The tension between Alex and Adrian was palpable. Adrian cleared his throat.
“Look Alex, I know this entire situation with Ava and Gabby is extremely delicate but I want us to put this behind us to serve this pack fully and dedicatedly.”
Adrian tried not to cringe about how fake he sounded even though he actually wanted to iron out things between him and his childhood friend.
“Things aren’t that easy, Alpha. You might have gotten your mate yesterday but my family took the hit for it. Ava after being away from our parents for two years wasn’t allowed to step foot into the house. And Gabby? Gabby was humiliated. She was hurt and she felt so betrayed that she tried to end her own life. How can I forgive you for that?”
Alex looked like he was a footstep away from getting extremely mad and violent.
Gabby tried to kill herself? Adrian had always felt she was too conscientious to try something like that. He felt a pang of guilt about the fact that he had been a contributing factor to that. If Ava found out about it, he was a goner. She would kill him now and ask the questions later.
“Does Ava–” Adrian asked.
“Know? No, she doesn’t and you will keep it that way. My sister has suffered enough. She doesn’t need any more pain to add to it. The only reason I told you was so that you would realize that while you are living your best life some people are paying the price for your mistakes.”
“Alex, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for everything. I never wanted any of this to happen. What else could I have done differently? I sent Ava away. I wanted her to have a different life. A happier one. I had no idea that she would show up. We’ve been friends since we were in diapers, I want you at my side. I need you at my side in this trying time.”
Adrian had been looking forward to Alex’s return not knowing it would be under such exacting circumstances. And that to gain Ava he might have to lose one of his closest friends.
“Is that why you were always asking me about her life any chance you got? Her dating life, her hospital schedules, and her friends. I thought you were doing it for Gabby who was too busy to check in herself but it was more than that, wasn’t it? You wanted to eat your cake and have it too. You didn’t deem it fit to tell me about any of this. I don’t think we are really friends if you could keep something like that from me.”
“Alex, she is my mate. My goddess-given mate. How was I supposed to send her to another continent and not check up on her? I wasn’t trying to eat my cake and have it. I needed to know she was alright that she was living a happy life there doing what she’d always wanted. I needed to know that while my life was going to hell, at least one person was happy.”
Alex was silent for a moment then he spoke.
“You asked me what you were supposed to do with everything that happened? You could have told the truth from the start. Ava was little more than a child but you knew better. You knew the sort of consequences would result from your actions but you did so anyway. Don’t expect me to feel pity for you.”
“Now if you will excuse me Alpha, I have to meet with Calvin to coordinate border control methods.”
Alex bowed and left the room without waiting for Adrian’s dismissal.
Adrian massaged his temples. Today was shaping up to be one of those days when the problems didn’t stop coming.
He looked at the invite on the desk. A meeting he and Gabrielle should have attended together. They would be expecting Gabby, his new Luna. How would they react when they saw Ava instead?
Gabby had planned everything so dedicated. A meeting she wouldn’t even get to attend now.
Gabby had tried to end her life. Was that his fault? For torturing her by seeing him with other women for years only to mark her sister instead of her. He felt like an asshole. Adrian went to his cabinet and got out his bottle of liquor and poured himself a shot.
Funny how he’d begun imbibing to get Ava out of his mind and now she was here, he was still here again.
*****
Ava!” Jenny yelled and jumped on her friend.
“That’s Luna to you, peasant.” Ava joked pushing Jonny off her.
“Well forgive my bad manners, this humble peasant requests your magnanimous forgiveness.” Jenny said giving an outrageous mock courtesy.
Then they exchanged gazes and burst into laughter.
“Goddess, I’ve missed you.” Ava said and embraced her friend again, this time the hug was longer and Ava could have cried.
After the talk with the enigmatic Anya, she had decided to see her best friend.
Jenny was the perfect person to see at this point, she would have the advice to give her on everything and some clothes to borrow as well.
“Oh my goodness, I never thought you’d be able to find it all on your own. You just missed Nelson, he was here to talk about the preparation for our ceremony.” Jonny had stars in her eyes for a second before looking back at Ava. “I’m sorry, I just get so distracted anytime I think of Nel. Are you alright, Ava? After everything that went down yesterday, I can’t imagine how difficult things must be for you.”
She paused taking in the clothes Ava was wearing. “Wait are those clothes for Adrian? I need the update right now.”
“Show me around your place and I’ll tell you everything.” Ava smiled.
Jenny had moved out of her parent’s house. It wasn’t because of any animosity or anything like Ava’s move-out was. It was becausee according to her it was getting awkward whenever Nelson came over and they had… um, ‘energetic interactions’ and naturally she didn’t want to move in with her mate before she was officially mated to him.
When Ava had given her an inquiring look after that statement she’d blushed and said. “I said we didn’t have sex but I never said we didn’t do other things.”
“You mean energetic interactions?” Ava waggled her brows suggestively.
“Ava, stop it.”
“Never. I’m storing that word in my memory bank. It’s never leaving.”
“Goddess I hate you sometimes.” Jenny facepalmed but she was still laughing.
The place was cozy and had just two bedrooms, a large kitchen, a beautiful sitting room and a work room where Jenny had some work equipment like mannequins, dress forms, sewing machines and bolts of a variety of colourful and tasteful fabrics.
They settled in Jenny’s room after a very brief tour.
Ava told her about the cutting of ties and well going back to Adrian’s place. She didn’t say anything about the incident that had happened in the morning because she was still too embarrassed about it.
Jenny hugged her. “I’m so sorry, Ava. Your parents will forgive you soon I’m positive. Just hang in there.”
“I hope so. I’ve never seen my dad so pissed. And Gabby, I haven’t seen her since the ceremony. She must be really mad about it, she had her entire life planned out and I just came in muddled everything.”
“Hey.” Jenny pulled back to look her in the eye. “You can’t blame yourself for that. Yeah, you should have told them earlier on but you thought the bond would be broken anyway not strengthened. The fact is Adrian is your mate. Speaking from experience, there was no way you could have prevented what happened from happening.”
“The fact that you lasted as long as you did is a testament to both of you’s strengths. It’s possible it was my fault though. I told you the date for the wedding then convinced you to come to mine. I didn’t even tell you about the change of plans. I’m sorry.” Jonny apologised pulling on her ears like a child being scolded.
“Stop it.” Ava held her hands in hers. “There was no way you knew what was going to happen. I should have called. It’s happened already there is no need to dwell on what cannot be changed.”
“There you go. Take your own advice and chill. Let’s talk about something else. How is Javier, the hospital, do you have to send in a resignation later because your situation just became a little bit permanent.” Jonny said folding her hands beneath her chin to look at Ava.
“Now that you mention it, I left before then. Xavier said…”
They spoke for hours catching up on their lives and their occupations. Jenny promised to ask Nekson to assist in their search for Ava’s luggage. They had some lunch and Jenny took her measurements to make her ‘a wardrobe of clothes fit for a Luna’ and by the time Ava borrowed a change of clothes, the evening had fallen.
“I have to get back to the pack house, it’s getting late.”
“I’ll miss you. Keep our Alpha happy”
Goddess, the girl was incorrigible. Despite the way she insisted on the fact that she and Adrian would never consummate their bond, she had just watched her with knowing eyes.