Ava's POV
Asking me out of the blue if he was my mate was something I never expected, and I didn't know what my answer could contribute to our meeting or what it could cause.
With the way they looked at me, I could tell that it was a must that I answer the question and that there would be no way I would be able to avoid it.
“Well, yes. He is.” I replied, waiting for their reaction or what was going to come next.
“Alright, actually Prince Asher has been looking for you in the hall like he knows you're here. He almost found you, in fact.” Jake said to her.
I looked inwardly, wondering why Prince Asher was suddenly looking for me. Anyways, it couldn't be something that would turn out good. I'll have to run far from his grip.
“I'll ensure I stay out of his sight.” I assured Jake.
Besides, I wouldn't want the incident that happened in the hall because of the way my wolf felt towards Prince Asher to happen again.
“Good.” Jake uttered.
Everywhere became silent for a while until Jake cleared his throat.
“Is there still something you want to say?” I asked, looking at them with curiosity.
“Uhm… That guy who just left us, who is he to you?” Jake finally enquired as he moved closer.
“Why do you ask?”
“That’s because I noticed that you both seem close. He helped you when you fainted and then also stayed here for a long period of time.”
“Yeah, we're close. He's Jack, my best friend.” I responded casually.
“I know he's Jack.”
“You know him?”
“Yes. And in fact, you should not fully trust him and reveal your identity to him.” He cautioned me with a look of concern.
“I… I don't understand. He already knows I'm a female if that's what you're worried about.” I spoke, letting him know so he could be a little calm in case that was his fear.
“If he already knows that you're a female, that's fine. But I don't want you to trust him with deep details like who you truly are and all. You can't trust him.”
“I still don't understand you, Jake. What do you mean by I shouldn't trust him"? This is my best friend, for goodness sake, and we've been together for quite a long time. He has never once let me down or made me regret that I ever chose to be his friend. You can't tell me what to do regarding Jack.” I voiced out with a deep frown.
There's no way I would just stop being friends with him because of Jake. If I were to be frank, I trust Jack more than I trust Jake. I've never really known Jake, and he suddenly comes out of the blue, revealing himself as the Delta of my former pack, and now he wants me to listen to him?
“Uhm… I'll excuse you both for a while.” Professor Harley said and turned to leave the ward.
“I think you should go with him. I need a space to myself.” I uttered as I looked away from him.
Jake then sighed and walked over to the chair where Jack had once sat beside me, and then he sat comfortably.
“I didn't say you could have your seat.” I said coldly without looking at him.
“I understand how you feel, Ava. I really do. But at the same time, my job is to protect you from evil and to do what's right to ensure that you are fine and are walking down the right path.” Jake spoke calmly.
But I chuckled dryly.
“You really do not understand. While you weren't here trying to protect me, Jack was the one who has been there for me. He has protected me several times and prevented people from knowing my secret. Even when I'm on my sad days, he has always proven to be a true friend. When I had nothing and was on the verge of making my secrets known, he was always there to save me at the last minute. Now, tell me. How do you think I'm going to listen to you and cut off my best friend? A kind of personality that is so rare to find. Tell me, how possible do you think that is?” I uttered with tears building in my eyes.
To me, it was an unfair judgement. To just come back into my life and start with removing people he had an unnecessary suspicion about was just not it, and there was no way on earth that I was going to yield to whatever he wanted.
“Truth be told, I trust him more than I trust you, so just understand that and leave me be. Besides, I haven't agreed to being who I was before the raid and destruction of our pack. Don't raise your hopes high. I'm so much more relaxed and happy right here in this academy. I've got all I want. Friends, love, family, knowledge, opportunities, respect, honour, and more. So, I'm fine, and you can stop worrying unnecessarily about me.” I said to him in a stern manner so he could know how serious I am about everything.
“There's nothing you have said that I don't understand, Ava. And I know that you're saying this because you don't know the truth. If you did, these words won't come out of your mouth easily.” Jake uttered and clasped his fingers.
“What do you mean by the truth? What truth do I not know of or haven't heard of?” I questioned, beginning to get more and more confused.
Then Jake let out a deep sigh and rose to his feet. My eyes followed him as he began to walk around the ward with his hands in his pockets.
“Say something. Why are you just pacing around without a word?” I voiced, not liking the way things were now.
Then he halted and looked at me.
“Jack's wolf pack is largely responsible for the death of your parents, Ava.” He dropped the bomb with a tightened jaw.