#Chapter 127: Old Maid

Ava The garden was mercifully quiet when I finally stumbled out into it, the only sounds being the gentle trickle of the stone fountain and the chirping of crickets in the distance. Sinking down onto the edge of the fountain, I buried my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking with silent sobs. How did this happen to me? How did I go from a woman in love to being threatened by an Elder and being asked to be a concubine in the same night? I had always known there would be obstacles to being with Chris—the Elders, the pack’s prejudices, a million other factors. But I never imagined it would go this far. It was unthinkable. Humiliating beyond words. “Ava? Darling, is that you?” Suddenly, the soft sound of Ophelia’s voice cut through my reverie. I lifted my head in time to see her rounding the corner of the garden path, holding her skirt up in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. “I’m over here, Ophelia,” I managed, quickly swiping away m