Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Ava's POV

I clashed swords with Lucia on the training field. The weather was mild which gave me an advantage. I had ensured that Fernandez was no longer my partner on the training ground cause I was not ready to speak with him. I had decided to get a new partner and she turned out to be Lucia. She swung her sword severally at me attempting to give me a cut on my shoulder but I avoided it by pushing her with my elbow to the ground. She was a pretty rough fighter.

As she fell to the ground, I offered her my hand to help her up but she brushed it aside. "If only you had used such skills on the alpha of the blood moon." she blurted out as she stood to her feet.

"What?" I asked baffled by her words.

"You should have used such skills to fight the alpha but you wouldn't because he's your mate," she said again without any hint of fear in her.

"Watch your words Lucia or it will get you in trouble. I'm still your Queen." I warned lightly.

"Queen my foot," she scoffed. "A queen that can't defend her people? A queen that places her emotions before her pack? A queen that's.."

"Enough," I said interrupting her. "Stop it now, I'm warning you," I said getting angry.

"Why should I? Cause I'm saying the truth?" she asked in a rebellious manner. She just didn't know when to stop.

I raised my hand in exasperation. "Okay, I'm done here," I said and turned to leave.

"You should be. You're not fit to be Queen if you can't defend us from our enemies. You only care about yourself and the foolish love you have for the..." she began to say and I didn't let her finish her words when I turned back swiftly and punched her hard in her face and she fell to the ground.

I pounced on her. "Don't you ever say foul things about me?"I said as I continued punching her. Fernandez POV

Ava had refused to talk to me or be anywhere close to me since I broke my promise of keeping her secret as the mate of the blood moon alpha. Even on the training ground, she refused to be my partner and chose Lucia as my replacement.

As I trained with my new partner, I watched them from the corner of my eyes as they fought and in a few minutes it became real. Terra was on top of her and dealing several blows to her face. Everyone on the training field stopped their training to watch them. Some tried to stop her but she would not yield to them. I rushed to the scene. "Ava stop!" I said as I tried to pull her off a groaning Lucia. She turned around and dealt me a swift blow on my jaw and I staggered back as she returned to Lucia, her punching bag.

"Enough!" The masculine and authoritative voice of Phil rang through the training field and Ava's tight fist stopped mid air and the last punch didn't get to Lucia's face.

Ava got off her body, her white piece of clothing tied around her knuckles were having bits of blood on it. Lucia's face was battered as the bags under her eyes became purple and her nose broken. "The hell of a bitch started it," Ava said as she faced her uncle.

"Take her to the first aid," Phil ordered I and Daniel.

We picked up an almost lifeless Lucia.

"Everyone leave, " he ordered again and one by one everyone left the training ground.

Ava's POV

"How could you do such a thing to a member of this pack? What if she had died?" Uncle questioned. He looked very upset.

"Then she must have signed a death contract with the devil," I said without remorse.

He felt like strangling me and I knew it. "What is going on with you?" He asked me.

"She started it, uncle. She said awful things about me. She said I wasn't fit to be the leader of this pack and.." I began to explain to him, but he cut me short.

"You know the rules, Ava," he said interrupting me. "We protect each other and not cause harm to one another. You as the future leader of this pack should know this.." he began to say.

"I do know that.." I said shrugging.

"I hope you also know the punishment that accompanies it?" He asked and I raised a brow in skepticism. "Punishment?" I asked staring at him.

He stared back at me. "Yes, Ava, punishment." He said with a stern look.

"But, uncle," I began to protest.

"Do you think that after this singular act, the people will respect you once you're a queen?" he questioned staring into my eyes.

"Lucia made a mockery of my reign. Anyone who does that would face the same fate and that will teach others not to defile me." I said in defiance.

"Just listen to yourself speak, Ava. Your anger and hatred are consuming you. Such should be channeled towards the blood moons and not your people." He said and I would not take that from him.

"You made me into this. You built this consuming fire inside me. I would not tolerate insubordination from anyone more or less my pack." I said to him defiantly.

"I promise you, Ava if this continues, the crescents will no longer see you as their Queen nor will they respect you. Let that sink in," he said to me and signaled to one of the warriors around. "Lock her up," he said refusing to look me in the eyes as the warrior took me away. I was beyond mad at him. Yes, I was not above the laws governing our pack, but why did he not see anything wrong in what Lucia did? Why was he only seeing my fault and not hers? I heaved and swallowed hard as I was taken to the cabin.