Chapter 5
Ava Clements POV:
The moment Derrick's car disappeared down the long driveway, I sprang into action. Despite the lingering dizziness and the profound weariness in my bones, I started packing. Six hours. That's how long I had until my mother and stepfather arrived to whisk me away from this gilded prison.
I glanced out the window at the security guards patrolling the estate. Derrick's idea of protection was, in reality, surveillance. But they wouldn't stop what was coming.
My fingers fumbled with my phone, dialing my mother's number.
"Mom," I whispered, my voice strained. "They're everywhere. More guards than usual. I don't know how Bronson is going to get me out."
A deep, resonant male voice answered, not my mother's. My stepfather. Bronson Mays. His voice, though unfamiliar, carried an undeniable weight of authority.
"Don't you worry about that, Ava," he said, his tone firm, leaving no room for doubt. "Those guards are nothing. You are my daughter now, and no one, I repeat, no one will ever lay a hand on you again. I promise you that."
His words, though I'd never met him, ignited a spark of hope deep within me, a fire I thought had long been extinguished. My mother, Annabel, had found a powerful protector, and now, so had I. We weren't alone anymore.
I hung up, a newfound resolve hardening my gaze. But the moment the call ended, chaos erupted. Charlotte's mother and Derrick's parents burst into my room, their faces contorted with rage.
Their eyes raked over me, contemptuous and disdainful. Derrick's mother, Katharine, hissed, a venomous sound that sent a chill down my spine.
"You manipulative little whore!" she spat, her voice dripping with scorn. "How dare you deceive my son, claiming you carry his child? You're nothing but a gold-digger, a common tramp! How dare you still be living under our roof?"
Charlotte's mother chimed in, her voice shrill. "She's a scandal, Katharine! A disgrace! You need to expose her! Let everyone know the truth about her illegitimate child!"
Katharine lunged forward, her hand connecting sharply with my cheek. The force of the blow sent my head snapping back, a searing pain blooming across my face.
A maid, the kind one from earlier, rushed forward, placing herself between me and Katharine. "No, madam, please! Ava is weak, she's pregnant! Alpha Derrick instructed us to take good care of her!"
Katharine roughly shoved the maid aside, sending her sprawling to the floor. "Derrick is a fool! Blinded by this low-class omega! She's poisoned his mind!"
Derrick's father, the pack Alpha, stepped forward. His presence was formidable, oozing power and disdain.
"You should consider yourself honored, Omega," he boomed, his voice resonating with patriarchal authority. "To even be considered as my son's mate, given your lack of lineage, was a privilege. But you have proven yourself ungrateful, a common hussy carrying a bastard child."
He pointed a finger at me, his eyes cold and unwavering. "Let it be known, your child will never be accepted into the Bradford family. Take her, guards. Take her to the hospital. And make sure that illegitimate spawn is aborted. Then, cast her out of this pack forever."
Terror, cold and absolute, gripped me. My baby. My precious baby. I struggled, my arms flailing, trying to break free from the guards who seized me.
"No! My baby!" I screamed, a raw, primal sound torn from my throat. "Please, no!"
The maid, scrambling back to her feet, tackled one of the guards, creating a momentary diversion. "Alpha, please! She's seven months pregnant! She's too weak! An abortion at this stage could kill her!"
"It's Derrick's baby!" I screamed, my voice hoarse, tears streaming down my face. "Not a bastard! Charlotte's baby is the bastard! Hers!"
Another stinging slap across my face. Katharine.
"Lies! All lies!" she shrieked. "Derrick himself admitted Charlotte's child is his! You are not only shameless, but a liar!"
I shook my head, despair consuming me. They wouldn't listen. They wouldn't believe. The guards clamped a hand over my mouth, silencing my protests. The world spun, darkness encroaching. I felt a sharp pain, then nothing.
Just as the black swallowed me whole, a voice, deep and commanding, cut through the silence.
"She is my daughter. And you will release her."
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