Her scent was all I could smell. Following it, I turned around.
My heart stopped when I saw her. There she was. In her all glory. Her silver hair was half tied, and the rest were curled in soft curls. Her widened electric blue eyes were focused on me. She was wearing a beautiful white dress and her full Queen’s attire which included her red robe, the belt, the scabbard and the crown on top of her head that looked like it belonged there. She had taken good care of our pack in my absence. I was so damn proud of her.
My vision blurred with tears. I didn’t try to hide them. I let her see all my emotions. My love, my longing, my heartache because of being away from her for so long and most of all, my happiness. I was happy to see her again.
I was finally with my Ava.
“Ava.” Her name slipped past my lips in a whisper filled with love and longing.
She hadn’t spoken a word yet. It was fine. I understand that she is shocked.
I walked towards her, wanting to touch her, to hold her in my arms and never wanting to let go again. I wanted to hug her; I want to feel her heartbeat. I wanted to kiss her and taste her lips again. I wanted to mark her again and make love to her again. I wanted to do so many things.
Suddenly, a hand appeared on her shoulder. A growl left my lips when I saw that the hand was attached to a male, an unknown male.
An unfamiliar feeling slithered in my heart and left it cold and unfeeling. The possessive way he placed his hand on her shoulder, the way he was looking at her questioningly; the way she let him touch her… it was an intimate gesture.
I knew. They both were together.
My brain stopped functioning. Is this some sort of sick joke? After all those sleepless nights and never-ending days filled with agony over being apart from her, she cheats on me and fucks someone else?
In seven fucking months?
I blinked back my tears and wiped all the emotions from my face.
I have never looked at another woman that way ever since she came into my life. Not even Davina, who was my mate. I went as far as throwing her out of Jiv. All because Ava felt uncomfortable.
Faelern appeared in front of us out of nowhere. But I knew he was already here. It seemed like Ava, and he had formed a bond, and he was attending this meeting.
Fiyona let out a gasp, obviously not expecting to see him right away.
He stumbled a step ahead, his eyes fixated on Fiyona.
Fiyona gasped in a breath and squeezed my arm, hiding behind me.
Maybe she doesn’t want to see him.
I covered her petite body with my frame. “Stay where you are,” I warned him.
Faelern pinned me with his light blue, almost white eyes, but I didn’t budge. He didn’t intimidate me, not anymore.
“Are you okay?” I asked Fiyona, tilting my head to the side to look at her.
She took a deep breath and nodded. “I am Fiyona Aine.” She mumbled under her breath like that gave her strength. She said it so low that even I could barely hear it.
She walked out and took long steps to reach her mate. Tears gathered in Faelern’s eyes as he extended his arms, wanting to hold her.
Fiyona ignored his arms and slapped him across the face. Hard. His face snapped to the side, and he cupped his cheek.
Gasps arose in the room.
I’m sure that Fiyona was the only one who could slap him without any consequences.
“Who the hell are you?” Ava was spitting fire as she glared at Fiyona.
Did she really not recognise her? They looked so alike that I could mistake them for sisters. Fiyona looked not even five years older than Ava, and Valerie looked like her fraternal twin.
For a split second, it made me happy. Maybe she is jealous of her. She is jealous because I’m her mate at the end of the day, and she loved me. And she can’t see me with other women. Even though Fiyona was family, and I’d never think of her that way, Ava didn’t know that. Maybe, we still have a chance.
And if there is even a little bit of hope, I’m willing to give it my all.
“My mate,” Faelern whispered, his voice hoarse.
The second he said that Fiyona grabbed him and pressed her lips to his, kissing the crap out of him. Faelern was frozen for a second before he kissed her back.
And then, in the next second, both of them disappeared. Where? I didn’t know. But I did know what they will be doing for the next couple of days before returning.
“She was my mother, Fiyona. And I’m your mother. Valerie.” Valerie whispered as she answered her question.
The expression on her face didn’t change. She didn’t look shocked. She was cold.
She wasn’t the Ava I knew.
She’s changed.
She isn’t expressive. She doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve. She doesn’t show her emotions on her face anymore. Hell, I couldn’t even feel her emotions, like I usually can of everyone else. She’s guarded. She lacked warmth.
She’s all ice.
Ava looked at Valerie, her expression unchanging.
Valerie had tears in her eyes as she went and hugged her daughter. “I’ve been waiting for this day all my life, Avalyn. I love you so much. I hope you know that. I hope J-Javier told you that.”
Ava’s arms slowly came around her mother. “He did.”
Ava didn’t cry. She didn’t hug her mother warmly, as I had expected. It was as if she was hugging a random stranger. Hell, I had seen her five better hugs to random strangers!
I felt Valerie’s hurt, but she didn’t say anything.
Ava pushed her mother back gently. “I would like you to meet my mate, Gabriel Volantis.” She motioned towards the Faye, who was standing beside her.
I felt all the air escape my body at once. Did I hear her correctly? Mate?
“Mate?” I hissed.