Chapter Four: A Complete Mess

Luna 

As I stood there, caught in the middle of the tension between Lucas and the woman beside him, I could feel the unease and discomfort creeping up on me. I quickly identified the woman as Lucas's girlfriend, and I knew that her attitude could only mean one thing: trouble.

I decided to take the initiative and break the awkward silence. "Hello, I'm Luna Dawn, the daughter of the Alpha of the Dawn Pack." I held out my hand, hoping to diffuse some of the tension in the air.

The woman looked at me, unimpressed. "Ava," she responded, before turning back to Lucas. I stepped back, realizing she was not in the mood for pleasantries.

I knew she wouldn’t like that I was alone with her boyfriend in such a secluded area, but since it seemed to me like Lucas wasn’t interested in having her find out we were mates, I knew better than to mention my real reason for being here.

When Ava turned to me again, her tone was sharp and somewhat accusatory. "What brings you here, Luna?" she asked, her eyes focused intensely on me.

"I'm here on pack-related affairs, and I would have told you more about it, but it is strictly confidential," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the growing tension.

I didn’t want to disrespect her, and I most certainly had no intention of getting into any sort of altercation with her.

She looked skeptical, her eyes narrowing. "Why couldn't you have met Lucas in the official meeting room? Why meet in such a private location since what you had to say involved the pack?" She questioned me, obviously not buying my explanation.

I could feel myself growing increasingly uncomfortable with her line of questioning. I couldn’t remember the last time I was questioned by anyone, including my own parents, and I didn’t like that she was using such a tone with me.

"Well, Miss, I prefer to hold our meetings in a safe and secluded location. It's for the benefit of everyone involved, which is why I proposed we speak away from listening ears," I explained, hoping that would be enough to convince her.

But Ava didn't seem convinced. "No offense, but that sounds suspicious to me. You could have talked anywhere, and yet you chose to speak in a place where no one could easily find you. It’s weird, and I can’t help but be suspicious," she said, her tone accusatory.

I could feel myself growing frustrated with her interrogation, but before I could say anything else, Lucas spoke up. "Ava, please stop with the questioning. Luna is a guest and deserves our respect. You do realize whose daughter she said she was, right?" He chimed in, and even though I didn’t like that he was only just speaking up, I appreciated his timing.

"I don't care who your father is, Lucas. What I care about is that I found my boyfriend with another woman in a secluded area. Does it actually make sense that of all places to talk, you two had to meet here? A place that even I didn't know until now?" Ava spat, her eyes fiercely locked on mine.

If looks could kill, I'd most likely be dead and buried by now, but her glare wasn't what got to me; it was her words.

I felt my blood boil at her words, and if I weren't where I was right now, I'd have most certainly hit her across the face.

The strong urge to yell in her face and tell her that Lucas was my mate was overwhelming, but I knew that would only complicate matters more, and the last thing I wanted was to give her even more reasons to go crazy. Seeing how she reacted just because Lucas and I met outdoors, only away from preying eyes, I could not imagine how she would react if she found out we were mates.

I would even be surprised if she tried to fight, and as entertaining as it would be to have her try to duel with me, I knew it would be wrong for things to take that turn. So instead, I swallowed my words, opting to keep the peace and not let her get the better of me.

"Listen, Ava, I understand why you might be upset, but I am assuring you that you have nothing to worry about. Nothing suspicious happened here. I assure you," I said, my voice steady and measured.

"There is even no reason to suspect anything between Lucas and me. You already saw me leaving, and I haven't been here that long. No offense, but you should learn to trust him more. He is your partner."

Ava scoffed at my words, dismissing my reassurances. "Lady, did I ever mention anything about him cheating on me or that I don't trust him? He is my boyfriend, so I definitely don't think he's cheating on me, Lady. The person I don't trust here is you, and what I think is you're the one trying to seduce him," she said smugly.

Her words made me even more irritated, and I opened my mouth to call her childish, but before I could say anything, Lucas's voice boomed out, startling us both.

"Ava, that's enough! You've said more than enough, and I don't want to hear one more word from you!" he said his tone firm and commanding.

Ava looked hurt that he had yelled at her in front of me, and she opened her mouth to say something, but before she could say a word, Lucas cut her off, instructing her to head to her room. A reaction I was most certainly not expecting from him. 

"I'll speak to you when I'm back from escorting her to the border, Ava. Now go," he said, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Ava hung back for a moment, her eyes boring into mine. "If you go with this woman, I swear on everything I hold dear, Lucas, I will never speak to you ever again," she said, and I was taken aback.

I was surprised that she threatened Lucas, going as far as saying she wouldn't speak to him again if he left with me. I was about to tell them both that I was perfectly fine with leaving on my own since I expected Lucas to try to calm her down, but to my surprise, he chose to ignore her.

He suddenly grabbed my wrist firmly, pulling me with him as he strode away from the scene, and I could only watch myself getting pulled away while Ava stood still behind us, obviously just as shocked as I was.