Chapter Three: Girlfriend & Mate

Lucas 

I nervously looked at Ava, trying to gauge her reaction first before saying anything to her. I wasn't too sure of what was going on in her head and I couldn’t tell if she was mad at me but, the look on her face was enough for me to know that she wasn’t very pleased. 

"Hey babe, what are you doing here? How did you know that I was here?" I asked, genuinely curious to know how she figure out where I was and also hoping to distract her from any anger she might be feeling towards me.

Ava glared at me, not amused by my question. "Is that really what you're supposed to say to me right now, Lucas? Was that question really necessary?" she asked, her tone cold and displeased.

I could already confirm that she was quite upset and knowing the kind of person Ava was, I needed to make sure I said the right things to her, or else, I'd be risking getting her even more upset. 

  

"I don't know if you know this Lucas but, I’ve been waiting for you the whole day, wondering where in the world you were since you disappeared from my side without saying a word and all you can ask me is how I figured out you were here. Are you being serious right now, Lucas?" she snapped, seeming a lot more irritated than I expected. 

 It suddenly dawned on me that I had left her side early this morning without saying a word to her and I shifted uncomfortably, feeling guilty for not telling her where I was headed earlier. 

"I'm so sorry I left without saying anything to you, babe," I said, keeping my voice calm and gentle. 

"I've been dealing with some pack-related issues and I forgot to tell you that I’d be busy today," I explained, not exactly liking the fact that I was lying to her but knowing that it was necessary as it was the best choice. 

 I had left her side early this morning because I had a lot on my mind mostly concerning Luna and how she was my mate. My wolf had been acting restless and demanding that it wanted to see Luna and because I didn't want to act out in front of Ava and give her any reason to suspect anything, I chose to leave and stay by myself for a few hours, hoping to sort out my complicated thoughts. 

 I was also hoping that by some miracle, Ava had not seen Luna and I together because I didn't know how I'd explain things to her and get her not to think too much of it. 

Ava's eyes narrowed as she stared back at me, her anger apparent. "And who was the lady you were with just now?" she demanded, her tone accusatory. 

"It seemed like you were about to go after her and I’m pretty sure that I've never seen her before. So, who is she and why in the world were you two by yourselves?" she questioned, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at me with eyes that made it clear that she was suspecting something. 

 I mentally groaned at the confirmation that she had seen me with Luna, which was the last thing I wanted.

 I had no clue how I was going to explain Luna’s presence or even explain who Luna really was to me without upsetting her and I honestly didn't think she was ready to hear that I had met my mate cause that would only make her worry for no reason. 

 "Uhm, that was Luna, babe and she's the daughter of an Alpha friend of mine," I answered, trying to sound convincing.

 "She came to talk to me about something some pack-related affairs and I was going to follow her just to escort her back to the border so she doesn't miss her way," I explained.

 Ava scoffed at my response, clearly not buying it. "Do I seem stupid to you, Lucas?" she asked, her voice rising in frustration. 

"You expect me to believe that she only came here for business? What business could she have come to talk about that you two couldn’t talk about it in the packhouse or at least in the meeting room, which is the official room for important conversations? Why did it have to be here?" she demanded, visibly pissed. 

"I'm telling you the truth, Ava. Our conversation was confidential which is why she had to meet me out here but I can assure you that whatever it is you're thinking, it's not it," I replied, hating the fact that I had to lie to her repeatedly even though it was for her own good. 

She stayed quiet for a while, clearly thinking of how to respond and I waited calmly for her to gather her thoughts and blurt out everything she had in mind.

 "I never thought the day I’d ask this question would ever come but tell me the truth, Lucas. Are you cheating on me? Is that woman a lover of yours that perhaps visited and caught you unaware?" Ava asked suddenly and simply saying I was shocked by her question would be an understatement. 

"Wait, what? What are you even talking about, babe? Why would you think to say such a thing? You know very well that I’d never cheat on you, so why would you even ask me that?" I responded, struggling to fathom the fact that she had just accused me of cheating on her.

"You’ve not exactly left me with much of a choice, Lucas. You've been acting strangely ever since you got back from that pack meeting and I'm starting to think that something happened that day and it must have something to do with that woman," she accused and the fact that she was right with her observation, made me feel much worse. 

It didn’t occur to me that she had noticed my distressed mood in the last few days and I hated the fact that I had been too obvious that something was bothering me without realizing it. 

"The last thing I would ever do is cheat on you, Ava, and I need you to believe 'cause it’s the truth," I said to her, hoping she would erase all the negative thoughts she had in mind. 

Ava sighed, her eyes searching mine for any signs of deception. "Lucas, I know you better than anyone else so I’m certain you're lying to me right now," she said her voice firm. 

"But you know what, I'm not going to keep insisting you tell me what’s going on 'cause I’m starting to get the feeling that I'm not going to like what the truth is," she added, and I couldn’t really be sure if she meant it or if she was only trying to bait me. 

I took a deep breath, feeling guilty for not telling Ava the whole truth. As much as I wanted her to trust me, I knew I couldn’t tell her about Luna. Luna wasn’t someone I intended on dealing with for very long and I didn’t want her to start worrying over someone that had no importance in my life. 

"Ava, I know it might be hard for you but please believe me, babe," I said, my voice pleading. "I promise that I'm not lying to you and you don't have to worry about anything. I'm always going to be loyal to you, and that's never going to change," I assured but Ava didn't respond to what I said at all.

 Instead, she asked that we head back to the palace, stating that was tired of talking. I hesitated for a moment, knowing that I still had some things I needed to take care of before I could head back with her. 

For starters, I needed to check if Luna had left the pack and send a guard to follow after her just to make sure she arrived back home safely and I don't seem like some heartless guy. 

 I also needed to speak to Cole, my best friend and third in command to ask for his advice on what to do because I had no idea how to handle the situation without complicating things with Ava and making enemies with Alpha Robles. 

 "I'm sorry, babe," I said, taking her hand in mine. "But I still have some things to take care of before I can head back to the palace. You go ahead without me, and I'll catch up with you soon,"

Ava's expression turned to one of anger. "What do you mean, catch up with me soon?" she demanded. "I'm not going back to the palace without you, Lucas,"

"Ava, please understand," I said, my voice gentle. "I still have some important pack-related affairs to take care of before I can go back but I promise I'll be back soon," I assured her.

But Ava angrily pushed my hand away. "Has it even for a second occurred to you that lately, you're always leaving me by myself, Lucas?" she spat out furiously, glaring at me with an expression that I had never seen before on her face.

 "At this point, I have had it up to here with you and your pack-related businesses, Lucas! I'm sick and tired of it so if you don't come with me now, I'm going to go back home and you’ll never see me again," she threatened.

I sighed, knowing that Ava was only being this way because she was hurt and that it was all my fault.

"Please, Ava, listen to me," I said, trying to explain. "There are some things that I need to handle before I join you at the palace but I promise it won't take long," I said to her, hoping she would just calm down and understand me like she always does. 

She looked like she still wasn’t going to listen but before I could say anything else to convince her, a voice interrupted us. 

"Is everything alright, Lucas?" a somewhat familiar voice asked and I froze at the thought of who I felt the voice belonged to.

 I slowly turned around only to see Luna standing behind us, with a confused expression on her face. 

She was the last person I was expecting to see right now and my heart sank when I realized that Luna, my mate, and Ava, my girlfriend, were standing face to face.

 Ava turned to look at Luna, and I could see the confusion and hurt in her eyes. I knew that I had to explain things to her quickly, but I didn't know how to do it without hurting either of them.

"Now’s your chance, Lucas. Explain what this is and who she is, right now!" Ava demanded and I didn’t miss the look of contempt she had in her eyes as she stared intensely at a confused Luna.