55

Chapter 55
Ava sluggishly walked into the office, she had had little to no sleep the previous night, and it was telling on her greatly.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned sleepily, holding on to the rails on the stairs to steady herself. There was a strange energy in the air, but she shook it off and walked into her office.
Collapsing on her seat, she rested her head on the desk and took slow deep breaths. Stress did it look so good on her.
She had spent all the previous night at her and Mika’s favorite spot, it was just the breath of fresh air she had needed.
That was where she had seen him, alpha Damon, she wondered how he had found their spot and most importantly, why he was out there until such an ungodly hour of the night.
Yes, she had taken a secret drive down to West Wood, but in her defense, all she wanted was the serenity that only that lakeside gave her.
And so she had snuck out of the house and driven down to get what she wanted, serenity. To think straight without any form of distraction. To dwell solely in nature.
She was about an hour into her just dwelling at the side of the lake when she heard a loud howl, then rustling, followed by the sound of paws pounding against the hard ground.
Someone was approaching her, and she could not risk being seen, so she hid herself under the shadows of one of the many trees that surrounded the lake.
She had smelt and felt him even before she saw him. He looked pissed, furious, outraged. There was a long list of adjectives she could use to describe what he looked like at that moment.
Ava could not make out his face, but she could feel the energy he exuded, and she knew he was angry. Something must have happened, something so bad that it had triggered this sort of rage in him.
Her heart told her to run to him, to ask him to calm down, to hold him while he panted heavily and tried to catch his breath.
But her head told her otherwise, he was a man, enraged currently, and it was too dark for him to even recognize her. She might get hurt, and could not afford that, she was with a child.
Instead, she had sat there under the shadow of that giant oak, watching him intently. For a minute, it looked like his anger was slowly beginning to dissipate.
His eyes wandered across the lake, and she could tell he was just as mesmerized as she had been when they had first discovered the lake. He seemed as if he had never seen anything like it before.
Ava was slowly getting her answers from his reactions, he was angered for whatever reason, and now she just concluded that he was here for the first time.
His anger had driven him here, deep into the heart of West Wood and even deeper to its outskirts where she and Mika had made their haven.
Something crawled on her skin and she shook it off, causing a soft rustling sound. Her eyes widened when she looked up to meet his eyes, already scanning the area where she sat.
She could see his face, the moonlight cast a beautiful shadow on his gestures, but he could not see her, not when she was under these shadows.
His attention finally left the distraction caused by her, just as immediately as it had been caught. He sat by the lake for a minute, deep in thought.
Something told her he could sense her, especially when he occasionally looked around. But she waved the thought off. No man as angry as he was right now would be thinking of a woman.
He laid back down on the muddy ground, Ava almost lost it. It was extremely difficult to see him in that state, whatever it was that was bothering him was big, and she hated that she could not help him.
Ava just sat there for a while, waiting and watching him lay there, eyes on the sky and deep in thought. He finally stood up after what seemed like ages, picked up his muddy shoes, looked around him one last time, and turned back into the woods.
It was her cue to leave too, her stomach rumbled, reminding her she had not had dinner before disappearing from home.
The night was a rather long one, with her thoughts consistently filled with alpha Damon. Her mind reeled with questions, questions she needed urgent answers to.
What had gotten him so mad? Was it someone? Was it a Princess, maybe? She sighed as she rolled over in bed, trying difficult to fall asleep.
Her morning had not exactly started on a good foot, she had woken up with a start and a strong urge to puke. The smell of bacon had snuck upstairs from the kitchen somehow, and that had upset her stomach.
Once again, she had donned herself in a pant that could not clasp at the waist because of her now visible bump, pairing it up with a sweater that left nothing to the imagination.
It was not the most comfortable outfit as it was hot and itchy, but she would do anything to hide this pregnancy until she was done in West Wood.
A cup of coffee had fixed her stomach issues, and she had driven straight to work. Slightly disappointed when she did not meet Princess at her usual spot with a mean look on her face.
Perhaps she was tired because Ava never paid any mind to her, regardless of, Ava missed the sight of it.
A knock on the door brought her out of her reveries and she lifted her head to answer a yes and let whoever was on the other side in.
“Alpha Damon asks to see you miss” Susan, one of the many secretaries, said, poking her head through the door instead of stepping in.
What did he need her for? Ava asked herself broodingly. “Tell him I will be with him shortly,” Ava answered, dismissing her immediately.
She panicked a little, if it was not business related, he would want to touch her, and she knew deep down she could not resist his touch. So that could only mean one thing.
The possibility of seeing her bump, she could lie and say it’s some constipation issue or a stomach upset. But the idea of attributing her child to such did not appeal to her, so she immediately banished the thought.
She would have to learn to resist him from now on, getting up from her seat, she adjusted herself, smoothing her hair down with her fingers and walking out of the office.
His voice sounded from inside, she could tell he was on the phone with someone. Waiting another minute until he was done, Ava knocked on the door and waited for his invitation to come in.
When she heard a low come in, she pushed the door inside and stepped in. Something did not sit right with her from the minute she stepped in and observed his demeanor and the aura in the office.
He looked…bitter, upset, and furious and his face looked red as he tried to control the anger in him. Ava stood there confused for a second. What had happened? Did it have anything to do with her? Was it related to what happened yesterday with him?
“You asked for me?” Ava questioned, at this point, she was not sure what to say or do. He did not answer her, but his eyes roamed her body.
Intently, his eyes followed her every curve, his gaze keens, like he was looking for something like he was trying to figure something out. Ava got more confused with every second that passed.
What was he looking for? Did he not like how she was dressed? Did she have a stain on her? Was her hair unkempt? She asked herself so many questions.
“You asked for me,” she said this time more as a statement and not a question. He still did not respond, his eyes still locked in on her. What was he looking at? Ava questioned herself, glancing about her to try and see what he saw.
“Seat” he ordered, and she was forced to sit. He had a hateful look in his eyes and Ava had to remind herself that it was not for her, she had done nothing wrong, nothing to deserve that look.
“I have a few questions for you,” he started, leaning closer to her as he spoke. ” And I need nothing but the truth, they will be basic questions and I need you to go straight to the point.”
Ava felt her heart pound inside her chest, she knew she would not like where this was going, she did not like this, she could feel it, this wouldn’t end well.