Deric POV
The estate loomed like a monument to all the wrong things in my life. Tall wrought-iron gates opened without resistance as I approached, the guards stepping aside with little more than nods. Maybe they still remembered I once handed Carlton everything I had, my title, my pack, my pride. In return, he locked Ava away like a secret he could keep forever.
It had been three weeks since I last saw her.
Three weeks of silence. Three weeks of hell.
I parked outside the estate’s main entrance and slammed the door harder than necessary. Gravel crunched beneath my boots as I made my way inside without an escort. Let Carlton try and stop me now. I wasn’t here for negotiation or diplomacy. I was here Ava.
Inside, the scent of expensive cologne and old leather assaulted me, sickly famili
