Chapter 42 - Assurance
The way she said it, the way she pleaded, it made something in his chest tighten against his will. He sighed sharply and turned to face her.
But when their eyes met... she had no words.
Her lips parted, but nothing came out. She couldn't explain it.
Lucas's gaze darkened. "You still love him, don't you?" His voice was dangerously quiet. "Deep down, you know you still want him."
Ava's breath caught. "What? Lucas... no. No! How can you even think that?"
Lucas let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "I don't know, Ava. Maybe because you find it incapable to love someone else?"
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Her mouth opened then shut.
Her argument was weak, and she knew it.
Lucas exhaled sharply. "There's your answer."
Ava's entire body trembled before she suddenly snapped.
"I am afraid, god fucking damn it!" she cried, voice raw. "I'm just afraid...afraid of how much it will hurt, afraid to confront the fact that, from the beginning, all I wanted was to use you to get revenge. And it kills me to admit that I could be so selfish toward you." Her breath shuddered. "It... I don't... I cannot fail at loving you, Lucas. Because if I do, I will be broken beyond repair."
Her voice cracked at the end, and Lucas felt something in him fracture.
His hands curled into fists. Why the fuck did that hurt?
Ava's eyes were glassy, lips trembling. "I don't want to admit it because if I lose you, I have nothing left."
Lucas stayed silent.
"You have Sarah... you have Lily... Nelly. You have three concubines, Lucas," Ava whispered. "What do I have?"
Lucas's expression softened, "You have me."
Ava shook her head violently. "That's not enough. That's not an assurance, Lucas. Sarah was also once your favorite. Another concubine might appear tomorrow, and I may just as easily be forgotten."
Lucas clenched his jaw. "What do you want me to say, Ava?"
"Nothing." She exhaled sharply, pressing the heels of her hands to her eyes. "I just want you to understand why I can't say it back. Admitting it makes my situation even more real. It carves its fragility in stone."
Lucas stared at her for a long moment.
Then, with a slow smirk, he murmured, "One step at a time, my little virgin."
Ava choked on her breath.
"I hate you," she muttered, but it lacked bite.
Lucas only chuckled, stepping forward and pulling her close. His lips brushed against her forehead.
"First," he whispered, "you need to officially join the Silver Pack."
Her confession unnerved him.
It marveled him.
It shocked him.
Lucas never expected her to be so afraid to love him.
And that was what it was love.
She just didn't know how to handle it.
He ran his tongue over his teeth, exhaling through his nose. For once, he would win.
For once, the Moon Goddess was smiling at him.
Ava raised her head to meet his "We need to meet my stepbrother on our way back. That way, you can tell him everything you need."
Lucas hesitated.
"I don't know, Ava. I'm not sure this will work."
Because if Wishbone was truly her father, that would make him Jake's father too.
Which meant none of them truly knew how their father died.
Did Leon's father never tell them?
Did they not know who killed him?
Ava tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
Lucas forced a smirk. "Nothing."
He had one truth he could never tell her.
That if she ever found out the truth, that would be what breaks her beyond repair.
*****
Dorian stood stiffly as the cars pulled up to the estate, his sharp eyes flicking to the lead vehicle.
The moment Lucas stepped out, Dorian bowed deeply, a sign of absolute respect for the Alpha.
Lucas barely acknowledged him with a curt nod, his presence radiating a quiet dominance that made even the air feel heavier.
Ava, however, barely made it out of the car before she was attacked.
Or rather pounced on.
By Lily.
The woman practically materialized out of nowhere, eyes burning with curiosity. But she had the decency to wait for the Alpha to disappear inside before striking.
Lily grabbed Ava's wrist, pulling her away from the line of cars with the force of a hurricane.
"Okay, spill!" she demanded, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
Ava blinked. "Wow. No 'hello'? No 'how was your trip?' Just straight to the interrogation?"
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Oh, don't start. Tell me everything."
Ava hesitated.
Because she couldn't.
She couldn't tell Lily that Lucas had temporarily introduced her as Luna.
That for a brief moment, she had felt the power of that title in her veins but it wasn't real.
That it was just Lucas's game.
So, instead, she forced a casual shrug.
"It was okay," she lied smoothly. "Just a bunch of paperwork and two egotistical Alphas at each other's throats."
Lily groaned dramatically. "Ughhh. I was hoping you had a bit of fun sticking it to those bastards who hurt you."
Ava smirked, tilting her head. "Actually... I did."
Lily's entire face lit up. "Oooooh. Tell me everything. Right now."
Ava chuckled and started recounting the moment she completely humiliated Sharon.
But she left out one very important detail.
The punishment.
*****
Lucas stood by the window, his broad shoulders tense, arms crossed over his chest as he watched Ava and Lily walk off together.
His jaw ticked with unspoken emotions. Something dark and possessive curled in his gut as Ava laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder like she had no care in the world.
That same woman had cried in his arms not long ago, torn between her fears and her feelings for him.
Now? She looked light... carefree. Almost as if... as if she wasn't being slowly torn apart inside like he was.
Lucas hated that feeling.
"Ava is Wishbone's daughter," Lucas said without preamble, his voice gravelly with frustration.
Dorian, standing beside him, visibly stiffened. He turned slowly, looking at his Alpha as if he had just announced he planned to castrate himself for fun.