Zeke watched Mr Patrick with narrowed eyes. The professor looked at Ava like she was some sort of science experiment while she sat cross-legged on the rug with her eyes closed. He didn't like it.He'd always assumed Mr Patrick was a witch, but after that little stunt, he knew that was not true. There was magic around him, but it definitely wasn't witchy. What the fuck was he?And why was he so openly fascinated with his mate?Honestly, he looked like he was even salivating. "It's not working," Ava sighed, opening her eyes again. "We've been at this for hours already today. It didn't work last night, and it won't work now. Let's just try something else.""It won't work if you don't take this seriously," Mr Patrick said. "Empty your mind, Ava.""I'm trying.""Then stop thinking about why you don't want this to work and feel your wolf, Ava," Mr. Patrick said firmly. "There is no other plan that will work, and even if there was, you need your wolf. It's a part of you that you have to a
"You can't hand yourself over, Ava," Mr Patrick said quietly. Ava opened her eyes and looked at the professor who'd sat in front of her on the floor the moment her father had gone to help Zeke clear his head. "You really need to stop doing that," she sighed. "I can't help you if you remain so closed off. I have to do it.""That's what this is about, isn't it?" She frowned in irritation. "This isn't about meditating; it's about you having free access to my thoughts.""Something is blocking you from your wolf, probably something to do with the trauma of your first shift. If you don't let me do this, you'll need a lot longer than this week to figure it out," Mr Patrick said, without even an ounce of remorse. "You don't have time to mess around, Ava."He had no right to look into her head! She couldn't hide her anger as she stood and walked out of the living room. She didn't know how she was feeling, and Mr. Patrick was sorting through that mess in her head anyway. Without another tho
"Who is it?" Ava whispered as she peeked through the window. She still couldn't see anything, but there was someone there. "Stay back from the window. And I don't know why you're whispering; they can hear you."Mr Patrick was calm as he sat on the floor, his eyes closed, meditating. But he had been scared when he'd called her back in. She'd felt it—a moment of sheer panic that had made her realise what a dangerous situation she was in. "I wasn't scared."That was a lie. She could feel that, too.Mr Patrick opened his eyes and looked at her with open fascination."What else can you feel?" he asked."What?"Why was he thinking about that and not that they could be attacked at any minute, but Zeke and her father were not there to protect them? "If you close your eyes and focus, can you sense them in the woods?" he asked. Her heart hammered. "Them? What do you mean by 'them'? How many are there?" she asked.It wasn't getting attacked that was terrifying her. What if it happened agai
Jared was an Alpha! Did she really command him to stop?No, that was impossible. She couldn't feel anything different inside her, though she had no idea what her wolf was supposed to feel like. Maybe he'd heard the panic in her voice, and as an Alpha, he'd been able to pull himself back. She knew that she was grasping at straws because she could see how weak Jared was. He wasn't like Zeke or her father. She'd never needed a wolf to know they were stronger than most; it was quite evident in how they held themselves and their auras.Jared was still a future Alpha of his pack, though, so for the Alpha of another pack to use his Alpha command on him was an insult. His pack would never respect him if they heard about this. Jared had already suffered enough after being attacked by Zeke; why did this have to happen to him, too?"I said kill her!"This time, Jared remained in control. She could see it in his eyes even as he took another step forward, and she took one back. "Make it bloody
"Ah... Yes, Ava has done very well so far," Coach Baxter stuttered. "She..." His voice trailed off as he watched Alpha Morgan pick up two daggers from the wall of weapons proudly displayed at the side of the room. The very same daggers that his daughter had been drawn to.He did a few moves, showcasing where Ava had got her skills before he carefully put them back in their place. Zeke watched a drop of sweat roll down the coach's face before he wiped it and pretended to shuffle through the paperwork in front of him. So far, Ava's dad hadn't said a word. It had become clear in the very first minute that he was watching a master of mind games at work. He'd never seen the coach so riled up. He leaned back in his seat in the bleachers where he'd been watching the show. "She showed so much improvement in each training session," the coach continued. Alpha Morgan picked up a small axe and inspected the sharp edge. He heard the coach swallow before shuffling the papers again. "She... U
Zeke watched Ava go back into the house and then shifted into his human form. These people were part of his pack. The people he had protected since his father had put him in that position. And they had come here to kill his mate? Even after he had shown them who their true Alpha was?Shadow tried to force another shift so he could teach them all a lesson and end the bastard still unconscious on the driveway. But killing an Alpha in cold blood would bring the Council there much sooner than expected, and they weren't ready for that. He was disappointed. Not every member of his pack had come, but there were enough to make him wonder how many of these he would have to get rid of if he finally took his rightful place. Myles, Derek and their fathers were not among them, which meant his father had only gone to those he knew would agree to this act of treason. Or those he could manipulate with his lies. He took note of all of them. The crowd parted for him and the white wolf behind him as
It was late when Zeke left his mate sleeping to make her something to eat.There was some magic in the air, but he couldn't sense Mr Patrick or Alpha Morgan in the house. He found Derek and Myles in the kitchen, looking at some dishes of food on the table. "Is it poisoned?" he joked as he opened the fridge to get a bottle of water. "Maybe," Derek snorted. "Jared's Omegas brought food for Ava."He paused as he opened the water and sniffed the air before he suspiciously looked at the food, too. First, Jared was in his house, and now his Omegas were sending food?"I'm cooking for her," he decided as he joined them at the table. The urge to throw the food in the trash was strong, but he didn't want Ava to get upset with him. Why had they cooked for her in the first place?"We heard what happened. We were having lunch in the dining hall when they came over, or we would have warned you. I'm sorry, Zeke," Derek said."I'm sure my father planned it that way.""What's going to happen to the
Ava stretched and then slowly opened her eyes. It had been a while since she had woken up so peacefully. Despite everything that had happened, she hadn't had any nightmares, and even though it was nighttime, the shadows were at bay.That had probably been because of Zeke. Her smile stretched, and she buried her face in her pillow to try to stop it. If she weren't dying soon, she would have loved to spend her whole life doing what she had done with Zeke. If she wasn't dying. Her smile disappeared as reality kicked her up the backside. What was she going to do now? She had been set on handing herself in, but after what Mr Patrick said, she wasn't sure what to do now. She didn't want to be the Council's soldier. She didn't want to do their dirty work. But how would she pay for what she had done to Claire and her friends? She didn't even know the names of the other students she had killed, so she couldn't even apologise to their families.With a sigh, she got up to take a quick shower
It was almost lunchtime when her father returned. She had been on her way downstairs to eat something when Alpha Morgan knocked the broken door out of the way and marched in.She stopped when he noticed her and her heart squeezed in her chest. Her father was in pain. She could sense that as if her wolf senses were helping her, even though she still couldn't feel anything different inside her. "They're all over the boundary," her dad said. "We have to find a hidden place to cross into the forest."He was still saying 'we'. She walked down the rest of the stairs and went into his arms. When his arms tightened around her, she felt him tremble a little, and her heart broke again. This could be the last day she saw her father.But he would have to go. When the car came for him to take him to the airport, he would leave alone. He had the boys and the whole pack to take care of. She'd had the entire morning to come to terms with that. It was the only way. "I will go into the forest, and
On Sunday morning, Ava sat on the steps outside the Administration block with Zeke, Derek and Myles. Guards were standing outside it, guarding the entrance. So many guards. She could feel their eyes on the back of her head. They had met some on their way, patrolling the streets. Those had also looked at them as if they were the targets of this operation. She was willing to bet they were also patrolling the academy's boundaries. Maybe even outside, beyond the woods. Their chances of escape had been cut drastically. It felt like forever, but her father walked out of the administration building not too long after they had sat on the steps. Ava scrambled to her feet and tried to read his expression. She also watched how the guards looked at him like he was also a target.The forest had always kept the students imprisoned here, but the guards made it feel like a real prison. "Let's go and have something to eat, and then we can walk around," Alpha Morgan said. "Also, I've been told I n
"She's already been in that forest, and she was unconscious for days!" Zeke shouted. "We're not going through that shit again."He pulled the food dishes on the table away from Ava when she started looking through them."She didn't have a mate last time. And she didn't have me," Mr Patrick argued. "You keep talking about yourself like some god! I don't know what the fuck you are, and you want me to trust you with my mate," he growled. "I realise I'm asking a lot," Mr Patrick said. "I know what your bond means. You've become one in a way many wolves will never experience."Did Mr Patrick know about true mate bonds? There were only a few books about this in the library that Mrs Donovan had given him to read, but his only interest at the time had been how to break the bond. He hadn't had the chance to go and find out more. Mr Patrick's eyes widened, indicating he had been in his head, so he growled at the invasive fucker. No boundaries at all!"For your future information, that's not
Ava stretched and then slowly opened her eyes. It had been a while since she had woken up so peacefully. Despite everything that had happened, she hadn't had any nightmares, and even though it was nighttime, the shadows were at bay.That had probably been because of Zeke. Her smile stretched, and she buried her face in her pillow to try to stop it. If she weren't dying soon, she would have loved to spend her whole life doing what she had done with Zeke. If she wasn't dying. Her smile disappeared as reality kicked her up the backside. What was she going to do now? She had been set on handing herself in, but after what Mr Patrick said, she wasn't sure what to do now. She didn't want to be the Council's soldier. She didn't want to do their dirty work. But how would she pay for what she had done to Claire and her friends? She didn't even know the names of the other students she had killed, so she couldn't even apologise to their families.With a sigh, she got up to take a quick shower
It was late when Zeke left his mate sleeping to make her something to eat.There was some magic in the air, but he couldn't sense Mr Patrick or Alpha Morgan in the house. He found Derek and Myles in the kitchen, looking at some dishes of food on the table. "Is it poisoned?" he joked as he opened the fridge to get a bottle of water. "Maybe," Derek snorted. "Jared's Omegas brought food for Ava."He paused as he opened the water and sniffed the air before he suspiciously looked at the food, too. First, Jared was in his house, and now his Omegas were sending food?"I'm cooking for her," he decided as he joined them at the table. The urge to throw the food in the trash was strong, but he didn't want Ava to get upset with him. Why had they cooked for her in the first place?"We heard what happened. We were having lunch in the dining hall when they came over, or we would have warned you. I'm sorry, Zeke," Derek said."I'm sure my father planned it that way.""What's going to happen to the
Zeke watched Ava go back into the house and then shifted into his human form. These people were part of his pack. The people he had protected since his father had put him in that position. And they had come here to kill his mate? Even after he had shown them who their true Alpha was?Shadow tried to force another shift so he could teach them all a lesson and end the bastard still unconscious on the driveway. But killing an Alpha in cold blood would bring the Council there much sooner than expected, and they weren't ready for that. He was disappointed. Not every member of his pack had come, but there were enough to make him wonder how many of these he would have to get rid of if he finally took his rightful place. Myles, Derek and their fathers were not among them, which meant his father had only gone to those he knew would agree to this act of treason. Or those he could manipulate with his lies. He took note of all of them. The crowd parted for him and the white wolf behind him as
"Ah... Yes, Ava has done very well so far," Coach Baxter stuttered. "She..." His voice trailed off as he watched Alpha Morgan pick up two daggers from the wall of weapons proudly displayed at the side of the room. The very same daggers that his daughter had been drawn to.He did a few moves, showcasing where Ava had got her skills before he carefully put them back in their place. Zeke watched a drop of sweat roll down the coach's face before he wiped it and pretended to shuffle through the paperwork in front of him. So far, Ava's dad hadn't said a word. It had become clear in the very first minute that he was watching a master of mind games at work. He'd never seen the coach so riled up. He leaned back in his seat in the bleachers where he'd been watching the show. "She showed so much improvement in each training session," the coach continued. Alpha Morgan picked up a small axe and inspected the sharp edge. He heard the coach swallow before shuffling the papers again. "She... U
Jared was an Alpha! Did she really command him to stop?No, that was impossible. She couldn't feel anything different inside her, though she had no idea what her wolf was supposed to feel like. Maybe he'd heard the panic in her voice, and as an Alpha, he'd been able to pull himself back. She knew that she was grasping at straws because she could see how weak Jared was. He wasn't like Zeke or her father. She'd never needed a wolf to know they were stronger than most; it was quite evident in how they held themselves and their auras.Jared was still a future Alpha of his pack, though, so for the Alpha of another pack to use his Alpha command on him was an insult. His pack would never respect him if they heard about this. Jared had already suffered enough after being attacked by Zeke; why did this have to happen to him, too?"I said kill her!"This time, Jared remained in control. She could see it in his eyes even as he took another step forward, and she took one back. "Make it bloody
"Who is it?" Ava whispered as she peeked through the window. She still couldn't see anything, but there was someone there. "Stay back from the window. And I don't know why you're whispering; they can hear you."Mr Patrick was calm as he sat on the floor, his eyes closed, meditating. But he had been scared when he'd called her back in. She'd felt it—a moment of sheer panic that had made her realise what a dangerous situation she was in. "I wasn't scared."That was a lie. She could feel that, too.Mr Patrick opened his eyes and looked at her with open fascination."What else can you feel?" he asked."What?"Why was he thinking about that and not that they could be attacked at any minute, but Zeke and her father were not there to protect them? "If you close your eyes and focus, can you sense them in the woods?" he asked. Her heart hammered. "Them? What do you mean by 'them'? How many are there?" she asked.It wasn't getting attacked that was terrifying her. What if it happened agai