Love

On the platform, the Eight Elders sat in a straight line with Adrian sitting a few steps ahead with Alex and Calvin standing on either side of him.
The murmuring in the crowd picked up and Gabrielle turned around to see Ava being escorted in by two security guards. Her head was held upright and her shoulders straight even as some members of the pack pelted her with objects and hurled insults at her as she moved forward.
The guards did nothing to protect her and Ava walked on finally reaching the platform. Gabrielle heard her mother gasp next to her as she broke down in tears at the callous treatment of Ava. Gabrielle felt a twinge of guilt but fought against the feeling, Ava was getting exactly what she deserved for all the problems that she had caused for Gabrielle.
Elder Elvis stood and held up his hands calling for order. Once the pack settled, he spoke. “Today we are here to address your grievances. Many of you feel that your Luna should be removed from her position. We will address all your concerns in due time. We will call in the witnesses who claim to have seen this incident with their very own eyes. This council calls on Bella to give her testimony.”
It felt like the entire pack was holding their breath as Bella walked up to the platform.
“Face the people and give them your testimony.”
The girl, she couldn’t have been a day over seventeen, nodded and faced the crowd in her humble clothes.
“I am a… I clean at the pack house and on the night of the event, I forgot to clear out the dishes from the Primo wolves’ rooms. As I left the room, I noticed a wolf. His name is Shawn. He used to help out some wolves in the kitchen, that’s how I knew him. He held Ava in his arms and I personally watched them enter the room together.”
The murmurs grew even stronger and Gabrielle could see the violence rising up in the crowd until it saturated the air around them.
The Elders discussed amongst themselves and called up the next witness and the next, up to the fifth and final witness. With every witness, the atmosphere grew tenser.
All of them spoke of Ava and a man. Their mother was already sobbing inconsolably.
It was time for a decision to be taken and Adrian looked on impassively Alex looked so angry that he would have wolved out already if he weren’t under strict supervision.
The Elders signalled to Adrian perhaps to tell him about their decision. He ignored them and spoke directly to Ava.
“Defend yourself. We have had several testimonies against you. What do you have to say about any of these?”
Gabrielle’s breath hitched.
****
Adrian didn’t look her way throughout the so-called testimonies and Ava felt her heart break with every passing second.
Then he spoke as though he had just noticed she was there on trial.
“Defend yourself. We have had several testimonies against you. What do you have to say about any of these?”
Defend herself? He had seen everything. What did he want her to say?
Ava looked at the crowd. She could see Gabrielle, her sister who had betrayed her. She could see her parents. Then she spoke.
“I want to use this medium to apologise for the inconveniences that have arisen as a result of these accusations. I am sorry to have given everyone any reason to be discomfited.” She looked at her people.
“As for a defence, I will not give one. I have given my all to this pack and I intend to continue to do so. I want to be your rock, your pillar and your Luna if you will let me. I ask you to trust that I would never do anything that would bring shame to myself, my mate, my family and this pack. I ask you to trust me as I trust you. To believe in me as I do you.” She looked at Adrian as she spoke.
Ava had not taken Anya’s advice. She knew that but the worst thing they could do to her was to demote her from her position but Gabby could be killed or cast out from the pack turning her rogue. Ava would never let that happen to her sister.
She watched Adrian go still. He had been waiting for an explanation, she realized. An explanation to make what he had seen make sense and he didn’t seem satisfied with her response.
Adrian was angry. He didn’t know how the information had leaked or who exactly leaked it or if the witnesses had really seen what they claimed they said they did.
The roar of the crowd had prevented him or anyone from singling out the heartbeat of any of the witnesses to check if they fluctuated.
It was time to make a decision and the council had already told him theirs’ on the pack mind link. Ava was to lose her Luna position. But that wasn’t the part that hurt him. He wanted her to prove him wrong. To tell him that there was some explanation for what he had seen but it was all wishful thinking. Ava had never cared about him to start with.
If only it didn’t hurt so much.
Adrian stood to give her verdict. The murmurs of the crowd reduced somewhat. “Today, I, Adrian Gavin, the Alpha of this pack declare Ava Gavin is–”
It happened so quickly. There was a whistling sound and Ava screamed his name, moving away from her position in front of the pack and ran towards him. She was right in front of him when the bullet meant for him hit her.
All around him, chaos erupted as the pack warriors formed a perimeter around Adrian and Ava, the crowd scattered and another sector of warriors broke off under Alex’s command to hunt down the assassin.
Adrian looked into Ava’s eyes as he caught her, his hand touching the blood on her back. Why had she done something so crazy?
“Ava. Stay with me.”
She smiled at him slightly and grasped his hand weakly as she struggled to stay conscious. She was a wolf. One bullet couldn’t kill her but she was still scared. Scared that this would be the last time that she would see Adrian. She had so much to say. To tell Adrian. She was sorry for everything, she was thankful for the time they’d spent together, and she was in love with him.
Ava passed out.
*******
Adrian looked at Ava as he sat on a chair next to her bed waiting for her to regain consciousness.
The rest of her family waited outside. The doctor had told him to do the same but he’d given him a solid dominant look daring the doctor to stop him before entering the room.
She had undergone minor surgery and the doctor had told them that it had been a close thing and that she had almost lost her ability to walk.
He grasped her hand. Adrian no longer knew what to think. Since seeing her with that wolf he had thought perhaps she wasn’t attracted to him and that his budding feelings were one-sided but one didn’t just take a bullet for anyone.
Now he wondered if there was something he was missing. Could there be something else he hadn’t seen when he had caught her with the wolf?
Ava groaned and opened her eyes squinting at the brightness of the room. She closed her eyes and opened them more slowly this time around. Her vision was blurred and finally coalesced to a clear one and she realized who she was seeing.
It was Adrian. He was sitting right there as though he’d waited while she was unconscious to talk to her immediately after she woke up.
“Adrian.” Her throat was parched and she felt a slight sting in her back but otherwise, she felt fine. Normal even.
“What was that?” Adrian’s voice was cool and distant.
“What?” She didn’t think she really understood the question he was asking.
“Why would you do something like that for me? Why did you take the bullet for me? I know you don’t really care about me. So why would you take such a risk like that for me?”
Oh, but she did. She loved him. This was the wrongest time to realize this.
“Tell me, Ava.”
Ava looked at his forest green eyes and found herself speaking.