Gabrielle was in the hallway.
They pulled apart.
There was no way Ava could leave without being seen. Ava nearly slapped herself. When had she become so enslaved to her body’s desires and needs? Gabrielle rounded the corner. Ava thought fast and tripped herself making sure to land with a thump and yelled out loud, naturally, Adrian reached out and tried to help her up just as Gabrielle reached the balcony.
Gabrielle was a wolf so she would scent Ava all over Adrian so running off was off the table. Also, Ava couldn’t see herself but her hair had escaped the bun she had put it in courtesy of Adrian’s wandering hands so she knew she would look messy.
Trying to stand up, Ava latched onto Adrian so that that would explain her scent on him. Then once she got her feet beneath her, she shoved him away trying to balance on her ‘twisted ankle’.
He stood there visibly puzzled. He knew Gabrielle was at the doorway but still didn’t know what to make of Ava’s ‘fall’.
“I don’t need your bloody help. Was this really the only place to get some air? You caused this in the first place by startling me so stop acting like you are helping me out.”
“Ava?” He sounded puzzled. Ava turned theatrically to see Gabrielle.
“Ava, oh my goodness, are you alright?” Gabrielle walked in and tried to assist Ava. Ava let her all the while feeling like the dirtiest and worst sister in the world. It was at that moment that she decided that she wouldn’t let Adrian touch her again.
She hated him but he set her body ablaze with a look, a touch. Ava knew it was mostly the mate bond and it would keep drawing them to each other until they gave in to their impulses but Ava wasn’t just going to roll over and let her impulses take over. She would fight it every step of the way and she would ensure Adrian did the same because her sister deserved better than a lying sister and a cheating boyfriend.
Adrian looked at both of them leaving the balcony and Gabrielle threw him a compassionate look as she helped Ava out. He was a piece of shit. He couldn’t believe he had come on to Ava like that. It was like every time he saw her, he wanted to do something to solidify his relationship with Gabrielle but somehow always ended up doing the exact opposite.
Because of him, Ava had to pretend and lie to Gabrielle. He would also have to lie too. When would this end? Every time he touched her, he swore it would be the last. Until he inhaled her scent again then he would lose himself. Adrian had to admit it to himself now. He no longer knew what to do about this mate bond thing.
He had thought the bond joined only the wolves of the mated pair. That the wolves would then begin to draw in the mated pair together. He had been so wrong. Ryan wasn’t influencing him consciously in fact Ryan had been talking to him less and less with each passing day that he refused to choose Ava.
Shifting for him was taking a longer period of time because Ryan gave him the cold shoulder. Adrian had only one option left now. He knew perhaps that was what he should have done from the start but he had felt the bond was manageable. It wasn’t.
****
Adrian started out early the next morning before the sun was out. He had a lot of commitments now. The Alphas in California were to convene to discuss the sudden change in the movement of the rogues. He would have to give a vital testimony that the rogues were a little organized unlike their usual frenzied attacks having fought them himself and survived.
It was a very disturbing evolution that made his dad spend more time in his study going over reports on rogue attack patterns over the years and when the shift started. Adrian’s Alpha training was being sped up and his dad was even thinking of recalling Alexander, Ava and Gabrielle’s older brother, his best friend that would be taking over the Beta mantle from Spain where he was currently undergoing training.
His Dad wanted all hands on deck to keep their pack safe. Recruitment to bolster the ranks had also gone up and the training regimen was stricter and more airtight than before. The tension in the air was palpable and although Adrian knew that they had all their bases covered he couldn’t help but feel like the other shoe was yet to drop.
This was the worst time to be distracted by Ava’s scent, her curvaceous body, and the little moans and gasps she gave in between their kisses. He had to get her out of his head to stay focused on the pack’s situation and his future mate.
The house wasn’t so far off. He was almost there.
Anya had been in the pack for longer than Recce’s father was alive, it was rumoured to even be longer than that, no one knew her actual age and she didn’t relate with anyone preferring her own company over others. She was an extremely valuable member of the pack though. Adrian’s dad always went to her for advice on the most trying issues.
After his mother died and his father had slid into a brief depression morning, Adrian had seen her for the first time then. She had Avazed into their house weGabbyng an aura of dominance so suffocating that Adrian couldn’t look at her. His head bowed as she passed him by. She shook his father back to life and asked him to man up to his responsibilities as a father and an Alpha.
Anya made sure his father was leading his people before she had disappeared back into her home. If anyone could tell him the solution to this mating bond, it was her. And she was so isolated that there was no probability of anyone finding out about him and Ava being mates. A win-win on all sides.
The house was a small unassuming bungalow with a little garden outside and the scent of wildflowers reminded him of Ava. He closed his eyes and tried banishing her from his thoughts. It was easier said than done.
He knocked on the door. After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, he heard the door creak open. No bolts. She didn’t lock the door of her house?
“Young Alpha. What brings you to my doorstep?”
“I would prefer it if we could speak inside.” Her dominance was still strong after all these years but this time he merely lowered his eyes instead of his head.
She laughed, a sound as ancient as the earth and he felt a shiver run through him. “Well then come in.” She eased up on her dominance a little so he could raise his eyes to meet hers. She looked younger than his father, like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. How was that possible? “An Alpha shouldn’t need to lower his gaze before his people.” She inclined her head for him to follow her inside.
He followed. The house looked ordinary enough for such an enigmatic person.
Anya escorted him to an armchair that had a steaming cup of tea waiting for him. She took the one opposite him and took her own tea.
How did she know he was coming so she could brew his tea?
“Are you really one of my people though?” Adrian asked cautiously because he knew no wolves like Anya. Even her scent was odd.
She sipped on her tea. “I thought you came here for something? Somehow I doubt it was to ask me about my roots.”
That was true. He was diverting from the reason he had come here.
“Before I speak, I want your word that whatever we talk about will not leave this room. You can’t tell anyone about this.”
She quirked a brow. “Colour me intrigued. As long as it doesn’t threaten the pack, I will keep it a secret.”
“Thank you,” Adrian paused before he continued. “I found my mate. But I don’t like her and she dislikes me even more. We decided to not claim each other and to continue to live our different separate lives but the pull is getting stronger. I can’t stop thinking about her, her hair, her touch and her scent are driving me wild.”
“Seems to me like you actually like her, Young Alpha.”
“No! You don’t understand, this is all due to that damn bond. I came here for your help. I want it to stop. I want to feel about her like I did before. Please help me out.”