Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 50

The usual clatter of utensils filled the dining room as hungry pack members ate Helen’s culinary offering. Most had been outside since early morning, either helping to clean up the oil spill or patrolling the perimeter of the territory looking for signs of trespassers.

Arthur sat at the head of the table, poking at his food, unable to eat. Ava was off to work by now and he couldn’t help but think of how badly they’d parted. Yesterday morning, he’d had such hopes when he’d come home early, leaving Franz temporarily in charge of the oil clean up. It had been her birthday and he’d been planning the day for quite some time; Ryne and his annoying childish pranks weren’t going to be allowed to spoil the day he’d mapped out.

Staring blindly across the room, he reviewed how the day should have gone. He’d arranged for a private room at the Grey Goose where the two of them would have had an intimate meal together. His friend, Edward Mancini, had even had the chef make a special menu for the occasion. When Ava finally finished her shift, Arthur had thought he would meet her in the parking lot, blindfold her, and then bring her in through the private side door—Edward having assured him that Ava hadn’t yet seen the exclusive suites upstairs. She’d be so surprised by the luxurious surroundings; he could imagine the look on her face when she saw the four-poster bed, complete with a curtained canopy, the hot tub and even the gold faucets in the bath.

After a leisurely meal, he would give her his presents. He smiled thinking how she’d react to the green sweater he’d bought. She’d mentioned it on one of her first days here, but probably never realized how closely he’d been listening to what she said. The sweater had been sitting on hold at the store for the last two weeks, with instructions to deliver it that morning so there was no chance of Ava accidentally finding it. Next, he’d planned on presenting her with a delicate gold bracelet he’d picked out to suit the fine bones of her wrist. It had a small wolf medallion hanging from it, inscribed with their names and the date of their mating.

For his last gift, he was planning on professing his feelings, thus giving her his heart. He’d always been cautious about opening up to anyone, but with Ava it was different. He felt comfortable sharing his inner self with her and wanted to ask if she’d b***d-bond with him. Then, if everything went as he’d planned, they’d spend the rest of the afternoon making love and discovering each other’s most secret thoughts and feelings.

Of course, that was all a dream. Nothing had happened as he’d planned. Instead of an intimate afternoon of bonding, they’d spent the time arguing. He’d crossed all the lines, leaving her frightened and confused. Would she ever forgive him? The temptation to go poking about in her mind to discover how she was feeling was strong, but he knew he had no right. In ordinary circumstances, b***d-bonded mates would think nothing of tiptoeing through each other’s thoughts, but he and Ava were hardly ordinary.

He’d forced the bonding on her, and even though in the end she’d actively participated, he still felt as if he’d almost raped her. Self-loathing and disgust consumed him. How could he have done that? Losing control was never an option for him. His father’s tainted b***d ran through his veins and he knew what he was capable of if he didn’t keep constant guard over his emotions. But yesterday… Sighing heavily, he acknowledged the truth. Yesterday, he’d let the famed werewolf possessiveness take over. Reason had been lost and he’d brutally forced himself on his mate.

What kind of a monster did that?

Absentmindedly, he noted the fork in his hand was bending under the strength of his grip and his jaw clenched as he carefully set the utensil down on the table. What was happening to him? His behaviour was totally unacceptable, as if the wolf side of him was dominating the human. Indeed, when he’d b***d-bonded with Ava, his wolf had taken over, driving him to claim his mate so that no one else could ever have her. He’d been too rough, too animalistic; so caught up in the act that by the end he’d dropped exhausted at her side, immediately falling asleep without even checking how she was feeling.

When he awoke afterward, he’d stared horrified at the mark he’d inflicted on Ava’s neck. She’d m****d in her sleep and it had been like someone stabbing his heart. He’d hurt his mate, marking her in a fit of possessive rage, doubting her word… True, the evidence against her was substantial, but he should have examined it with calm reason rather than reacting in anger.

When she’d finally stirred, he’d sensed she was scared and confused. Then, as the reality of what had occurred sank in, sadness seemed to consume her. He’d reached out to her, but she’d drawn back in fear and that was when he knew he had to block the connection between them. She didn’t want him—she desired him physically—but she couldn’t really want him in her life anymore.

His actions had destroyed the tentative relationship they’d been building.

It wouldn’t surprise him in the least if she asked to leave, to return to her original pack. Such an action would break the alliance and he’d have to fight the Elders on it.

Once again, he sighed heavily, knowing he could never let her go, even if it was allowed. She was his mate and the possessiveness of their race would never allow him to set her free, but he’d do his best to leave her alone, to give her the space she needed. It went against every instinct he had, but he’d do it. A wry smile drifted over his face. Even now, his wolf was working against his human resolve, trying to convince him that Ava wanted to contact him. The tingle in the back of his mind had him automatically opening up, but he caught himself in time and firmly shut the door. It was wishful thinking on his part. Ava wouldn’t be calling to him. Giving her privacy was the least he could do.

Sensing someone beside him, Arthur glanced up. Helen was there with a worried expression on her normally pleasant round face. Raising his brows, he looked at her questioningly.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Arthur, but the Grey Goose called. Ava didn’t show up for work today and they were wondering if she was ill. I know she went for a walk this morning, but she never came back. Her car’s still here…” Helen’s voice trailed off and she twisted her hands nervously.

Arthur pushed his chair back and stood up, nodding for Helen to follow him. He didn’t want the rest of the pack overhearing their conversation. Once in the kitchen, he rubbed the back of his neck and looked at Helen out of the corner of his eye. The woman was almost like his mother and he felt like a little kid confessing to her.

“Helen, Ava and I… Well, we had a…er…disagreement yesterday and I told her she couldn’t work at the Grey Goose anymore. I guess she thought I meant it.” “You what?” Helen looked at him incredulously.

“Yeah, I know. I’m an idiot. She’s really mad at me, so she’s probably waiting until I’m gone before coming home for lunch. I guess she forgot to call Edward to tell him.”

Helen paused and frowned before speaking. “Arthur, it’s really none of my business, but I can’t keep this to myself. Ava told me some of what happened yesterday, about the diary and

Seth, how you fought and then bonded. She was really upset—”

He interrupted. “I know. She’s scared of me now and sad that I took away her chance to b***d-bond with someone she really lov— Hey! What was that for?” Helen had just slapped him across the back of the head! He bit back the snarl that such an action would have earned anyone else.

“Standard treatment for stupidity.” Her hands were on her h**s and she appeared to be shaking her head in despair.

“Stupidity?” In the back of his mind, he acknowledged that only Helen would dare say that to the Alpha.

“Yes. And if Ava was here, I might slap her too, though she’s young and in a new pack, so I’m more inclined to forgive her, but you! You’re the Alpha, our supposed leader! You, of all people, should be able to read your own mate. Haven’t you used your bond to figure out what she’s really feeling?”

“I did, right afterwards. She was confused, scared, sad… I blocked her out after that. I’m not a suitable mate for her. Giving her a bit of privacy was the least I could do.”

Helen snorted. “What you did was convince her that you didn’t care; that you didn’t want her near you.”

“That’s not true!”

“Whether it is or not, that’s what she thought. Of course she was confused and scared! All of a sudden she had all your thoughts in her head and she couldn’t sort them out. And you—you were feeling pretty down on yourself for the circumstances surrounding the bonding, right?” He tightened his lips but nodded.

“Well, Ava took that to mean you hated her and regretted bonding with her, not just the circumstances surrounding how it happened. She was crying her eyes out this morning because she loves you, but she’s under the impression you don’t love her back.”

He stared at the floor, wincing as an actual pain attacked his heart. He never meant to hurt Ava. It was the last thing he wanted to do, and by trying to make things better, he’d actually made it worse.

Looking up, he found Helen observing him with a look of pity in her eyes. She reached out and cupped his cheek. “Arthur, you did the wrong thing, but for the right reasons. I know you’re worried about becoming your father, but one fight with your mate doesn’t mean you’re him.”

He wasn’t so sure of that fact but didn’t bother to argue the point. Helen had always had a soft spot for him, and her assessment of his character was more favourable than he knew he deserved. “So, what should I do?”

“Are you looking for another slap on the head?” Helen scolded him. “Hook up that wonderful connection you now have with your mate. Go find her, explain how you feel!” With that, Helen shoved him out the door.

Standing at the edge of the woods, Arthur wiped his sweaty palms on his pant legs and shoved his hands into his back pockets. He’d faced a challenge fight to the death with fewer qualms than he had at this moment. Opening up a connection with Ava had him inexplicably nervous. What if Helen was wrong? What if she didn’t love him? What if she really hated him for the b***d-bond?

“Hey, Arthur!” The sound of Julia’s voice behind him broke into his thoughts. He turned to observe the athletic blonde jogging down the path. “Are you waiting for Ava?”

He cleared his throat before answering. “Yeah, something like that.”

“I’m surprised she hasn’t returned yet. I ran into her and Rose over an hour ago and had the impression that they were taking a short walk.” Julia leaned against a tree and stretched her leg muscles while talking.

“Really? I wonder why they aren’t back yet.” He frowned. To the best of his knowledge, Rose wasn’t an exercise fanatic and didn’t go on long walks. Then again, he didn’t know the girl very well; she never drew attention to herself and it was only recently, since she’d been dating Daniel, that he’d taken much notice of her.

“Yeah, it’s sort of strange, isn’t it? And you know what else? Rose was acting odd. I mean, she’s always quiet, but…” Julia paused and then shrugged. “I don’t know. Something was off. When Ava asked me to join them, Rose had this weird look on her face. I think she was relieved that I couldn’t go with them.” She bent down to tighten her shoelaces. “At the time, I didn’t think that much about it, except that maybe Rose wasn’t feeling well, but now that they aren’t back… Well, I suppose Rose could have gotten sick along the way. That would explain why they’re so late.”

Arthur narrowed his eyes as he considered the fact. “Do you know where they were going?”

“Umm…they were headed towards the lake, but I’m sure they didn’t actually go that far, since it’s still out of bounds.” Julia stood and bounced up and down a few times, while efficiently readjusting her ponytail that had started to loosen.

“Thanks, Julia. I think I’ll head out and meet them. They’re probably on their way home by now, anyway.”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you later.” Julia gave a nod and continued her daily jog.

Once she was on her way, Arthur leaned his back against a tree and tilted his head towards the sky. He opened his mind, searching for Ava. As his senses expanded—searching and reaching—his instincts were telling him something was off, but he wasn’t sure what. Hoping his inner wolf was wrong, he focused in on Ava and felt his heart lurch. Waves of pain and fear washed over him. She was in danger! Cursing himself for not seeking her out sooner, he shifted into wolf form and raced through the woods, following a call that only his heart and soul could hear.