The Golden Lycans (Ella) novel Chapter 3

*** Austin***

I skip down the steps of the main staircase down toward the floor of the atrium, smiling broadly as my eyes focus on her; my beautiful girlfriend Ava. 

I have not seen her for the past four weeks as she has been on holiday with her family. She looks very exotic right now with her raven hair against her sunkissed skin; looking more beautiful to me than ever. She returns my smile as she locks her eyes into mine. I stride up to her and pull her into a tight hug, smelling her hair and neck as any Lycan would.

"I hope you had a great birthday," I say by her ear as she pulls back to look at me, her expression a little confused for some reason. She quickly collects herself a little and smiles back at me sweetly.

"Lounging on a yacht on the French Riviera was definitely not how I'd pictured it, but I have my dad's business contact to thank for that. It was brilliant. I doubt any other birthday will quite live up to this one," she replies. I smile at her again and coax her face to mine for a quick kiss. I pull back and frown at her a little. Something...feels a bit off, but I wasn't sure what it was. I guess it had been a few weeks so this could be normal...

"Is everything okay, Aus?" She asks nervously with a flash of her pearly white teeth. She doesn't seem so sure herself, but I nod happily.

"It is now. I missed you. A lot," I tell her warmly as I look into her soft brown eyes. 

"I missed you too. Coming off the plane early this morning, hastily packing my stuff and then coming back here straight away, has been more than a bit hectic...but now, I'm here with you and everything feels almost right with the world again," she says, batting her long eyelashes at me.

"Well..this year, I have a car," I tell her happily, and her eyes brighten up at this.

"Amazing, great date nights here we come. Plus as soon as you turn eighteen we can finally go to the pub for a legal drink," she jokes.

"Until then, are you up for a classic Exton Sunday roast?" I ask, taking her hand in mine. This doesn't feel quite right either.

"Oh, of course! Lead the way, Master Landry," she replies teasingly. I squeeze her hand and we walk side by side down to the main hall. I notice a few jealous glances our way from some of the other lads in our year. I was definitely more than lucky. Ava was beautiful, and on top of that she had some of the best grades in school, she was so kind and considerate to everyone she met...she was going to make an excellent Luna in the future and I hoped dearly that she was going to be my Luna. 

Why else would the goddess have put her in my orbit otherwise?

We sit down with our food opposite my best friend Ollie and I gleefully stuff a small, crispy roast potato in my mouth. It is so fluffy on the inside; no one did roast potatoes quite like our head cook did. 

I am about to say something to Ollie when we hear the smashing of glass and crockery mere feet away from the table. I look up past Ollie to see Chase, one of the other alphas in our year. He is staring somewhere next to me as if in absolute shock, and swallow my mouthful and look to him with concern. Was he okay? He has dropped his tray of food at his feet, and he seems completely oblivious to that fact.

"Chase...are you okay, mate?" I ask him. His blazing blue eyes are wide and fixed. I hear a sharp intake of breath from beside me and I turn to look at Ava. To my surprise, she is staring back at Chase, a similarly surprised expression across her face too, her own eyes wide, her gaze fixed into Chase's. 

A sinking feeling begins to develop and grow exponentially in my stomach as Chase begins to purposefully stride around the table. I look around briefly and notice at least a hundred people watching what was currently unfolding at our table, the crash of the falling tray had clearly been quite loud to everyone else, too.

My mouth goes dry as Chase steps in front of Ava, who has now turned to face him, looking up at him in awe. He reaches out and cups her face in his hands, his expression one of pure joy...the kind of joy you'd only get from finding the most precious thing...

Austin...my wolf Atlas says to me soothingly... because, he knows.

Ava's hands now go to Chase's face too as she stands up from her chair. I can't see her expression from where I am sat...but I don't need to, and nor do I want to, as a wave of dizziness sweeps over me.

I feel like I have just been socked in the stomach as the truth of this situation winds me entirely.

I have just lost my girlfriend Ava, as casually as anything, over a roast dinner.

It wasn't me she was destined for, it was Chase.

I look up and around at all the curious faces around us. Some are shocked, some look sad and sympathetic, but within the noise of the room I could hear some laughter now too. 

The foundations under me feel like they have utterly shifted, and I can hear my heart beating strongly in my ears as anxiety quickly sets in. 

I needed to get away from this situation right now, particularly with so many staring at me. I was used to people staring at me, but this was entirely different than being the heir to the pack that ran this school.

I push my tray away and hastily get up, rushing straight for the patio doors; I desperately need some air.

I run out of the doors and onto the adjoining patio. People wave at me and call my name as I sprint past, but I just needed to breathe and to do that I really needed some space between me and everyone else in that hall; particularly Chase and Ava.

I stop running when I get to the sports field and I collapse onto the warm grass with my eyes closed. I lay on my back breathing deeply. I need to process what had just happened.

Laying on the ground, I can feel my phone buzzing repeatedly in my back pocket, but I ignore it. 

What am I supposed to do now? I ask inwardly to the ancient and oh-so-wise, Atlas. 

Ava was wonderful and would've made an excellent Luna, but you need to trust the moon goddess. Clearly she was made for Chase, not us. Our mate is still out there, someone even more suited for the leader you are destined to become. You are still several months away from coming of age. Please do not fret, Atlas says calmly. 

I know, you're right, it is still so early, but damn it we were both so sure! I reply sadly.

It was just young love...rest assured Austin, you'll know it's real when it truly happens. There will be no denying it. You will feel it in your very molecules, Atlas says reassuringly, trying his best to console me.

Why do I get the feeling you never thought she was our mate in the first place? I challenge Atlas, angrily. 

Admittedly...no, I didn't. It was never deep. Not once did you feel inexplicably tied to her. There was no solid connection, no real spark, Atlas replies, almost as if he'd wanted to say this for quite some time. 

Thanks Atlas. Sounds like you expected this to happen. Where was my warning? I ask bitterly, feeling like I'd give my left arm to erase the memory of what had just happened.

You can benefit from my wisdom at the best of times, but when it comes to the heart, one can never truly know. As I always tell you, you need to experience things first hand to get a proper perspective on situations. I cannot always lead you the whole way. True wisdom and understanding comes from experience, not just education.

Atlas seemed more confident about finding our mate than I was. I was a little peeved he'd once again gone on the 'educational' route with me about something, rather than being direct and helpful. 

He often did that. 

He had the knowledge to stop me from doing or saying certain things but he allowed them to happen as a way of educating me. I understood it, but I still hated it.

I sit up with my elbows to my knees, looking out across the grounds.

It would be quite a few years before I took over our pack from my father, but I needed to be stronger. We were the third largest pack in the country and strength counted for everything. The Alpha was always his strongest with his destined mate by his side, everyone knew that. 

I felt a little lost, now. I didn't want anyone else. I wanted Ava. I always had.

My phone buzzes again and I finally pull it out of my pocket. 

Freya. Again. 

But...Freya does understand this sort of stuff better than Ollie does...I think. Ollie spent more time hooking up with people than making meaningful connections. I sigh and message her back. 

Me: Usual place?

...

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