Part 86. Tristans Past

Ava was sure her shoulder would pop out from the way her mother pulled at her. The Lunas hand was wrapped around her wrist, flinging her daughter into the dirty training ground, the omegas body embracing for the rough hit of the ground. Her knees and elbows almost hurt from taking the most impact, and she buried her face so her mother would not be able to see the tears in her eyes.




"Honey, will you stop this madness?! She's still a pup! We can do this when she is old enough to understand." Her father's voice rang through the open air, hands reaching out towards his daughter.




Ignoring his protests, the Luna slapped his hand and pulled Ava up with force and helped her stand to her feet. The omegas eyes were red with tear marks staining a path down her cheeks, the pain starting to get to her slowly. The pup wanted to go back to reading but her mother rudely interrupted and pulled her away.




Her body was screaming for it as her mouth hung open, her breathing was too fast to count.




"She is not going to learn anything if I don't teach her from now. You saw what happened..." The Luna stopped talking; her mouth pressed in a straight line.




Her father placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, but she moved away. "I understand that, but—"




"Moons forbid, but if something like that happens again and Ava is the only one standing, do you wish for her to be with no attack skills? Should we leave her so unprepared for a world that's going to take every chance to hunt our kind?"




Her father flinched at that, tugging on his mates wrist. "I cannot believe you are talking like that in front of our pup. Are you trying to scar her forever?"




"She deserves to know the kind of life she will face in the future, Alpha." With that, the Luna took a step closer to her, making Ava straighten her back. "Besides, she is doing fine the way she is. Right, Ava?"



"Yes, mother."



"Great! Let's start training."



Ava shot up quickly from her sleep, breathing in short bursts and occasional coughing while looking around. The duvet was pooled at her waist as she put a palm over her racing heart. Sweat drenched her whole body, making her hair stick against her forehead. The heels of her palms rubbed at the sleepiness in her eyes as she slumped in her bed.




Her mother had temporarily gone insane after losing Tristan during the attack, channelling all that guilt and pent up feelings into training Ava.



It was quiet in the room apart from snores coming next to her. How did I get here? She thought to herself while looking at her mates sleeping form. Ava remembered Tristan and how Zach consoled her before carrying her back home.



A slight creak in the bed startled her, only to see Ares sitting up. The Alpha blinked before throwing an arm around her. "D-Did you have a bad dream, pup?" His voice was sleep riddled and husky, making her lips twitch.



"Mhm, something like that."




"Come here." He motioned to his open arms when she instantly shifted and threw her body towards him. Ava's eyes rolled back as the warm scent surrounded her, hands curling around his loose tee.



His fingers rubbed circles in her back, whispering sweet nothings while letting her head rest on his chest.



"You are okay, pup," The Alpha whispered, his breath making her tickle. "Everything will be alright."



With the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat, she closed her eyes and let the sleep take her.
***
The following day as Ava sat in the living room, busy peeling oranges, a sharp knock on the door startled her. Before she could stand up, Dante was rushing towards the main entrance while holding his mobile phone.




"I'll get it!"



She shrugged and resumed her task, a yawn slipping out of her parted mouth. The omega did not get adequate sleep, and her eyes were still puffy, so she hoped to put the orange peel and cold spoon under her eyes. A remedy that her mother passed on.




"Ava!" Dante yelled her name, his head twisting while still holding the door open. "Your brother is here to see you."




At that, she sprang up, abandoning the bowl on the couch and rushing towards her Alpha. Ava couldn't believe her ears, her hands going clammy as she thought about it. Her brother came back.




"Tristan!" Ava breathed, watching him stand next to the beta, Cedric, appearing dishevelled with messy hair and bloodshot eyes. "Please come in."




Her brother looked questioningly in Dante's direction, not wanting to invade the cabin space. The Alpha stepped away with a weak smile, welcoming him. Cedric, on the other hand, bid them goodbye and promised to come back soon.





Ava could not contain the grin spreading across her lips, dragging Tristan along.





"Thank you for letting me in, Alpha Dante." Her brother cleared his throat, the familiar voice echoing in her ears, making her heartache.




Ava had been contemplating about breaking the news to her mother after he fled away. Now that Tristan came back, they can visit their mother together and explain everything. Exhaling loudly, she stared at her brother awkwardly sank on the couch, his legs pressed together.




"Let me get you something to drink." The omega breathed then stopped herself, not knowing what he preferred. Her cheeks went red at that, lips parting. "Umm...what do you like?"




As if sensing her thoughts, Tristan awkwardly laughed. "Anything is fine."



Dante pressed a hand down her shoulder before she could get on her feet, sending a warm smile in her direction. "Why don't you catch up with Tristan? I will put on the kettle for you two."




Her eyes brightened at that, head tilting and returning his smile. "Thank you, Alpha. That would be wonderful."



As soon as he turned on the balls of his feet, the omega saw Tristan exhale a loud breath, his posture relaxing. Why was he so tense around her, Alpha? Is that why he ran away the night before? She had so much questioning going in her mind.




"Uhh...I am sure you have a lot of questions for me." The Alpha twisted his mouth, lines marring his face. It's been years since she last saw him; Tristan was a pup. They both were, but he aged well.



Ava bobbed her head.



"Let's start from last night." She folded her hands together in her lap, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why did you run away like that, Tristan?"



He winced at her question, ducking his head away and tapping his feet nervously against the ground. "M-My wolf does not take kindly to my past. The memory of my childhood is mostly a blur to me, but your name sounded familiar, so I stayed up all night and recalled every single detail."




Ava's heart twisted, tears brimming in her eyes at the rawness of his tone. The omega could detect the truth and pain behind those words, his struggle to keep a straight face.




"I am sorry..."



"T-Tristan" Her lips quivered, but she chewed on them, holding back her cries. "Please do not apologise. I am glad that you found me."




A few seconds trickled by where Ava snuffed, wiping at her tears and leaning forward. She placed a hand on his arm only to see him flinch and hide them back. "I was just spooked. Sorry."




Ava let it go. She placed her hands away from him, her eyes meeting his. "What happened to you? Where have you been all this time?"





"I don't remember much of that, but I was taken to another pack." Tristan let out a long breath, his arms crossed together and sitting up straight. "The only reason they spared me was my wolf nature, and also, I was special in their eyes. For the first few days, I tried to escape but could not. As the years went by, I accepted my fate and forgot about that fateful day. My Pack Alpha was kind enough to treat me like his own, gave me my cabin when I became of age."




Ava nodded her head along, relief sinking her bones knowing that her brother was treated right. "Who is your Pack Alpha?"




Tristan pursed his lips at that, looking away and turning his head towards the wall, breathing through his mouth. "Pack Alpha Lukas."



Silence surrounded them, making Ava freeze in her spot, her heart thumping loudly against her chest. "Alpha Lukas?" The omega echoed with a dumbfounded expression taking over her face. "He has been taking care of you all these years?!"




Her brother shakily nodded his head, eyes clenching shut. "I know that both the packs are having some issues..."




She cut him off, her jaw tightening. "Issues? They declared war upon us, Tristan." A sudden realisation dawned on her, and the omega blinked at a leisure pace, swallowing a lump formed in her throat. "Please do not tell me that you are involved in this mess. Are you the one responsible for those attacks?!"
***
Hopefully I will wrap this book this week. My cold and fever kept me up past few nights but I am back in shape! Tell me what you think so far.
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