The whole class turned to look at her when Coach called her name.What the hell was this? If they were going to execute her, why were they making her fight an Omega first? And why Emily, who she had already fought at the mock evaluations?Unless this was another test to see if she would make a good soldier?“Ava,” Coach Henderson repeated. She looked up to see the coach’s worried gaze on her before he glanced at Emily. The Omega was already on the mat, her arms wrapped around herself and facing down.She shook her head and stood to walk to the mat, too. Claire was still facing forward as if this was of no interest to her, but Zeke clenched his fists, not hiding that his eyes were directly on the Council members. “Remember that anything goes,” the witch said, making her look back at them, too. “Follow the rules, and everything will be fine.”The three of them looked like they were expecting a show, but surely they knew it wouldn’t take much for anyone to defeat Emily. The coach’s wh
Was she dreaming? Was this another nightmare?She felt numb as she looked at the lifeless body in front of her and then the vampire who relished the kill. There wasn’t a sound in the training room except the loud beating of her own heart in her ears. “Now look at what you’ve made me do. I really liked this suit,” the vampire said. His eyes were back to normal as he rubbed at the bloodstain on his jacket. As if all was still right in the world.“All you had to do was follow the rules, Ava, not find a way around them. Fight, show no mercy,” he continued. “Is it really that difficult for you? Do you like to challenge everything?”She looked back at Emily. Was this her fault?“Yes.”And then the vampire smiled again. “Now, who’s next?” he asked.The chaos started. Omegas started to whimper and cry. Some rushed to their feet and started running out of the training room. Others backed away as if that would draw less attention to them. The two coaches remained where they were standing, t
There was silence in her head.She’d sat for hours after taking that potion. It had indeed brought her clarity on what she had to do, but there was no whisper from her wolf. And that was frustrating because she knew she had changed because of her wolf.She hadn’t imagined hearing Emily’s heartbeat. The night she had discovered her father in the basement, she’d caught his scent outside. And there was no denying that she was running faster now. Her body even felt different, so where was this wolf? Even just a hello would do.But the silence in her head was so loud it was making her angry.At least anger was better than numbness. Derek parked the car, and then he and Myles looked back at her. It had been a long night for all of them in that basement because they had all realised the same thing. The Council could get any one of them anytime.“Stay safe,” Derek said to her.“Yeah. And don’t worry about us. Do whatever you need to do,” Myles added.Derek tried calling his father last night
“Alpha Diego is going to explain more,” the coach said before walking to sit at the front.“We are going to learn what is expected of us as members of this community,” Alpha Diego started as he stepped forward. “Sometimes things happen in the world, and we are called upon to serve. This is why you train so hard. So you are ready to face trials when you return to your communities.”Ava looked around at the other students and saw they all had their heads down, but the tension was palpable. Yesterday’s training taught them what the Council’s lessons were all about.“Some of you may think our methods are a little... outdated. Or barbaric,” the Alpha continued. “But they are necessary. Without them, the whole world would be in chaos. It is your duty to understand where you fit in the wheel that keeps everything running smoothly. It’s your duty to follow the rules given to you. Or you will suffer the consequences.”Like Emily. He didn’t say that out loud, but she was sure that was the pictu
Zeke followed the guard to the dean’s office with a sense of dread in his stomach. It was almost time for training, so he was sure this was about whatever the Council wanted to do next. Who would they kill today?The whole academy had been in a solemn mood. Though not many ever noticed the Omegas, the fact that the Council could just kill one of them like they were nothing had brought fear to all of them. So much for the president’s speech that they weren’t to worry. This morning, he had heard that they’d taken Emily’s body to the Infirmary freezers to wait for instructions from her parents. How would they even explain that to them?The guard knocked on the door and then opened it for him. The dean sat at Penelope’s desk, working on something at the computer. He was surprised to see him enter.He was so surprised that he knew it wasn’t the dean who had sent the message to his tablet. But he could feel the presence of the man who had summoned him behind the office door.“Mr Michelson.
Ava realised that Derek, Myles and Jared were backing away from her as if she was the monster, not the wolf she had protected them from. She looked back at the damage she had done. Not all of them were dead, but... With her anger gone, her mind cleared.But there were too many scents and too many emotions in the room. Too much noise. She could hear everything. People talking at once. People screaming. Leaves blowing in the wind. Cars. Heartbeats. The harsh breathing of the students who were too terrified to run from the room. The dying breaths of others. She could see the tiniest splatter of blood on the wall. She could smell that somebody had pissed themselves.Everything tumbled down on her in a confusing avalanche as she backed away from her friends. They were terrified. “It takes a special kind of person to kill the same people two times. I’m very proud of you, Ava,” Councillor Andrei said.They had done this.Her anger built up again, mixing with everything else. But she knew
Ava felt like her stomach was eating her when she opened her eyes. Her body felt tender, but she didn’t feel any pain. She stretched and sat up in bed, not surprised that she was in Zeke’s bed again. The room was dark, and the clock beside the bed said it was barely nine o’clock, which was odd. Wolves tended to sleep and recuperate for a day or two after the first shift.But then again, her wolf was...She could still smell the blood that had covered her body despite Zeke washing it off in the lake. Quickly, she shoved the covers off and rushed to the bathroom. Food could wait. The insane Council members could wait. She stood under the shower spray before it had warmed up and started to scrub her body, but no matter how raw her skin looked, she didn’t feel clean.Would she ever?The Council had not been surprised that she had shifted into that thing, so they had already known. That was the reason they had come; she was sure of it. Mr Patrick had been right after all.Her stomach growl
“Wait. Say that again,” Ava said.He looked down at their entwined fingers and brought her hand to his lips. He should have told her before he marked her. Told her he was bonding them for life. But there had been no other choice for either of them. "You're my true mate, Ava. The perfect half of me," he said. "It's why our bond was so strong before I even marked you. I only had to catch your scent for Shadow to know you were ours.""So when you say my fate is your fate, what exactly do you mean?"This would be the most challenging part for her, as much as it hurt him to admit that. When Mr Patrick told him about True Mates, it had been easy to accept because he wouldn't want to live without her, anyway. He and Shadow agreed on that. But Ava's wolf was complicated. She and Ava were at odds, and he didn't know how that would affect their bond. "If you die, I die," he said simply. Ava gasped and pulled her hand out of his. Her shock and disappointment shot through him. It felt like sh
Zeke walked up the road to the Infirmary with his arm around Ava.Everything still felt so surreal. He sensed the numbness all around him as everyone came to terms with the fact that they all could have died. Alpha Roland walked by Ava’s side, holding onto her hand. They hadn’t let go of each other since they had finally left the mess they had made at the Administration block to go home. He didn’t mind it, really he didn’t, but he wanted his mate all to himself. That morning, he had little hope that they would win, but now all he wanted to do was bury himself in his mate and forget about Hansson and the Council.With a sigh, he looked at the three councillors walking ahead of them. For some reason, they, too, had decided to recuperate at his house like they didn’t have a whole fucking mansion over at the guest houses. But they were still waiting for transport so they could leave and check on their families, so he didn’t say anything.He still didn’t like the three of them, but Ava s
Nyx finally stopped attacking when the screams stopped. When there was no heartbeat. When the light faded from those evil purple eyes that she would remember for the rest of her life.The eyes she would see every time in her wolf’s and Shadow’s eyes.Everyone stood as still as she did, taking in the destruction. Was this the end? Could she finally have the life she had hoped for with her mate by her side?Nyx retreated and allowed her to shift back. Her body was sore and bruised, and she could still feel the effects of almost being hit by the lightning. She limped over to Shadow, put her arms as far around him as she could, and closed her eyes. They were okay. They had done it.When she let go, Shadow shifted, and the man she loved took his place. Zeke engulfed her in his embrace, lifting her off her feet before he crashed his lips into hers. He could feel his relief and his hope. They were free. They could be themselves. Zeke finally put her down, and they looked back at the damage
Of course, they would hide something so important in plain sight. Zeke felt the change immediately the moment nothing was left of the fountain. It was like a bond had been broken. He remembered the morning he had come out to look for the councillors after their first visit, and Iulia had been messing with the fountain. He’d sensed something then; he should have put it together sooner. The beasts sniffed around the smashed fountain, at the water gushing freely from the pipes before they walked away from the rubble and started circling them. “You fools!” Hansson screamed as he picked up a piece of the sculpture. Shadow walked over to their mate and Diego, and they stood together, watching the man meltdown. They were not out of the woods yet. Though Hansson felt considerably weaker, he was still Fae and could hurt them and Alpha Roland.He looked up to see Ava’s father breathing better and his eyes glowing. The hold on him was weakening.‘We need to keep him busy to give your dad tim
Ava’s frustration boiled over, and she told Samantha to get Julie and stay close to Myles and Derek. Then she shifted and lowered her head. All she wanted was to get to her father, but the guards were in her way. Nyx growled. She hadn’t known Nyx long enough to know if it was a standard growl, but it felt different. It felt right. She could feel it in her whole body as Nyx took over again. And when Shadow came to stand beside her, and the growl came from deep within him, she felt the strength of their bond. One by one, the people in front of them stopped and lowered their gazes, soldiers and students alike. It was not something she usually liked, but she understood her wolf now, and this was the only way they would get to her father. They had to show their dominance.She felt something else. It was more than the darkness she felt in Nyx’s soul; it was all around them. She felt it the same way she felt the evil in the forest both times that she had gone in. It was the same darkness s
There was a shift in the air.Zeke guessed it was because Iulia was not focusing her magic as she wept over her lover. Was he dead? It felt like it, but he didn’t give a shit. What caught his attention was that the councillors’ strength was noticeably reduced. ‘We can take them now,’ Shadow growled. But there was another scream, and this one hit him in the heart again.He shifted and was by Ava’s side in seconds, taking her into his arms as he tried to figure out what happened. Mr Patrick was struggling to sit up with Jared’s help. But Alpha Roland was gone. He knew what had happened, but they had to be still at the academy. Hansson was a sadistic asshole; he would make sure Ava witnessed whatever he had in mind for Alpha Roland before he killed them all.“We’ll find him,” he whispered, tightening his hold on his mate. They had to go before Iulia and Diego calmed down and did as they were told. He looked back at the trio and saw Alpha Diego was still standing over the other two. W
Nyx took a bite of Hansson’s shoulder before he realised what had happened. She tasted his blood on her tongue, and it was putrid. Vile like the man himself.Before she could sink her teeth in further, Hansson disappeared into thin air and appeared on the other side of the stage. The men he had been holding hostage fell to the stage, released in that moment of confusion. But she knew it wouldn’t be for long. Hansson would get his bearings and take his anger out on all of them. She stood in front of them to protect them and ignored the panic and commotion she felt and heard from the imprisoned students.Nothing filled her mind now except the rage. The need for revenge.Nyx lowered her snout to the ground, ready to attack again, when she saw the beast standing beside her. It was Shadow, but... Something was different. He seemed bigger. His head was lowered, and his hackles raised as he snarled at the councillors, frothing at the lips as if rabid. And his eyes were purple. “What is th
“Let’s play a little game.”Ava couldn’t move her head, so she was stuck looking at the faces of the people who would die today if she didn’t pick five of them to sacrifice. They had all been forced back from the top of the road to witness the next murder. She sensed desperation. Terror. They were all looking above her at Jared, waiting for his life to be taken like Dexter’s. Even the teachers stood helplessly by. She had never seen the dean looking so scared.Nobody should have to live with this kind of fear hanging over them. Fear that one wrong move and someone stronger than them would swoop in and end them.Dexter had been innocent, and now his parents would have to come to collect his body as Emily’s parents had done.Innocent. Gone all because of her. ‘It’s not your fault. It’s Hansson’s fault.’Zeke’s voice was so clear in her head as if he had been listening to all her thoughts, but she couldn’t get anything from him except what he wanted her to hear. “How many of these will
Ava’s scream split Zeke’s heart in two.Her pain, her guilt, overwhelmed him. Zeke dropped his bag and tried to go to his mate, only to find himself bound by that bastard’s magic. He was held in his place while Ava was lifted into the air. Just to torment her, to show her that he could do this and there was nothing Ava could do about it.Then, the body was thrown into the woods. He sensed those vile creatures moving around like they were in a frenzy as they closed in on the kid’s body. Ava whimpered. He knew she could feel them, too, but her guilt was shutting her down. She had already given up. “Now, who’s next,” Mr Hansson said. As if he was serving crumpets at a tea party. What the hell was wrong with this guy?Shadow fought to take control, to shift and rip the man to shreds, but the magic bound him, too. Ava was released and fell to her knees on the stage, but her gaze remained on the spot where the kid’s body had been thrown. There was nothing but grief radiating from her. Be
Ava watched how the students at the front started to inch back, aware that her beast was now in control. The stench of their fear aggravated Nyx. Ava didn’t understand that for a moment until she realised that Nyx would not get any joy from attacking defenceless people. Her fear that she would shift and attack everyone at the academy had been unwarranted. Nyx was like her in that aspect; there was no need to fight unless her life was in danger.But the councillors and Head of the Council behind her were a different story. A threat that Nyx wanted to eliminate. A challenge. And her beast apparently lived for these challenges. She could feel her rage build up at these people who had put her in this position.She had refused to submit to anyone all her life, and she’d fought with those who had still tried to force her. It was now clear that Nyx’s ego had been wounded then, and she’d sought revenge. It had been Nyx who had wanted to see those people on their knees, submitting to her. It w