Chapter Two: Confused

Third Person Pov 

  Lucas drove back to his pack with a heavy heart, his mind reeling with confusion and conflicting emotions. He couldn't believe that he had found his mate after all this while of believing and hoping it was someone else, and it was more shocking since it was someone he didn't expect in the least.  

 Luna, his arch-nemesis and the bane of his existence, was his mate. That thought alone was enough to drive him mad. He had spent years hating her and wishing she would just disappear, but now, from one day to the next, he was inexplicably drawn to her. The realization left him feeling unsettled and unsure of what to do next.

As he pulled up to the packhouse, Lucas saw Ava waiting for him. She looked as radiant as ever, her long blonde hair flowing in the wind, but he couldn't bring himself to feel the same way he used to about her. He was filled with a sense of guilt as if he were betraying her by having these newfound feelings for someone else.

“Hey, baby,” Ava said as she walked up to him, giving him a warm hug. “How was the meeting?”

Lucas forced a smile, knowing that he couldn't tell her the truth just yet. “It was okay. Just a lot of talking and negotiating,”

Ava looked up at him, concern etched on her face. “Is everything alright? You seem different,”

Lucas hesitated for a moment before answering. He didn't know how to tell her about Luna, especially since he was still struggling to come to terms with it himself. “Yeah, I'm just a little tired. I think I need some rest.”

Ava looked at him skeptically but didn't push the issue. “Okay, let's go inside then. I'll make you something to eat.”

As they walked inside, Lucas couldn't help but think about Luna. He wondered what she was doing right now and whether she was feeling the same way he was. 

  He wanted to talk to her, to understand why fate had brought them together, but he didn't know how to approach her.

Over the following days, Lucas found himself struggling with his conflicting emotions. He would spend time with Ava, trying to remind himself that she was the only one for him, but every time he tried, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was missing. 

He felt guilty for thinking about Luna, but he couldn't help it. His wolf was drawn to her, and he didn't know how to ignore it.

One day, as he took a walk through the woods to try to settle his thoughts, Lucas heard a familiar voice calling out to him. “Lucas! Lucas, wait up!”

He turned around and saw Luna running towards him, wearing a slight frown on her face. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement at the sight of her, even though he knew he shouldn't be feeling anything for her.

“What are you doing here, Luna? How did you get in?” he asked, trying to hide his emotions but at the same time, wondering how she got into the pack without his notice.

 He was not expecting her to show up here of all places and he also couldn't help but wonder how she had found out he was here since even Ava probably had no clue where he was. 

Luna looked at him quizzically. “Can't I just come to say hello to my mate? Can you really not guess why I'm here?” she questioned with an unimpressed look on her face. 

Lucas's heart skipped a beat at her words, and he felt a rush of conflicting emotions. He didn't want Luna to be his mate, but at the same time, he couldn't deny the pull he felt toward her.

He still couldn't believe his sore luck. Out of all the women in the world, he had to be paired with Luna, the most insane woman he had ever met. He had never considered her to be anything besides an enemy, someone to be tolerated but never liked. And now, fate had thrown them together as mates, and he was expected to just accept it like it was normal?

Hell no!

The tension between them was palpable. They stood a few feet apart, glaring at each other. Luna looked as if she were about to explode, while Lucas's expression was a mix of disbelief and anger.

“What a joke,” Luna muttered, her voice low but filled with disgust. “Out of all the men in the world, I just had to be unfortunate enough to get stuck with someone like you? What sort of bad luck is that?” she hissed with disgust, purposely trying to trigger Lucas. 

Lucas gritted his teeth. “Trust me, I'm not thrilled about it either, and I also wonder what sort of sore luck this is. You already know I can't stand the mere sight of you, Luna. And the fact that we're mated makes me sick to my stomach,” he retorted, not masking his disgust. 

“Good to know the feeling is mutual,” Luna said with a sneer.

 “You know what's funnier, it's that I never expected that I'd be mates with someone so…dull and weak and just straight-up boring. What is life with you even going to be like? A snooze fest?” Luna said, poking Lucas's ego on purpose. 

Lucas's nostrils flared in anger. “Weak? Dull? Boring? That better be a joke, coming from someone like you, Luna. You don't even know me enough to call me weak and boring,” he argued. 

Luna laughed bitterly. “Sure you're not, but it's still unfortunate that you're stuck with me,” she replied and Lucas shook his head, still wanting to believe this was all just a joke. 

 “Is there any way we can just reject each other and move on from this nightmare? I mean, we clearly hate each other, and it's obvious that neither one of us is going to give in to the other person. It's not like we must be together. So, how about we take the less difficult road of rejection?” Lucas suggested, figuring that the best way he and Luna could get past this, was by rejecting each other as early as they could.

 Luna shook her head. “I wish it were that simple, but it's not. That day at the meeting hall, when we found out we were mates, my father and some other Alphas noticed it as well, so they're also aware of our bond,” she explained. 

Lucas frowned. “And what does that have to do with anything? It has nothing to do with the fact that we want to reject each other,” he replied, not particularly seeing anything wrong in rejecting her even if the whole world already knew. 

 “Lucas, I'm not thrilled with the idea of being your mate and I would love more than anything else to reject you as well, but my father didn't send me here to be rejected. He, more than I am, was thrilled by the idea of us being mates, and he wants us to get together because he believes that our bond is only going to strengthen the alliance between both packs,” she explained. 

 “In other words, I've been given no other choice but to accept, except of course, you choose to carry the cross of rejecting me alone and deal with however my father chooses to react,” she added and Lucas couldn't believe his ears.

He didn't intend to upset Alpha Robles and cause enmity with the Dawn Pack, but at the same time, he didn't think being with Luna was the right thing to do. They just weren't right for each other. 

 He sighed. “I don't know what to say to you, Luna. I mean, I don't want to be enemies with Alpha Robles, but I also don't think being with you feels right. I can't be with someone I don't like, and you also don't deserve to end up with someone you don't like,” he said, trying to make Luna see reason.

“Do you have the perfect excuse to justify rejecting me? Because only then, will my father not lose his mind,” Luna responded. 

 Lucas stared at Luna, his eyes flickering with conflicting emotions. He knew he had to mention Ava, and he knew he had to mention her now. 

Luna looked at him, her expression unreadable. She waited for him to speak, sensing that he had something important to say, and she waited patiently to hear what it was he had to say. 

 “The truth is, I have someone else in my life,” Lucas said, his voice barely above a whisper. “And I do love her,” he announced. 

Luna's face remained expressionless, but her heart sank. She knew that it made sense that he had someone else and that it was her father who believed that their bond was necessary to bring their packs together, but regardless, she still couldn't help but feel slightly hurt. 

 “Then I guess we have nothing else to say to each other. I'll relay your message back to my father and the next time we meet, we'll make sure to break the bond,” she responded and without waiting to hear anything else, she walked away from him, leaving Lucas to his guilt and confusion. 

Unable to deal with his guilt, Lucas attempted to run after her and stop her from getting away with that upset look she had on her face but before he could move an inch, a hand grabbed him suddenly from behind and when he turned to see who it was, his heart dropped to the floor. 

 "Ava,"