Lucas hesitated looking haunted.
"She killed herself."
"What?"
Lucas swallowed. "She was my fated mate, Ava. She was loyal to your father, but he… he had another mate, his own fated mate and a son. He kept them hidden in the Bloodhound Pack."
Ava's blood ran cold.
Lucas clenched his jaw. "To free himself from Mara, he went to the Crimson Pack alpha and demanded that they force her to be with me."
"She didn't want to leave him." Ava whispered.
Lucas shook his head. "No. She chose to die rather than be forced into another bond."
The image was too clear in his mind. The moment she stepped onto the cliffs. The way she turned, eyes filled with sorrow. And then, she was gone.
"She died believing it was my doing. I watched her fall, Ava. I watched her, but I couldn't reach her in time. I was too late."
Ava stared at him, her heart hammering against her ribs.