Chapter 7: Game
Silence dropped over the room like a heavy blanket. Nelly set her mug down while Lily fidgeted with her napkin. Sarah? She couldn't care less.
"I'd advise you not to mention anything of the sort to Alpha Lucas," Nelly finally said.
"Why not? It's the fastest way to get her heart ripped out—literally." Sarah rolled her eyes and took an exaggerated sip of her drink.
Ava ignored her. "I'm not asking Alpha Lucas. I'm asking you."
Nelly exchanged looks with the others, the kind that said, 'Do we really want to open this can of worms?' before sighing. "He once had a fated mate."
Ava sat straight up. "Had?"
"She was already mated to someone else. He did his best to get her to leave, but she refused. She had a daughter and didn't want to leave her behind. It drove him mad. He was like a man possessed by a thousand devils."
"He still is a man possessed by a thousand devils," Ava muttered.
Nelly chuckled. "Lucas wasn't always this... terrifying. He had a heart. But that rejection humiliated and broke him. That's when he changed. He went berserk. Cold-hearted. That's how he copes."
Lily sighed. "Which means no Luna, ever."
Ava's mind whirred. If Lucas had once loved, he could love again. No matter how brutal he was, it meant he had the capacity. She didn't have to love him back. She just had to get to the top. From omega to concubine to Luna—she was going to be the most powerful woman in the Silver Pack.