“Ava, talk to me.”
Ava pulled her hair into a ponytail readying for her run. After Gabby left, she had soon after. Adrian was just
“What do you want me to say, Adrian?”
“You seem distant… about Gabrielle–”
“I don’t want to talk about my sister with you Adrian. I just want to go on a run in peace. Let me fucking breathe.”
Ava took her phone and earpods before storming out of the room.
When she went downstairs in the pack house, stares followed her till she got out. The moment she was in the woods, Ava felt like she could breathe again. Ava couldn’t qualify how she felt. She had felt jealous after seeing Gabrielle with Adrian, she felt guilty about feeling jealous of Gabrielle, she felt–
Her phone rang.
It was a new phone so save from Adrian, Cynthia, Calvin and Alex’s numbers she didn’t have any contacts.
She picked up the call.
“Ava.”
Ava’s heart stopped.
“Gabby?”
“I want us to talk. Alone.”
“When? Where?”
Gabrielle told her.
******
Adrian was at his office. It was already late but he wasn’t looking forward to going to meet an angry Ava in his room. In a way, he was flattered because she was jealous even if she wouldn’t admit it. That meant that she liked him. Right?
But who ever really knew with women?
He had a lot of work to do with compiling all the information they had on hunters over the years. There had to be a hint here somewhere about this group that was hinting down wolves.
Adrian turned a page and had to stop as something suddenly lurched in his chest. He couldn’t breathe. Adrian clutched his chest, his eyes falling shut. Suddenly he saw Gabrielle, shattered glass, Ava’s bloody hands trying and failing to keep a wound shut.
When he opened his eyes, he was back in his office, the pain in his chest gone.
What had just happened?
He tried to reach Ava through the pack mind link but she was out of range. He tried her phone number. It rang but there was no response.
Before Adrian fully processed what he was doing, Adrian was out of his chair and racing towards his room. It was empty, Ava’s scent in the air stale. Ava had never returned from her run.
Cold fear gripped Adrian. He ran downstairs and bumped into Calvin on the way.
“Hey, man chill what’s going on?”
“Have you seen Ava?”
“Not recently.”
“When last did you see her?”
“With Gabrielle earlier this evening. They seemed to have gotten over their differences thank the goddess. Now we don’t have to worry about awkward family meetings, no?” Calvin joked.
Adrian froze, his mind going to the images that had flitted through his head. Was it possible that through the mate bond, he’d seen through Ava’s eyes for a short period of time?
And more importantly, had Gabrielle done something to Ava?
The silence became awkward very quickly. What exactly did one say to a sister whose mate the person had sort of stolen?
Ava had no idea.
Gabrielle sipped the wine in her glass daintily. Okay, so she was the only one feeling awkward here. The diner was almost empty. They were the only guests there. The way Gabby had wanted it.
“Gabby–”
“It’s so quiet here.” Gabrielle tucked her short hair behind her ear.
“Never thought there would come a day when I would pick a human establishment over a wolf’s.”
Gabrielle explained to her earlier on the reason she wanted them to meet outside their pack lands for this. It would seem like it wasn’t only Ava that had been on the receiving end of so much backlash.
Gabrielle couldn’t go anywhere without scrutiny or ostracization by some members of the pack. And with the increased patrols, even the woods were no longer a secure location for delicate conversation. Much less one of this nature that was extremely fragile already.
Hence the location of their dinner. It was far enough for privacy but close enough for an easy return to the pack. Best of all there were no wolves here to eavesdrop because of the curfew.
“But then again I also never thought a day would come where you of all people would be mated to Adrian. I used to wonder where I would sit you on the wedding day to avoid a bloodbath.” Gabby gave a broken laugh.
“Gabby…” Ava reached out with her hand to hold Gabrielle’s but she pulled away.
“Do you know how it feels to walk out of your house in a pack you grew up in and everyone-people you know, people you grew up with- is stealing glances at you and whispering? Wondering if I knew Adrian was your mate before deciding to marry him. Some even say that I sent you away so that I could have him all to myself.”
Gabrielle wiped the tears on her cheeks and Ava felt like the scum of the earth remembering how she had been jealous of Gabrielle for being in such close quarters with Adrian. How must Gabrielle feel knowing that her sister not only mated with Adrian but would be in his bed day after day?
“Do you know what the worst part is? The fact that I had no idea about any of it. That you found out that Luciano was your mate and hid it from me for years. That you knew what was going on while I remained in the dark. You are my sister for fuck’s sake. You could have told me anything at any time but you didn’t. You chose not to.”
“Gabby, I’m really sorry. I am so freaking sorry. I know I messed everything up and I can’t do anything to redeem myself from this mistake but I miss us. I miss Mom and Dad. I don’t deserve any of you but I’ll beg for your forgiveness anyway. Please…”
Ava reached out for her sister. Gabrielle locked gazes with her, both of their eyes filled with tears and pain and a void that might never be filled.
Gabrielle turned swiftly as though she had just heard something that Ava missed. Gabrielle pushed her to the ground and bullets shot up where they had sat only moments before. The glasses on the table and the windows of the diner shattered from the bullets.
Ava heard the human staff panicking and barricading themselves in the back room.
“We need to get out of here.” She whispered to Gabby who nodded, her hair a curtain around her face.
To think that she who imposed the curfew was the one that ended up caught out of it.
Ava listened keenly and heard the heartbeats of the men outside. There were three.
Between her and Gabrielle, they were as good as dead already but with their guns and the fact that this was a human establishment where they couldn’t display their supernatural strength, the only option was to run like hell.
The border wasn’t far off. The hunters were bold in attacking a place that was so close to the borders. They were using silencers though so they weren’t completely dense.
Ava looked at Gabby and raised three of her fingers counting down. One, two, three.
They ran weaving between tables. The gunfire started again and they dropped to the ground again.
They were already close to the door. Once they closed the distance between them and the men, they would be able to get rid of those guns and kick their asses. It felt great to fight hand in hand with her sister rather than against her.
Gabby looked at her again and they nodded to each other. Gabby went first kicking the door down so it fell on one of the men. The man screamed in pain and Ava took that as her cue to jump into the fight. She doubled behind one of the men and relieved him of his gun as he stared at Gabrielle.
Ava swung and hit him hard so that he fell unconscious immediately. She might have trouble beating a rogue or Adrian who was an Alpha but humans were fair game and prey.
Ava turned to face the last man who she realized now had his gun trained on her. She froze. It happened so quickly. One minute the man was about to shoot her, the next Gabby was on him and they grappled.
The gun went off.