The door slammed behind her, but Ava didn't make it far.
Bootsteps thundered behind her. Fast. Angry.
"Don't you walk away from me," Dante growled.
She spun on her heel, eyes flashing. "Or what?, What will you do ?"
" I know this world a a bit new to you, I just want to…..
"No? I don't need your help, This is my life I'll make my own decision on whether to ignore this new information about my family or accept it. I have had enough of people trying to make decisions for me."
"I don't need your help. Because every time I do , you shut me out! You say it's for protection—but whose? Yours or mine?"
That struck something.
Dante jaw clenched. His pupils blew wide. Something shifted in the air — thicker, colder. The hallway trembled with the weight of him losing control.
"Do you have any idea what you're playing with, Ava?" he said, voice already deepening. "There are things—you—you don't even understand yet."
"I don't care!" she shouted back. "What I do know is that I won't be dragged into that fairytale world by anyone. Not them. Not you."
That was it.
He staggered back, chest heaving. Fingers twisting, clawing at the air. His bones cracked, muscles rippling as fur started to push through skin. His voice was gone—replaced with something animal.
He was shifting.
Ava heart pounded.
But she didn't run.
"Dante!" she snapped. "Look at me!"
He didn't.
So she stepped forward, grabbed his face in both hands, and forced his gaze to hers.
"You do not get to lose control because I hurt your ego," she said, voice low and firm. "You're an Alpha right, aren't you? If you want me to consider the possibility of us being together in your world, Then act like it."
His breathing hitched. He blinked. Once. Twice.
The shift slowed. His body trembled, caught in the middle.
"Ava…" he rasped, hoarse. "…I didn't mean—"
"I know," she said. "But I'm not afraid of you. So stop giving me a reason to be."
Silence.
His claws receded. The glow in his eyes dimmed.
Dante collapsed against the wall, a shadow of what he was moments ago.
Ava watched him for a long moment before whispering, "You want me to trust you? Then don't fall apart when I stop agreeing with you."
Then she walked away — and this time, he didn't follow.