She should have seen it coming. Of course, Dorian would never take no for an answer much less accept the fact that she would be leaving him with his child. She had brought this on the pack.
There was chaos everywhere and she hadn’t seen Calvin in an hour. When the attack had started an hour ago, he had looked her squarely in the eye and told her to take care of the women and children and whosoever else she could get into the bunkers.
“And you? Where will you be?” She asked terrified even if she knew the answer
Calvin smiled tightly. “The frontlines defending our pack in the absence of Adrian and Alex.” He kissed her forehead. “Please take care of yourself and Cole.”
“Calvin, please. I can’t. How can I take people to safety knowing that you are out there risking your life this way? I can’t. I…” She panicked.
“Cynthia, breathe.” He cupped her cheeks. “You can do this and you will. For us.”
Cole wriggled in her arms discontent with her hasty swaddling but not quite ready to cry.
She closed her eyes and nodded breathing heavily. What else could she do? What else could he do?
That had been an hour ago and the fight was taking way too long.
Maybe she shouldn’t have let him leave. The plan had been for him to go and really the men.
Their warriors were trained. They had been training for this moment but it had come as a shock to them because everyone had relaxed after the arrest of the ‘Silverwolf traitors’. The fact that their Alpha had also disappeared so suddenly to Goddess knows where didn’t help matters.
Alex was in an enemy pack and knowingly or unknowingly, they had just put themselves in the most vulnerable positions they had ever been in with their key players stretched out thin everywhere.
She had gathered as many people as she could after strapping Cole in securely and she felt so useless hiding like this when she had brought this trouble upon them.
If Ava had been here, she would be mobilizing people to fight to do something to help their men outside. For all Cynthia had detested her in the past, the fact was that she was a good person and a strong woman unlike her. Because she was Cynthia, with a child she could not be parted from and no idea how to fight in a battle, all she could do was wait anxiously for news from the battlefront.
She had never felt more useless in her entire life so she went around the people offering them empty platitudes.
“Don’t worry, It’ll soon be over.” It would be one way or the other.
“Our warriors are strong.” And the rogues outnumbered them.
“We will repel them, please have faith.” Or they would slaughter them.
When a bloodstained half-naked warrior finally came back bearing news of the fight, panting from running in so quickly through their barricade, Cynthia was the first there.
“Tell me. What is going on out there?” She demanded
“We… We pushed back the rogues. We have secured our pack lands and now we battle what is left of them at the perimeter.”
Cynthia almost wept with joy.
“And Calvin? Where is he? Fighting at the perimeter?”
The warrior hesitated.
“Speak up!”
“He is at the pack hospital currently. A rogue got to him… his injuries are extensive.”
Cynthia’s world came to a stop.
“So you are still not going to talk with Adrian?”
Gabby stood by the archway of her room watching her dress her bed.
“No, I’m not. We’ve said all that needs to be said. All that is left is for him to finally leave me the hell alone.”
The kiss they had shared two days ago must have given Adrian hope because he had followed her around these past two days. He didn’t speak, he just helped her with whatever she was doing.
She hated him for it, hated how every single thing he did weakened her already fragile resolve to stay away from him.
Gabby stepped into the room. “You might just get what you want then.”
Ava scoffed. If only. “Yeah, I don’t think so. I think he intends to stay here for a while.”
“Maybe he did,” Gabby conceded. “But not anymore. He got a call. The pack was attacked two nights ago. He’ll be on the first flight out.”
Adrian was leaving? Ava stopped what she was doing to look at Gabby in shock.
“The pack was attacked? Why the hell didn’t you start with that?”
She began to walk towards the door when Gabrielle caught her arm.
“And where are you going, Ava? I thought you wanted to end everything. Throw away your relationship and make yourself unhappy because of something that none of you could have done anything to prevent.”
“Gabby.” Ava was hurt by the directness of her sister’s words.
“Where is the lie, Ava? Please tell me. I’m dying to know.”
“Gabby, it’s not about what Ivy did. It’s about what he did. He could have chosen to tell me, to confide in me from the start. I would have been hurt, yes, but I would have understood. For him, I would have.” Ava blinked away tears.
“But he chose not to. It was his choice, Gabby. He chose to create this chasm between us.”
“So why are you going,” Gabby’s demeanor softened. “To tell him goodbye forever? Or to leave with him?”
Ava paused. She hadn’t been thinking. She had just thought of Adrian in pain and worried that he hadn’t been there for the pack and she had thought to go and comfort him.
Thank the Goddess that Aru had stopped her. But what was she supposed to do? Let him leave? Her heart lurched at the thought.
“What will you do, Ava?” Gabby asked again.
That was the million-dollar question, wasn’t it?
********
Adrian stood with his bag waiting for the cab he booked to finish its circuit to park so he could get in.
Despite his best efforts, he has been unable to change Ava’s decision. And now he found out that he had not only failed Ava but his pack as well.
He would return. He didn’t feel good leaving Ava here all alone with Ivy still on the loose despite all the investigations undergone with the help of the Alpha couple of Javier’s pack.
He would get her guards. It felt insufficient but what else could he do?
The car stopped. Adrian hoisted his luggage into the booth.
“Going somewhere?”
Adrian looked up stunned to see Ava.
She was fully dressed with a suitcase. It felt like a dream. She was returning with him?
He left his luggage and crossed the distance between them cupping her cheeks. “You came.”
Ava shifted out of his grasp.
“I… I’m doing it for the pack. They need a united front especially now.”
“Sure.” Adrian couldn’t stop beaming. She was returning home with him. She was choosing them over her anger.
“Stop smiling, I’m not coming back to you. We are still separated.”
“Sure.” He was still smiling.
“Ugh.” Ava groaned, already regretting her decision.