Chapter 118

Ava

I stared at Chris in stunned silence, my heart pounding furiously.

“Ava,” he said, “I need to talk to you.”

Before I could formulate a response, Ophelia appeared at my side, her silk, feather-trimmed pajamas fluttering around her ankles and wrists. “Chris?”

Chris’s eyes flickered to her briefly before returning to me, a silent question in his gaze. Swallowing hard, I stepped back from the doorway, wordlessly granting him entrance.

He stepped inside and took a deep breath. “Ava, I—”

“Ava! Chris! Wait!”

We turned to see Leonard jogging up the pathway with a basket in hand—cheese and apples, no doubt. Chris’s shoulders slumped a bit, but I was glad for the distraction. “Come in, Leonard,” I said, waving him inside.

Leonard stepped into the living room, his eyes widening slightly as he took in the tense atmosphere. The basket, which he had just been holding out to me, fell back to his side.

“Am I interrupting?” he asked.

Chris opened his mouth to speak, but I quickly cut him off. “No, Leonard,” I said, walking over to the kitchen to retrieve two more wine glasses and another bottle. “Wine, everyone?”

Leonard and Chris hesitantly agreed, and a few minutes later, I was pressing glasses into their hands.

For several long moments, there was nothing but silence.

Finally, it was Ophelia who broke the stillness, letting out an exasperated sigh. “Well, this is just delightful,” she drawled, reaching for the bottle of wine and topping up her glass. “Who’s going to be the first to tell me what’s going on here?”

Chris and I exchanged a fleeting, loaded glance, neither of us willing to be the one to broach the subject. Leonard shuffled his feet, his gaze darting between us like a cornered animal.

Ophelia rolled her eyes. “Oh, for heaven’s sake,” she muttered, taking a long sip of her wine. “You’re acting like a gaggle of stricken schoolgirls.”

I opened my mouth, but the words seemed to catch in my throat. How could I possibly explain anything without breaking down in tears?

Chris, ever the diplomat, cleared his throat and took a step forward. “Ava and I... we had a misunderstanding,” he began, his voice carefully measured. “One that led to our relationship ending.”

Ophelia arched a perfectly sculpted brow. “A misunderstanding? How very vague of you, Chris.”

Chris’s jaw tightened, but he remained silent, his gaze flickering to me as if silently urging me to elaborate.

Drawing in a shaky breath, I steeled myself. “There were... factors at play that made continuing our relationship impossible.”

Ophelia studied me intently. “Such as?”

“There are certain... expectations placed upon an Alpha’s mate,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “Certain standards that must be upheld, rules that cannot be broken.”

Silence descended upon the room once more, thick and oppressive. Ophelia’s gaze darted between Chris and me, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“But…” she began, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t understand. What rules are you talking about?”

Chris let out a bitter chuckle, running a hand through his hair. “She’s referring to the fact that she was previously mated,” he said.

Ophelia’s eyes widened, and she turned to me with an expression of utter disbelief. “Darling, you can’t be serious,” she breathed. “That’s the most antiquated, ridiculous rule I’ve ever heard.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Chris beat me to it, his voice rising in volume as he paced the length of the room. “That’s what I told her!” he exclaimed, wheeling around to face me. “But she insisted on throwing away our relationship for fear of angering the Elders.”

My jaw clenched at his words, a spark of anger igniting inside of me. “It wasn’t just about that, and you know it,” I snapped. “There were other factors at play, factors that you seem to have conveniently forgotten.”

Chris scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Enlighten me, then, Ava. What other factors could possibly justify ending things between us?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat as I met his piercing gaze. How could I even begin to explain…?

Ophelia cleared her throat and suddenly stood. “Well, clearly there’s been a breakdown in communication here,” she said, her tone remarkably calm. “And I, for one, could use another glass of wine.”

She reached for the bottle and began refilling our glasses, her movements smooth and practiced. “In fact,” she continued, a mischievous glint in her eye, “I think we could all use a bit of a distraction from this heavy conversation.”

Leonard perked up at her words. “What did you have in mind?”

Ophelia’s lips curved into a wicked smile. “How about a game of truth or dare?”

I couldn’t help but snort at the suggestion, shaking my head in disbelief. “Ophelia, we’re not teenagers anymore.”

“Speak for yourself, darling,” she quipped. “I, for one, relish any opportunity to let loose and have a bit of fun—no matter my age.”

Chris, who had been watching our exchange in silence, suddenly let out a low chuckle. “You know what?” he said, sinking into the armchair across from Ophelia. “I think truth or dare sounds fun.”

I stared at him in disbelief, but Ophelia was already clapping her hands together in delight. “Wonderful! Leonard, you’re in too, right?”

Leonard’s eyes widened comically, but he seemed to know better than to argue. With a resigned sigh, he nodded and took a seat on the loveseat, leaving the spot next to Chris free for me.

Shooting Chris a wary glance, I reluctantly lowered myself onto the cushion, trying to ignore the way my skin seemed to tingle at his proximity.

And so, with a fresh glass of wine in hand, the game began.

At first, the dares were tame—silly little challenges like doing a ridiculous dance or telling an embarrassing story. But as the wine flowed and our inhibitions lowered, the stakes grew higher.

“Truth or dare, Leonard?” Ophelia asked, leaning in dangerously.

Leonard swallowed hard, his eyes darting towards me briefly before settling on Ophelia. “Dare,” he said.

Ophelia leaned over to me. “Is there anywhere to go swimming near here?” she whispered.

“Well, there’s a swimming hole—”

“Perfect.” Ophelia’s smile widened into a full-blown grin. “I dare you to skinny dip in the swimming hole.”

A collective gasp rippled through the room, and Leonard’s face turned a brilliant shade of crimson. “You can’t be serious,” he stammered, his eyes wide with horror.

But Ophelia was relentless. “A dare’s a dare, darling.”

…

As we approached the swimming hole, the sound of trickling water grew louder, lapping at the edges of the moonlit pool. Leonard paused, his fingers toying with the hem of his shirt as he eyed the bioluminescent water warily.

“Well?” Ophelia prompted, her eyes sparkling. “We’re waiting.”

With a deep, steadying breath, Leonard tugged his shirt over his head, letting it fall to the ground in a crumpled heap. He shot Chris and me a sidelong glance, as if seeking reassurance, before quickly shucking off the rest of his clothes. Beside me, I felt Ophelia bristle with excitement—and when I glanced over at her, I saw that her cheeks were tinged pink as she took him in.

All of him.

Bare as the day he was born, Leonard hesitated for a moment at the water’s edge, his sinewy, sun-tanned muscles seeming to ripple from the reflection of the water bouncing off the walls of the cave. Chris and I exchanged amused glances as he teetered there for a moment.

Then, finally, he went diving into the water. For a moment, there was no sound as he disappeared beneath the surface. The three of us stepped forward warily, peering down, and then… he burst out of the water and splashed at us with a wide grin.

“Come on in!” he called out. “The water’s fine.”

Ophelia was the first to move, practically ripping off her silk pajamas and letting them fall to the cave floor with a theatrical flair—exposing her large breasts, her slim waist, her long legs. Leonard quickly turned away, pretending to be occupied with the lichen on the wall as Ophelia leaped into the water with a loud shriek.

Then, Chris was stripping off his shirt with a casual shrug. As he stepped out of his trousers, I couldn’t help but steal a glance at his toned physique, my cheeks flushing hotly.

When his gaze met mine, a slow, lazy grin spread across his face, as if he knew exactly what I’d been thinking. But, feeling emboldened by the wine, I raised my chin defiantly and began shrugging out of my own clothes until I, too, stood fully nude on the shore.

As Ophelia began splashing Leonard viciously on the other side of the pool, the two of them erupting into fits of childish laughter that bounced and echoed off the walls like a thousand voices, Chris held his hand out to me.

“Together?” he mouthed.

My cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. For a moment, I just stared at his hand, my fingers itching to touch him—to feel his skin, feel that connection between us just one more time.

Finally, I couldn’t bear it any longer. I took his hand, and together, we leaped into the water.