Chapter 15

Staring out into the deep blue sea. Thunder clouds begin to form in the sky. “Alpha Wes is my father?” Ava stands tall next to me, “Yes.” I question her, “You’re absolutely sure of that?” She nods once more, “Luna Bernie knew your mother when she was with Alpha Wes.” I’m trying to wrap my mind around all of this knowing I have to return to the packhouse. Pretending I know nothing.

“Alpha Wes brought your mother here to meet his father. At the time Gavin was the Alpha. He knew your mother was a witch right away. He could smell it.” I recall, “My mother wasn’t a witch.” Not that I can remember. “She was born a witch. Clea didn’t have to practice magic. She had the blood of a Harlow.” I’m a Harlow too, “How did Alpha Wes not smell it on me?”

Ava shrugs, “That I don’t know. But we should start heading back before they realize we’re gone.” She turns to walk back to the car. I grab her by the wrist to swing her back to me. “Is there anything else that you’re hiding from me?” Ava pulls her hand from my grasp. “I know it’s messy. Alpha Wes and Luna Bernie don’t talk about it. Sometimes The Luna visits Gavin. He lives in a lighthouse at Point Conception up in Santa Barbara. But you can never go there.”

So that’s it then. Another dead end. “I finally found my father but I can’t tell him that I’m his daughter. My grandfather lives nearby and I’m not to visit him. Do I have that right?” I can tell that Ava feels bad. “Yes. At least for now. I’m sorry I lied to you Aster. I hope you can forgive me one day.” I tuck her hair behind her ear. “I already do.” My lips brush against hers for a moment.

We almost kiss, “I’m still drawn to you Ava.” The energy between us is magnetic and undeniable. She kisses me but I push her away, “Reed. I’m his now.” Ava steps back, “You don’t want me anymore?” I shake my head, “This is all happening so fast. I can’t fucking think straight Ava. Of course I want you. I want Reed too. I’m lost in a world where I don’t even know who I am anymore.”

I need time to process all of this. “I understand.” Ava says. “Let’s head back.” She adds. We hop in the car and drive back to the packhouse in silence. There’s so many things I want to know. My thoughts are racing. “You can’t let anyone hear those thoughts Aster.” Right, “Well how the fuck am I going to stop them?”

We get out of the car. Ava puts her hand on my forehead. “Mind over matter. You have to focus. Don’t let anyone catch you thinking or envisioning the things that you want to keep private.” Sounds easier said than done, “I’m not sure I can do that.” Ava looks deep into my eyes, “You have to or they might kill us.” So I’m supposed to just forget everything? “What about Reed. How am I to keep this from him?” Ava rolls her eyes, “Reed’s your fated mate. He already knows.”

I wonder if that means that Reed can hear and feel my every thought or emotion no matter where I am. Ava nods, “He sure can.” That’s just great, “So he knows you kissed me.” She smiles, “And he also knows that you kissed me back.” I raise my finger, “No I didn’t. I pushed you away Ava.” She skips up the front steps of the packhouse bar entrance, “You still want me. You made that very clear.” She walks inside. I’m so not ready for this.

My feet drag with every step as I slowly walk to the corner of the porch. I like this spot. There’s a good view of the moon when it rises over the hills. I just wish we could see the ocean from here.

You can.

I close my eyes and I feel his pain. Reed knows that I still have feelings for Ava. But he also knows how much I love him. It’s like we were destined to be with one another. There’s no denying that. A vision of him on the roof flashes in my mind. I walk inside and glance at Ava behind the bar. She points to a door behind her. There’s a door inside the storage closet that says roof access on it. I walk upstairs into an empty old attic. There’s nothing up here. Is that a ladder?

Once I reach the rooftop I can see the ocean far out in the distance. This is beautiful. “So are you.” Reed came out of nowhere. “You scared me.” I snap at him. He laughs, “You don’t have to be afraid of me Aster.” That’s not what I meant, “I’m not.” He gets serious, “Aren’t you?” I wonder to myself why he would feel that way. Am I sending off that vibe? “I was worried that you were gonna be mad at me about Ava.” His face shows no emotions.

He sighs, “The heart wants what the heart wants and I know yours wants mine. For some reason your soul wants Ava too and that’s not easy for me to swallow.” I put my hands in my pockets and shuffle to the edge of the rooftop to get a better view. “I don’t know what it is about her but I don’t feel the same as I do with you.” He comes to my side, “I know. That’s why I’m not mad. It just sucks.” He stares out into the sea. “Yeah, I get that. I’m sorry.”

Reed grabs my hand, “I had no idea about your father.” I shake my head, “Don’t even speak of it. Don’t think about it. Not here.” He agrees, “When the time is right we’ll handle it together.” I half smile at him, “Okay.”

He picks me up off the ground and asks, “Do you trust me?” I wrap my arms around him, “Yeah. I think I do.” He leaps off the building. I scream at the top of my lungs. We land safely on the ground on the side of the packhouse. He puts me down carefully. “Holy shit Reed. A warning would have been nice.” He smirks at me, “I could say the same thing to you.” Ouch, “Yeah I guess you’re right.”

He leans down and whispers in my ear, “Do I have to worry about you working with Ava?” I sigh, “No. I’m good. I can control myself. But you may want to warn her to do the same.” He kisses my cheek and turns away, “I’ll leave that to you.” He runs out back. I take a deep breath and prepare myself to face her again.