball. She didn’t want this, she didn’t want her one chance at love to be with some jerk who only wanted her for sex.

Ava remembered the day they met. He was so sweet and loving towards her but as time went on, he kept pushing her to do things she wasn’t comfortable with. He took her first kiss and tried to get her to pleasure him, resulting in him beating her for the first time. These beatings only lead to be continued the more she denied him the satisfaction of sex and oral pleasure.

She cried until she had no tears left to shed, her wolf Ezer whimpered in her mind but kept silent. Ezer was the one who wanted Ava to reject him but she didn’t want Ava to go through this. She didn’t want the pain of being rejected and abandoned, she wanted her to do the abandoning and walk away with confidence.

But Ava was weak, she was always weak and that was why she had no title. She was lower than an Omega, the titleless she-wolf who kept her witch’s abilities a secret. Witches were a curse amongst the entire supernatural creatures. Known to be wicked but Ava was the opposite. She looked for harmony and peace and would do anything to get it but she could never reveal herself and that was why she allowed herself to be beaten by her mate and silently looked down upon by her pack members.

Ava slowly stood after spending thirty minutes crying into the dirt. She needed to get back to her pack as they had visitors from the vampire kingdom. Prince Raphael and Prince Lucas were here to sign the peace treaty and she was expected to be on pack lands while this was proceeding.

Her feet took her over the border and across the open field of the pack. She kept her head down, allowing her light, golden-brown hair that matched her eyes, to fall into her face. She didn’t want anybody to see her hurt otherwise they would know that she was rejected and if they found out then there would be a war between both the packs. She hated knowing her relationship was hanging on by a thread because of this, the Alpha had a son but he was too young to find his mate which meant that the Beta’s son took the role.

She walked passed her small house, noticing her brother Eugene and his mate, Cole sitting in the living room. Ava didn’t want them to see her face and decided to not go inside. Gene and Cole were the only two people she had in her life who cared about her and if they found out what happened and what had been happening to her, they would kill Shane and be executed for murder.

Ava walked until she found herself in a string of trees again, her tears beginning to fall again before she suddenly walked into something hard and yelped. Her eyes were fogged but she didn’t miss the concerned look in the man’s eyes once they made eye contact. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“It’s okay.” He said before tilting his head. “Don’t werewolves have high scenes?”

Ava frowned a little before she realised who she was talking to and yelped again. Jumping back she suddenly bowed and lowered her head into submission. “Please excuse my ignorance, Prince Lucas. I didn’t realise that it was you.”

He chuckled at her and gently lifted her chin. “May I ask who upset a beautiful woman, such as yourself?”

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks suddenly turned the shade of red before she realised that the wound on her face was healed and silently thanked the moon goddess for her gifts. Ava didn’t want to tell him so publically but she was also reluctant to tell him at all until she looked into his gentle brown eyes and caved. “My mate rejected me.”

Prince Lucas’s face contorted into sudden anger. The softness in his eyes and expression was now gone as she wanted to move out of his hold and hide before he started beating her too. “Who is this mate of yours? I would like to talk with him.”

Ava quickly shook her head. “No, no, please! You can’t.”

“Why not?”

She looked around, moving her body so that nobody could see that she was talking to him and silently took him deeper into the trees. He was compliant which she was thankful for before she explained herself. “I am mates with Beta Shane from the Midnight Pack. Our pairing is keeping the two packs together in harmony and if anyone found out that I was just rejected, a war will break out for each other’s land.”

Prince Lucas hummed. “That doesn’t seem fair for either of you.”

“I didn’t mind so much,” Ava said with a sad tone as she moved her eyes away from him and stared down at her fingers. She was still freaking out over talking to a prince let alone one that was so handsome but she couldn’t think of him like that. He was a prince and she was a nobody. “Shane was a good mate.”

“That is a lie.”

She jumped and whipped her eyes towards his. “Is not!”

“I saw the bruise on your face before it disappeared and you walk with a limp which indicates that you had a broken rib. You can’t lie to me little wolf.”

The instant embarrassment caused her to bite her lip and feel ashamed that she liked him calling her that. “I can’t disrespect my Beta.”

“That line was already crossed the moment he laid his hands on you and broke the sacred trust of the mate bond.” Prince Lucas said sternly before his eyes softened. “I will gladly be a listening ear or a person to cry on if you like?”

Ava felt her breath get taken away from that as she felt her eyes begin to tear up again. “You don’t know me. I’m just some girl who was rejected for not giving up my virginity because he wanted to have sex.”

His eyes slightly twitched but he ignored her last statement. “I would like to know who you are and you are not a nobody. Everyone is special in their own way.”

“How could you say that?”

“Because I believe that everyone deserves a chance unless they made sure that they were irredeemable. Your ex-mate is one of those so you need to forget about him and hold your head up high. You are more than the broken shell that he made sure he put you in.”

Ava felt her throat close as a sudden sob slipped out. He closed the gap between them and wrapped her in his arms. The hug was warm and inviting and a hug that she had never felt before. His hold was strong and loving and everything she wished for in Shane, if only this man was her mate instead. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me little wolf.” He softly said before sighing. “But I have to leave you alone now, my brother is currently looking at us with impatience.”

Ava moved out of his arms and turned to look behind her. Sure enough, Prince Raphael looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here as he stood and waited for Prince Lucas. “I’m sorry. I won’t keep you.”

He only smiled and gently kissed the top of her head. “I’ll see you around.”

She nodded. Watching him walk away before she suddenly called out. “Wait!” Her breath hitched as he paused and turned, his eyes staring straight into her soul and she knew then that this man was suddenly everything to her. “My name is Ava.”

His eyes brightened at the sound of her name before his smile widened. And then, the man of her dreams was gone.

Authors Note: Okay so, I don't have an updating schedule yet so updates are going to be random as hell until I can get my shit together XD This rewrite of TBAHO has taken longer than I originally planned which is typical for me but I am getting there...slowly