“Flowers or peonies?”
“Both?” Gabrielle answered.
It had been hours since Adrian had choked Gabrielle and if she tried really hard she could even imagine that it hadn’t happened. Like Adrian hadn’t threatened her life.
“We haven’t gone anywhere with these preparations and the mating ceremony is in five days!” Her mother exclaimed.
“Calm down Martha. I’m very sure you’ve got it under control.” Her father dropped a kiss on her mom’s forehead on his way as he moved towards the kitchen.
“Easy for you to say. You aren’t planning anything.” Her mother grumbled but she was hiding a smile.
Was Gabrielle really delusional for wanting the same love that her parents had for herself?
“I can’t wait for my baby to come back, she won’t let you hassle me like this.”
Gabrielle paused with the floral arrangements she was doing.
“Really? As though Ava could ever stand a chance against me.” Her mother harrumphed.
“We will see about that. Gabrielle, have you placed a call to your sister inviting her to your wedding? What did she say?”
Gabrielle remembered how Ava and Adrian locked gazes at the games as though they were the only ones left in the world. Remembered how Adrian had threatened her life because of Ava.
“Ava will not be coming to my wedding.”
The silence in the house was palpable.
Finally, her father broke it. “Why? Is she busy at work?”
Gabrielle looked up from her floral arrangements to face her parents. “No, she isn’t busy. I didn’t invite her. I don’t want her to be at my mating ceremony, and neither of you will invite her for it.”
Her parents regarded her with varying degrees of shock but she ignored it and began to walk out.
“Gabrielle, what is wrong? What happened?” Her mother’s voice reached out to her filled with worry.
“It doesn’t matter. If either of you cares even the least for me, you’ll do as I say.”
She left the room.
Ava wouldn’t ruin her wedding.
*********
Anya sat on her rocking chair listening to the wind trying to decide whether or not to interfere in Adrian’s ill-fated mating ceremony.
It wasn’t her business and she usually didn’t poke her nose into mundane matters such as these.
There was only one problem. She was bored.
Whenever Anya got bored, it never turned out well.
To play or to not play…
Spain
Ava looked down at her phone. Nothing from either her parents or Gabrielle. Was this supposed to be a prank or something?
She had no intention to be at Adrian’s wedding but they didn’t even inform her so she could decline the invitation.
She and Alex had set up a video call with her parents but they didn’t pick up. They’d planned to talk to them again only for Alex to tell her the following morning that there was no need to talk to her parents.
They understood her decision. Alex had then gone on to ask her the strangest of all questions about the last time she spoke to Gabby. She’d been baffled and told him the truth. That, between her busy schedule and Gabby’s, they barely had enough time to talk.
It was three days to the mating ceremony and each morning since she’d heard the date, she had woken up drenched in sweat from a nightmare she couldn’t remember.
Shar didn’t say anything about stopping it but she felt the sentiment within herself. She and Shar were one after all.
So Ava kept lying to herself that everything was alright. It had to be. Back to her parents, Ava knew something was going on. But she didn’t know exactly what was going on so she waited. Oftentimes the answers to questions came when people weren’t looking. At other times, the answers weren’t worth knowing and ignorance was bliss.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Javier settled in next to her, his subtle but nice cologne drifting towards her mingling with her scent.
“For a doctor, you are free almost all the time.” She pointed out.
Javier laughed. “You wound my heart, carino.” He clutched his chest dramatically.
“It is the truth. How do you always have so much time though? Don’t tell me it’s because Nurse Sofia makes the timetables?”
Javier’s face suddenly became serious and I wondered whether I had annoyed him.
“Ava, I’m not ‘always free’.”
Ava looked at him blankly.
“Fuck, Ava you are killing me. I’m here all the time because I make time out for you. I can’t help it.” Javier said huskily.
Then he moved, slowly enough that she could have backed away at any but she didn’t and their lips met.
Ava closed her eyes and sank into the kiss. It was sensational. Javier was a good kisser. She tried to lose herself in his touch. He was a great guy. She parted her lips for him. He was supportive, handsome and kind. His tongue tasted her lip then entered her mouth smoothly. He kissed her gently like she would fall apart in his arms if he went any faster. It was intimate, it was hot.
Adrian would have done it harder. He would have gripped her hair, pulled her into his lap and thoroughly ravished her then–
Ava pulled back from him feeling betrayed by her own mind. For a moment there she had… oh Goddess. She thought she was over him. She was over him. He was a country away so it wasn’t the mate bond. She didn’t feel anything for him.
“I’m sorry, Javier. I’m really sorry but I can’t do this.”
“Ava, if I was too forward, I apologise.” Xavier reached for her hand, his gaze apologetic.
“You weren’t too forward… I just can’t.” She looked at Javier, fighting back tears. “I’m not… I… I’m leaving. I never planned to stay here for long anyway.”
“I love travelling. There will be a hospital wherever you are going anyway. You are it for me Ava. I’ve never met anyone like you. You are kind, compassionate and everything that is good in this world.”
“No, I’m not. If you really knew me, Javier, you would hate me.” Ava hardened her voice. “I’m not interested in you. I’ll never be. You should be with someone else and if you are lucky, you will never meet anyone like me.”
Ava pulled her hand from his and stood up walking away quickly ignoring Javier’s calling out to her.
Tears clouded her vision. Maybe after Adrian and Gabby finally got mated she could give him… no. She couldn’t do this to Javier. He deserved better. And the truth was, Ava was scared of something.
She was scared that even after the mate bond was broken, she wouldn’t be able to get over Adrian.
Spain
Ava helped Alexander pack up his things. He was leaving that evening to make it in time for the wedding the next day.
Ava had already chosen to return home but she didn’t inform her brother because she didn’t want him to ask her to follow him to Gabrielle’s mating ceremony.
She couldn’t remain in Spain. She had realized it when she spoke to Javier.
She had grown in Spain. Learnt so much that would help exponentially when she returned to the pack to establish a bigger and better clinic. However, Ava had never envisioned herself staying there long-term.
It was funny how sometimes someone never realised the truth about themselves until they were faced with an existential crisis.
So she bade her brother goodbye promising him that she would be fine, that she would be alright without him despite knowing that she would be going home to meet them the day after the mating.
Ava took the day off work and spent her time working out while letting her mind drift away. Maybe she didn’t have to stay there. If she went home to discover the bond was fully broken, maybe she would no longer be drawn to remain here.
Maybe.