Ava’s POV
I was shocked that lan agreed to show me around. But it was not something I wanted.
I glanced at my mother, who nodded her head as a signal to go with him and Stephen. I heaved a sigh.
“Okay.”
Ian and Stephen walked ahead while I followed them behind. I noticed Ian and Stephen returning to their casual moods as we passed through the living hall. They seemed to be masking themselves in front of their parents, but now that they have moved away from them, they are more relaxed.
My eyes focused on Ian. I frowned as my wolf howled while looking at him..
‘Why do you still feel for him? He’s no one’to us.‘ I told my wolf, trying to calm her down.
“By the way, Ava, I heard you just turned eighteen,” Stephen asked while walking in front of me, beside Ian.
Ian looked uninterested, and I also moved my eyes away from him and shifted them toward Stephen.
“Last week,” I replied in a lower tone.
All thanks to my introverted nature, I was not used to chatting with others.
I noticed Ian had halted his steps for a moment but then he continued to walk again.
“What is your hobby? Reading books? You must have a large collection of books, right? My dad also enjoys reading books,” Stephen said.
Before I could answer him, Ian spoke out,
“When did you start to get interested in these things, Steph”
His voice was full of mockery.
I paid no attention to him and glanced around the hallway that we had just entered. It was a very large gallery. Or I could describe it as a hall with many artworks on display for people to see.
I saw many pictures of wolves, including oil paintings of their canines, eyes, and other features.
The decorations impressed me as well.
The sound of a ringtone reached our ears. Ian reached into his pocket and took out his phone. Stephen peeked at his phone and smirked at him.
Ian gazed at me while receiving the call. I was confused by his actions.
“Hello, baby.”
I turned my head away from him. He was talking to his girlfriend, Nova. His soft tone really broke my heart. I wanted to leave right now.
“Yes, baby. Why not? I can go anywhere with you.”
Stephen looked at me. I believed he understood my uneasiness. He patted Ian’s shoulder and said,
“Bro, you can talk. I’m showing her around.”
He rolled his eyes and replied in an annoyed tone, “I didn’t have any interest in showing her around either. It’s
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just because of my parents that I had to agree with it.”
I felt really awkward at that moment. It was like I was an uninvited guest in his house. How could he insult me all the time like that?
What did I do wrong to him? In fact, he rejected me, and I did not say anything to anyone about it.
He walked past me while talking on his phone.
“No one is at my home, baby. It’s just some unimportant guest.”
I tightened my fists on my dress. My glass slipped down my nose. I pushed it up.
How many more times was he going to break my heart?
“Don’t mind him. He is just a childish boy,” Stephen said that and started to walk again.
I gazed at his back and thought for a moment. Should I trust this guy? Because he also belonged to that power
gang.
What if Ian left this hall because the two of them were planning a prank on me? I started to have trust issues.
“Where are you lost? Come here. I will show you the back door.”
I went after him. He brought me to the back side of the pack house.
I noticed many men walking back and forth, as if they were guarding the area. Some of them glanced at Stephen and nodded their heads at him.
Since Stephen was their future Gamma, they all knew him really well. He may have come to the pack house almost daily to have training as the soon–to–be gamma.
A gamma was the commander of the pack fighters. With a single gesture, he could turn the entire battle upside down. But Gammas were always loyal to their Alphas. They could sacrifice their lives for them, just like the pack’s beta.
Stephen turned to me when I was looking outside the pack house. The forest area was perfectly visible to me. The pack house was close to the woods.
“You must be very upset over what Ian did to you.”
The question caught me off guard. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh, okay. Then tell me something about your life. How is your life at home? Does your mother spend a lot of time- in the hospital? Do you think she should give her time to you? Or do you want to get a better life?”
I was perplexed by his inquiry. I had no idea why he was asking these types of questions to me. We had just met today.
“Don’t mind me. I heard about your father and wondered if you were okay with your life.”
My eyes turned wide when I heard him. I blinked a few times. No one had ever asked about my father because I never told them about him. How did he know? Then I realized Alpha and Luna might have something to say because they knew everything about us. 1
“I think I should leave now. My mom is waiting for me.”
I turned around to return to the living room.
I did not want anyone’s sympathy. I was okay with my life, and my mother was trying her best for me.
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“I apologize if my question hurt you in any way.” I heard Stephen’s voice behind me. He strode over to walk next
to me.
“It’s okay,” I mumbled.
I assumed my mother was pleased to see Alpha and Luna after such a long time. Thinking about it made me happy, even though seeing lan today broke my heart all over again.
When I entered the living room, my steps canie to a halt when I noticed my mother shaking her head. She appeared to be outraged.
“My daughter has just turned eighteen. I believe she will find her mate soon. How can you all even think about it? It’s not possible!”
