Part 80. The Solution

It was quiet for a handful of beats, blood rushing in her ears as her parents stared at her, waiting for an answer. Exhaling loudly, Ava slowly began to explain the events that led to war, watching her parents face pale.




“You are not going back!” Her mother declared as soon as she was done with the explanation, her lips pressed into a thin line. She looked at Ava’s Alphas, her arms now crossed in front of her chest as the Luna glared internal daggers at them.



“Mom!” Ava exclaimed, the chair scraping against the floor as she abruptly stood up, throwing her hands in the air. “I am a part of their pack. Please try to understand.”




“My love, please sit down,” Dante whispered, urging her with his hands patting at the seat.




She fell back into her chair defeated and shook her head in irritation, her chin resting on her palm as she huffed with impatience. Ava could feel the heat from her mother practically radiate off from her, the Lunas eyes sending sharp, aggressive daggers to the omega.




Her father made a sound, opening his mouth to speak while patting at the Lunas hand. “You know what happens in war, Ava. How can we send you back to such a place? Please try to understand your mother’s side too.”




The Pack Alpha pointed his gaze directly at Ava; he nodded his head in a way to tell the omega to speak. She didn't know where to start. The pressure of their eyes on her made Ava fumble in her seat as she looked down at her tangled fingers, her cheeks puffing out in a way to calm down.




“Dad, not you too!”



“Honey…”



She made a face. “I know that you are worried, but….”



Zach made a sound, interrupting her midway and giving her a look. She shrunk in the chair, petulantly crossing her arms together. “Sir, believe us when I say this, we would understand if you don’t want to help us. We did not ask Ava to do this.”




Dante and Ares nodded their head at the same time. She twisted her mouth. They could have played along.



The Alpha straightened in his seat; he tilted his head while licking his lips, his mouth opening to form words but not before staring at his brothers. “Besides, we would throw ourselves in front of her if such an occasion arises.” His eyes flickered to her side, features softening. “She is our mate, and we won’t let anything or anyone hurt her. I hope you can trust us and give us your blessing to court Ava.”



“What’s the point of asking now?” The Luna rolled her eyes.



“Mom!” Ava hissed, glaring at her mother, who was perched on the seat opposite to the omega.



The Pack Alpha chuckled, shaking his head as he assessed Zach. “You sound a lot like me when I went to get my mates parents approval. Don’t worry; I will not give you a hard time.”




Ares smiled. “We appreciate it, sir.”




Her mother cleared her throat, hands folded on her crossed legs, chin raised high. “This daughter of mine is a stubborn one, and nothing I say affects her. So you three better make sure that you take care of her, or you will have to face Luna's wrath.”




The three Alphas audibly gulped before nodding their heads. It would have been a hilarious thing if Ava was not panicking about the decision.




“Does that mean you will send our pack soldiers during the war?” Her breath was still caught in her throat, eagerly waiting, her eyes shifting between both of them.



“It’s not like I have much of choice here.” The Luna shrugged.
***
The next morning, Ava immediately sneaked to her father's study. One of the things she knew about the Pack Alpha was that he loved to check on the letters in the morning in his study. Ava asked her mates to meet her in the dining hall in a few minutes. So after a detailed discussion the night before, they decided to leave after having breakfast with her parents.





She had to find the solution to Jacobs curse, and the omega knew her father was hiding it. The look on their faces when she told them and how easily they dismissed her said enough. Swallowing a lump, she tentatively knocked on the door, shifting on her feet while staring at the familiar setting. On her way, Ava made sure not to be spotted by the Luna or else she will have to say goodbye to her plan.




"Come in", Her fathers voice echoed from inside, making her lips twitch.



Pushing the door, Ava stepped in, her shoulders slumping in relief when she noticed he was all alone.




"Ava?" Her father looked up, his eyes gleaming under the lighting, a bright smile taking over his face. "Why are you up so early, honey?"




He motioned towards the empty chair in front of him. She immediately pulled at one of them, sliding in before resting her folded hands on the desk. At the stack of letters, the omega hid a smile.



"Umm...dad, I was hoping to talk to you before we leave."



The Pack Alpha straightened his back as her words sank in, a huff leaving his lips. He crossed his arms together, leaning back to stare at her. "Why are you leaving so soon? We barely spent time with you."




"The situation back in our pack is very delicate now. We cannot be away for a long time." She wetted her lips; fingers wrung together in her lap. "As their mate, I don't want to take advantage of them in this situation."




"They are fortunate to have you."



Ava beamed, her cheeks flushing at those words. "I feel the same, dad."




"So," Her father started and tilted his head slightly to the side, unabashedly observing and assessing her. "What is it you want to talk about? It must be urgent since you came to my study so early."



The omega inhaled sharply, trying not to squirm under his intense gaze on her while also trying to get the words out. Her father was always fulfilling her demands from the start, so this should not be difficult for him. "Uh...I know that you are hiding something from me about the curse, dad. Mum will never tell, so can you please help me out this once? Please, dad."




Her father cursed under his breath, a flash of something taking over his features before it was quickly gone. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the Pack Alpha met her stare; eyes turned into slits.



"You need to forget out about it!" He called out desperately, his voice echoing through the large room. Her father took a calming breath, and then another, before shaking his head. "I am not going to help you with this, Ava Pearl."




She gulped audibly. Her father rarely got mad at her as they always relied on each other. Ava did not understand how to deal with his anger, her toes curling in her shoes. Determination seared through her, and she daringly met his eyes.




"I cannot go back without finding it, dad. Do you know my mates have two sisters? They will be fatherless if I don't help Jacob, and I promised their younger one, Janet, that everything will be alright."




Her chest heaved once she was done, face growing hot when her father pinned her with a look. Silence settled over them, the only sound of her laboured breathing along with the wind blowing through the gaps in the room echoing around. Why was her father so quiet? What was he thinking?




When the Pack Alpha suddenly spoke, it was quiet, but it still startled Ava, making her heart jump—exhaling, she sunk her teeth on her bottom lip, gawking at him.




"There is a solution only healers can perform on curses like this." Her father slowly started. "The healer takes all of the curse inside them and let another healer put a silver sword through their body. The curse will die, and if the healer is lucky, they survive. Our ancestors only did this for the Alphas. They were mates, so the bond was strong enough to bring them back. Besides, no one from this pack will put a sword through you. So forget about doing it."




Ava took a shaky breath. No wonder her mother was not ready to tell her. She opened her mouth to ask, but her father had already placed a hand in front.



"I am not doing it."




"Worth a try." The omega stretched her lips into as much of a cheeky smile as she could manage, trying to hide a grimace. "Thank you so much for telling me, dad."



As her father said, no one from the Pack would help her, so who was she going to turn to? A loud sigh escaped her lips, body slumping back in the chair.
***
So the solution is revealed. Who do you think will help Ava?
***