Chapter Eight: Old Ways

“Ava, baby. We’re leaving in about five minutes.”

She jolted awake, her body half off her bed as she jumped and sat up. “Wait! I want to say goodbye!”

All she heard was two chuckles but she knew they heard and were going to obey as she got out of bed and quickly got ready for the day. For the last week, she had barely seen Gene and Cole due to their Alpha increasing their work hours. Between Cole’s position as a guard for the pack prison and his duties as a warrior to check the borders, he barely had any time to himself or with Gene. Eugene had his odd jobs but he mostly stuck to border patrol just so that he could see Cole throughout the day.

For the last week, she has woken from deep sleep to find Lucas standing at her door with flowers and she would spend her entire day with him. He would take her to odd places and even down to the river where she showed him the cabin she had built with her power. She never went into detail as to why but she knew that he wanted to know out of curiosity.

Both Eugene and Cole would give her little teasing side comments during dinner about Lucas and would comment that their house was turning into a garden but they were happy for her. Her smile was back, the smile she used to have before she met Shane and she had a slight skip in her step but Ava was still being careful. Her Alpha wasn’t happy that Lucas was around and his anger only increased when he saw that Ava was the reason. She didn’t know if he had put the pieces together and realised that she was his mate but Ava was hoping with everything inside of herself that her Alpha would leave Lucas alone if anything caused him to be angry with her again.

“How late are you guys going to be tonight?” She questioned as she opened her door and was greeted with a living room full of flowers. The dining table was filled with different assortments and Cole was struggling to eat his breakfast as he paired up and over them to look at her. “Why? Is he coming over?”

Ava Shrugged. “Not that I am aware of and it doesn’t matter anyway, I miss you guys.”

Gene walked towards her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder before kissing the top of her head. “I know, Alpha will stop being pissy at us at some point and allow us to have a life again. We just have to be patient.”

She groaned and wrapped her arms around her brother. He smelt like Cole and sweat but she didn’t care. “It’s not fair that you both are being punished for my actions.”

“Sweetheart, we’ve been getting treatments like this since the moment they found out that we were gay.” Cole sighed as he stood and placed his empty bowl and spoon into the sink. “This is nothing.”

“I’m not too worried about it.” Gene continued. “Once you’re ready, we’ll come with you to your new life.”

Her sad smile turned into a happy grin as she thought about it. They were willing to come with her, they never wanted to part from her and knowing that made her heart swell with love and affection. Their lives would be different in The Kingdom of Vampires, they’ll start new ones and hopefully start the life they have always wanted. “I can’t agree to leave until I know what Alpha wants from me. He will never let me go that easily.”

Cole frowned and Gene’s hold on her tightened. “We know.”

They didn’t need to say anything else, their fears and worries were shared without needing the words to say them and as she said her goodbyes and watched them leave, she couldn’t help but sit on her front doorstep and hug her knees to her chest until she could no longer see their bodies.

Lucas wasn’t coming to her today, he was summoned to observe how the warriors train due to the knowledge that he has an assassin currently training his own. Ava was curious about this particular assassin. She knew the female’s name, she knew about her two companions and the wizard but she could never go any further than that. It was as if their abilities clashed and fought with one another.

Ava stood, deciding to have breakfast before she went down to watch him. He had invited her to join him but Ava had declined and said that she would come but she would stay out of his way. She had never gone down to the training grounds, she was never allowed despite her willingness to learn how to fight in hand-and-hand combat. Her pack members weren’t the nicest and few would bully her until she ran away crying. She knew it was pathetic, she knew that she should defend herself but her throat would close up and her heart would race in her ears until she suddenly found herself back in her bed, crying in a ball. Ava knew how weak she was, she knew that she would never have a backbone but she also wanted to see Lucas and the thought of him was what made her brave.

She quickly ate her fill before she cleaned the dishes and she made her way outside. The cooling air sent a chill down her spine as she walked and tried to stay out of everyone’s way. Despite being a part of the pack, she never had a role in it and that made her useless in the eyes of her pack members. Ava was never allowed to do a thing and when she shifted, she would be criticised for the way her wolf looked. Ezer stopped talking to her when she was eleven years old, she no longer had the strength to fight and instead, she started to communicate with emotions. Ava missed Ezer’s voice but she understood. Azer needed freedom and room to grow and she wasn’t getting that being stuck here in a pack that made sure that they both felt unwanted.

Ava placed her hands against a tree as she peered around it and saw Lucas standing next to the Beta. He looked uninterested and bored which made her silently laugh. Her Beta was talking and all he did was crack his neck and watch the warriors train. At one point, he was asked a question which he ignored because he wasn’t listening and turned to meet her eye.

The relief in his gaze did nothing to deter her Beta as he kept talking and missed Lucas’s sudden change in mood. Her eyes left his own and gazed over the warriors, they were in groups of different skill sets, some were training with weapons and others were working out. She envied them all and wished she could join but instead, she stayed in her spot and observed.

“What are you doing here?”

Ava jumped, her head turning to look into the eyes of her childhood bully. His blond hair had grown to shoulder length and his blue eyes were as heartless as they always have been. Cole commented once that he had a crush on her and that was why he was so mean but Ava dismissed that joke as his attempt to cheer her up. This man never liked her and he made sure she knew it.

“I was just leaving.” She mumbled and went to step past him but he blocked her movements. “Excuse me.”

“I didn’t dismiss you, witch!” He spat as he towered over her and snarled. “You think that you can worm your way into that Vampire’s heart so you can leave this place?” He then laughed in pure sarcasm. “Pathetic!”

“I’m not trying to do anything.” She said with an all but quiet whimper. “Just, move!”

Her shove wasn’t that hard but as he tumbled, her eyes widened in shock and her feet instantly began to run. Panic shot through her as she didn’t look back, she didn’t want to see if he was another victim of her untrained power so she picked up her dress and ran through the woods.

Ava didn’t know if Lucas had seen what had happened, she didn’t know if he knew that she was gone but she was hoping that he would understand, she was hoping that he wouldn’t hate her for suddenly leaving without saying goodbye.

She found herself back by the river and ran into the cabin. It was damp and cold but she didn’t care as she walked into the bedroom and closed the door. The bed was still a mess from the day she had woken Marley and Sawyer and quickly helped them escape before they were caught. She’ll never forget that day and as her eyes stared at the messy sheets, she wished that they were able to stay longer so that she could have gotten to know them more.

Mostly, Marley. Sawyer scared her.

“Ava!”

She jumped for the third time today and opened the door to find Lucas looking for her. “There you are, why did you run off?”

“I was confronted so I left.”

He pulled his lips into a thin line. “I saw it last minute. I was hoping you wouldn’t cover for the bastard.”

Her heart jumped as she looked down and held the door in shame. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want anyone else to die.”

Lucas walked towards her and moved her chin with his fingers so that she would look at him. “What did I say about apologising?”

“Not to.” She mumbled. “Why did you follow me?”

He rolled his eyes as if suddenly remembering the boring situation he had been in. “I’m pretty sure the guy is still talking. He didn’t notice that I left.”

She smiled and stepped forward before wrapping her arms around his waist. The mate bond was going wild between them and she had to stop herself from moaning at the sparks that flowed as she closed her eyes. “Thank you for following me.”

“I will always follow you.” He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her instantly and took in her hold. They stood like that in silence for a few moments, taking in each other’s bodies while he placed his cheek onto the top of her head. Ava wondered if this was how they would sleep and tried to dismiss that thought before it turned dirt. “Can I see your wolf?”

Her eyes opened. “It has been a while since I let Ezer out.”

“Ezer.” He said, testing the name on his tongue. “I like it.”

Ava slowly pulled away as she felt Ezer purr like a cat from the sound of his voice saying her name. “And she likes you.”