After Rita scurried away with her cronies, Javier released her and fighting her instinct to go after Rita, she felt a surge of embarrassment at her loss of control.
They stood silently for some minutes before Javier broke the silence.
“I didn’t know it got that bad with you, Gabby and Adrian. What she said really got to you.”
“There’s a lot you missed, Javier.”
Her breath came quickly. She was already over this issue but it was getting tiring because it seemed like it would continue to prop up.
“I’m sorry.”
Ava turned to face him startled. Why was he apologising to her?
“Why? Whatever for? I was the one who didn’t reach out to you.”
“But I could have tried harder. Ava, you were going through so much and the best I could do was wallow in self-pity and wonder why you refused to talk to me. I should have boarded the first flight over to check in on you. It’s what a true friend would have done.”
“It wasn’t your fault. You were unaware, how could you have known about any of it? If you had, I know you would have been there.”
“But that doesn’t excuse my behaviour. I let anger consume my thoughts. No wonder you didn’t want someone as flawed as I am.”
Ava gasped and smacked his arm.
“Don’t you dare. You aren’t allowed to do that. You were a good friend, you are an exceptional person and the only reason that we didn’t have anything was that I was already spoken for.”
“You deserved more than someone who kept the flame for someone else in her heart. That was why I didn’t choose you. You deserve all-encompassing love. I couldn’t have given you that.”
Javier smiled and it looked a little sad.
“Even back then, he was–”
“Yes, as far back as I can remember, it’s always been him. Even when I didn’t know it. Adrian is my life.”
Even though Ava wanted to sympathise with her friend, she didn’t want to be misunderstood. Luckily, Javier seemed to get it.
“I’m glad. Obviously, I would have preferred it if you chose me but despite how you started out, he seems to make you happy. Back then you had this shadow in your eyes, in your laughter. I thought I could be the one who relieved you of that but I was wrong.”
“Javier.”
Ava’s heart almost gave out from the pain in his voice.
“It’s alright. Although I might sound otherwise, I just realised that I’ve gotten over you in here.” He tapped his chest. “And while I want to be your friend, I still need some space. The last thing I want is to give my feelings another chance to reemerge.”
There was a tone of finality in his voice that told her that this might be the last time they spoke.
“So this is goodbye then.”
Ava felt bad that things would end like this for them but at the same time, she was glad that they wouldn’t part on a terrible note.
“No. Not goodbye. I will still be at the trial but after that, I’m thinking of travelling around a bit. Getting out of my head and using up some of that holiday leave that I’ve stored up.”
“But your promotion–”
“Will still be there when I return. If I do.”
Was he really going to give up on a profession he loved because she didn’t like him in return?
“Javier?”
He laughed.
“I got you good, didn’t I? I fully intend on returning though so don’t get your hopes up.”
And just like that it was like nothing had ever happened.
Ava suppressed a sigh.
“Javier. You joke too much.”
“And you have become way too serious, Luna.”
He tweaked her nose and she smacked his hand away.
“Ha ha. Very funny.”
But she was smiling.
“Take care of yourself, Luna.”
“I always do.”
********
The Werewolf council had seven members. Ava knew that it was residual knowledge that she had been brought up on.
Seeing them in person was as unreal as a human seeing their celebrity crush. If not even more so.
The council only invited wolves over when the gravity of the situation required it and while they were extremely popular in the wolf community, there was no reason for them to visit Ava’s relatively small pack.
The council sat behind a massive table, their individual chairs resembling little thrones and the middle seat looked larger than the others.
That would be for Eden, the head of the council and the ultimate tiebreaker. She was a small woman with a shock of white hair that made you wonder at her age but her eyes were clear and intelligent. Ava knew the names of the others although she couldn’t match the names to the face.
There was Yule, Sophia, Casper, Laurel, Constantine and Dainty. The names could have belonged to any of them but for some reason, Ava was arrested by one of the judge’s presence.
It wasn’t attraction or disgust but there was just something unusual about him. Maybe it was just her nerves getting to her.
Ava glanced up at Adrian drawing strength from his presence. He smiled lightly and took her hand.
Rita stood to the left with her mate next to her while they stood to the right, both of them facing the council.
The room was large but it felt constructive to Ava as Eden looked at them, her eyes moving from one person to the next as though inspecting them of wrongdoings.
“I am Eden and I shall head this meeting.”
She went on to introduce the other members and Ava had a name for the unusual council member. Constantine.
“I will get on to business as we have little time to waste. The Mountain Coast pack has lodged a formal complaint about the Silverwolf pack. As our laws dictate, I shall have your affirmation.”
She looked at Ava and Adrian.
“Alpha and Luna of the Mountain Coat pack, you stand today before the Werewolf council to bear judgement. Due to the severity of the accusation, if you are found guilty of slandering the Silverwolf pack, you will be punished and your pack lands taken from you. Do you stand by your statement?”
It was an ancient law but it still stood. Such accusations couldn’t be bandied about with levity.
“We stand by our claim.” Ava and Adrian intoned as the right called for.
Eden nodded sternly before turning to Rita and Gilbert and asking if they also stood by their claim of innocence with the same penalty. They did.
And so the trial began. First, the envoys were called up to give their testimonials and findings. Javier winked at her before exiting the gall with the other envoys after the questioning.
She gave him a slight smile in return.