don't go 3
1054 Words
Chapter 3
Grill's POV
I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. My entire body had gone still as my eyes stayed locked on hers.
"Mate..." my Lycan whispered. "Our second chance."
She looked just as frozen as I was. For years, I had convinced myself it would never happen. After Cathrine rejected me, I'd accepted that maybe I wasn't meant to have a mate. Yet here she stood. Beautiful. Alive. And staring right back at me.
The bond between us hummed to life, tugging at my soul like an invisible string. She blinked first. Then panic crossed her face.
"No..." she whispered.
Before I could even take a step toward her, she turned and hurried down the hallway.
"Shit."
She was running. Without thinking, I pushed through the crowd after her.
"Wait!"
She didn't stop. She made it out the side exit, disappearing into the cool night air. I followed her outside.
"Please... just stop for one second."
She finally slowed but never turned around. Her shoulders were tense. I could hear her breathing from several feet away.
"I'm not going to hurt you," I said quietly.
For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Then she slowly turned to face me. Up close… She was even more beautiful.
Her eyes searched mine as if she were trying to figure out whether I was real.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"For what?"
Her eyes filled with sadness. "I can't do this."
Confusion hit me like a punch to the gut. "What do you mean you can't?"
She shook her head. "You don't know me."
"Then tell me."
"I can't."
She wrapped her arms around herself, almost like she was trying to hold herself together. "You deserve someone better."
I frowned. "You don't get to decide that."
A single tear slipped down her cheek. "You'll hate me if you know the truth."
"I don't even know your name yet."
She let out a soft, broken laugh. "My name is Ava."
Ava.
Even her name sounded perfect. "I'm Grill."
"I know who you are."
That caught me off guard. "You do?"
She nodded. "Everyone knows who you are."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "I didn't realize I was that famous."
A tiny smile tugged at the corner of her lips before disappearing just as quickly. "There it is," I said.
"What?"
"That smile."
She looked away. "You should smile more."
"It's been a long time since I had a reason to."
Something inside me broke hearing those words. Whoever had hurt this woman… They were going to regret it.
"Ava."
She looked back at me.
"I'm not asking you to trust me tonight."
She stayed silent.
"But let me buy you a drink."
She hesitated. "I don't drink much."
"Coffee?"
A small laugh escaped her. "At two in the morning?"
I shrugged. "I'll find coffee."
She studied me for several long seconds. Finally…
A tiny smile appeared again. "I guess... coffee doesn't sound too bad."
My Lycan wagged his tail inside my head. "See? I told you."
I smiled to myself. Maybe...Just maybe...Tonight was the beginning of the rest of my life.
.
I couldn't believe she had actually agreed.
"There's a diner about ten minutes from here," I said, opening the helmet to put on her head "They've got decent coffee."
Ava hesitated for a second before climbing on. I walked around to the bike getting on, and pulled out of the parking lot. The silence between us wasn't awkward. It was... comfortable. Neither of us seemed to know what to say.
"So," I finally said, "you know my name. I think it's only fair that I learn a little about you."
She looked out the window. "I grew up in a small pack."
"Do you still live there?"
She slowly shook her head. "No."
"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."
"I know."
Another silence settled over us. My Lycan kept pacing in my head.
"She's hurting."
"I know."
"Protect her."
"I'm trying."
A few minutes later, we pulled into the parking lot of an all-night diner. I climbed out and hurried around to open her door. She smiled.
"You don't have to do that."
"I know."
"Then why do it?"
"Because I want to."
Her cheeks turned the slightest shade of pink. She climbed out, and together we walked inside. The waitress led us to a booth in the corner.
"What can I get you two?" she asked.
"Black coffee," I answered.
Ava looked at the menu. "I'll have hot chocolate."
I couldn't help but grin. She looked up at me. "What?"
"I was expecting coffee."
She shrugged. "I changed my mind."
The waitress smiled before walking away. I leaned back in my seat.
"So... what brings you to this part of the country?"
She wrapped both hands around the mug the waitress had just placed in front of her. "I needed a fresh start."
"I can understand that."
She looked at me. "You can?"
I nodded. "My best friend has been trying to convince me to leave my pack and start one of my own."
"And?"
"I finally gave in today."
Her eyebrows lifted. "So your life is changing too."
"Looks like it."
For the first time that night, she smiled without forcing it.
It was beautiful. "You really don't stop staring, do you?" she asked.
I chuckled. "Can you blame me?"
She rolled her eyes, trying to hide another smile. "You flirt with every woman like this?"
"No."
"No?"
I shook my head. "Only my mate."
Her smile faded as the word hung between us. "I... I've never had a second chance before."
"Neither have I."
She lowered her eyes to her drink. "I don't know if I'm ready."
I reached across the table but stopped before touching her hand.
"You don't have to be."
She looked up.
"We can take this one day at a time."
"You'd really wait?"
"I waited years without knowing you existed." I smiled. "I think I can wait a little longer."
Tears filled her eyes. No one should have looked so surprised to hear someone promise patience. At that moment, I made myself a silent vow. Whatever had happened in Ava's past… Whoever had made her afraid to trust… They would never get another chance to hurt her…Not while I was alive.
- Writer
