Chapter Three - He’s Back

Avaline

A Year Later

The last customer left satisfied, and I pulled the shutters of my bakery. It had been a year since I started Ava’s Patisserie from my grandmother’s garage. The delicacies were the ones I baked from the pages of her vast collection of recipe books. Initially, there were no sales, but when the pack members recognized the items, they knew who the real baker was. I stopped supplying to the packhouse and stocked my shop instead. After a month, sales picked up in Waltonville.

But I didn’t depend on the Ozark Mountain Pack at all, clinching bulk orders from the neighboring towns of Springfield, Fayetteville, Bentonville, and Snyder. My grandmother’s old pickup truck helped me deliver to these places, and cash flowed in.

After the day I confronted Alpha Jason, there was an unspoken enmity between me and Alpha Sebastián’s household. I didn’t care as long as they didn’t interfere with my work. I didn’t need them. With Alpha Jason granting me my wishes, I had nothing more to ask for. I was now officially under the council’s protection, and no one in their right mind could harm me. It gave me courage and the confidence to live with my head held high. I wasn’t ashamed of who I was. The day I achieved my mission, I would leave this pack forever.

Marianne, my close friend, came rushing through the gates. “Have you closed for the day, Ava? Mrs. Knightsbridge wants some bread and dessert. We’re having guests at home.” Mrs. Knightsbridge was Jaxon’s friend, Levi’s mother. She had sheltered Marianne when she lost her family years ago.

I smiled at her and led her into the house. “Yes, I have some ciabatta bread, homemade croissants, and chiffon cake. Will that do?”

She let out a relieved sigh. “Yes, that would be perfect.” She hovered around while I packed. “Mrs. Knightsbridge would have killed me if I had gone home empty-handed. Our chef has left for the day, and Levi has returned home for good.”

My heart pounded with dread. Did that mean Jaxon and Valerie had returned too? “Oh, how? Has he completed his training?”

Marianne grinned, her face bright with unspoken excitement. “Yes, they have all returned. Don’t you know Alpha Maximus is taking over from his father? Alpha Sebastián’s team will step down next month. Jaxon, Levi, Theo, Grayson and Ezra will swear in as Alpha Maximus’s core team.”

I gasped at the news. I hated them all. Ever since that fateful night, I hadn’t seen them in Waltonville. But now, it seemed there was no way to avoid them. If only I could escape before they took over the reins of the Ozark Mountain Pack.

“That’s bad news.” I packed her treats in haste, all my enthusiasm gone. If only I had accepted Alpha Jason’s offer and left.

“Why? This is so exciting, Ava. Jaxon is your fated mate. It’s time to snatch what’s yours. Don’t you think so?” Marianne’s eyes sparkled, but I shook my head slowly.

“You’re crazy! Jaxon hates me. He doesn’t acknowledge the mate bond between us. I don’t want him either. He can go to hell!” I handed her the parcel, dismissing her silently. She could plan her happily ever after with the as*hole Levi Knightsbridge. But I wouldn’t be a fool.

“Are you sure you’re an omega, Ava? Why do I get alpha vibes from you?” She chuckled, turning to leave. Then, on second thought, she stared at me with interest. “Jaxon isn’t as immune to you as he portrays. You were underage while he’s five years older. Did you really expect him to claim you? Maybe now he will.”

I placed my hands over my ears to block her out. No, I wouldn’t hope. “I can’t buy that. He won’t choose me over Valerie.”

Marianne scoffed. “If he wanted Valerie, he would have marked her already, Ava. They've known one another for two decades. They’ve lived in the same academy and trained together. Why do you think Jaxon is still unmated?”

Her words swirled in my mind, robbing me of my peace. They gave me hope, and I clung to it like a sinking ship. She was right. Why else would my fated mate ignore me? All my life, I had felt an attraction towards Jaxon. Earlier, I just sought him out among all the pack members because he was kind to me. But everything changed on his eighteenth birthday. He hated me ever since. Did he realize who I was to him that day?

I hated his notorious ways of sleeping around with every female who spread her legs for him. “No, Mari. He’s unmated because of his reckless ways. Jaxon can’t settle down with one female.”

“Are you sure he sleeps with them? I think he just shows off in front of you to make you react. And you always do.” She smiled and walked away towards the door, leaving me frozen.

I remembered every time he chose another female over me. They were beautiful and beyond my league. I burned with jealousy, yelled after him, and even shed tears of hurt. But every time, he had a smug, satisfied look on his face, enjoying my heartbreak. Was it all a show? No, it couldn’t be.

“What do you mean? Of course, he sleeps with them. Why else would he choose them?” I followed her out, my mind in a state of confusion.

“To make you jealous, maybe.” She shrugged with a wink.

I gaped at her for a second. “Why would he want to make me jealous? He hasn’t accepted the mate bond between us.”

She grinned. “He hasn’t rejected it either.”

She walked out to her car, leaving me gaping at her. Why did Marianne fill my mind with hope? I knew Jaxon hated me. If he hadn’t rejected me, it was only because I had been underage. He had no idea I had experienced my first shift. Now that I had, I was sure he would reject me the moment we met.

I picked up my car keys and drove over to the nearest store. I needed to stock up for the next day’s orders. As I parked the car, my gaze fell on the diner next to the convenience store. There was an enormous crowd of rowdy youngsters, laughing and cheering around another gang. It was another reckless party - the kind Alpha Maximus and his friends hosted. Maybe they were celebrating their homecoming.

Just then, my gaze fell on Levi. What was he doing here when his family was waiting for him at home? Marianne would be so upset to see him with Tiffany, Celine’s best friend. Just as I expected, he was indeed with her, both clinging to one another.

Disgust filled me as I searched for Jaxon. The crowd separated a little, and I saw him laughing with his friends. They were all downing tequila as if it were water. At that rate, they would definitely lose their senses in minutes.

Just then, his gaze fell on me, and I froze. For a minute, the world around me stopped revolving as I drowned in his icy-blue eyes. They were full of hatred as they held me captive. To my immense horror, he slowly approached me. I felt like a deer caught in the headlights, unable to flee.

He hadn’t changed a bit in a year. The arrogance and hatred were still there. Then what did he want from me? Marianne’s words echoed in my head. Would he accept me as his mate this time? I stood rooted to the spot, waiting for him, with a heart full of hope.

He stopped inches from me, his eyes darkening. His gaze wasn’t cold anymore. It burned through my skin as he continued to stare at me. I could feel the alcohol on his breath. Maybe he wasn’t in his senses. “Why are you stalking me?” His voice dropped menacingly low.

My eyes widened, and I stepped backward. “Don’t flatter yourself. I wasn’t stalking you.”

He took a step towards me, his eyes still following every move of mine. “A liar as always! Did you come running here to see me the moment you heard I was here?”

A mad fury coursed through my veins. Did he hear himself? How could I have loved such an arrogant fool? “Think whatever you want if that satisfies your ego.” I turned to go to the store nearby when his hand shot out and gripped my wrist.

“Drop the attitude, omega. Your pathetic stunts and lies won’t make me choose you. Stop chasing me and embarrassing yourself repeatedly.” His grip on my wrist tightened as if he was punishing me for not chasing him.

“Let me go, assh*le! Who told you I was chasing you?” I yanked my hand free of his hold, taking him by surprise. He hadn’t expected an omega to have more strength than his beta aura.

Coming to his senses, he scoffed and grabbed my hand again. His face contorted with fury and mockery as he leaned closer. My breath hitched when he invaded my personal space. Could he feel my pounding heart? “I know you are. You always have, like a filthy little leech. Do you think I’ll pull you out of your gutter just because we’re fated mates? Never. I’ll always trample on you. I’ll always refuse to accept you as my mate.”

I stared helplessly at his twisted face, and my heart sank with despair. How had I hoped for a future with this arrogant fool? “Then reject me. You’ll be free from me forever,” I whispered, trying to get free.