Page 14 of Ava: Part One

The change in topic made her frown in confusion as she searched his face. Was he being serious? Or was this a trick question?

“I was fed.”

His eyes stopped glowing, and for a second, she forgot he was the psycho who intimidated others for no reason. His eyes were the most striking, beautiful amber colour she had ever seen. This close, she could see his hair was such a rich dark brown colour with a few perfectly blended blond highlights, and the rare amber eyes completed the breathtaking look. Why did all the handsome ones have to be certifiably insane?

“Then why are you so fucking thin?” he snarled.

She wasn’t. Humans would probably tell her she needed to lose a few pounds. Not that she could remember seeing them, but she read many human books and magazines. Going to a human college would have been her first interaction with them, so she had been looking forward to it.

“Genetics, I guess,” she answered with a shrug.

The man in front of her frowned and cocked his head to the side. And then his snarl returned. She didn’t know why he was getting angry again when she had just answered his questions. And then she realised she was looking directly into his eyes.

Her eyes widened as she looked down at her shoes again. Rule number one in her pack was to never antagonise an alpha. Never challenge them. Alphas always won.

“Go and eat your food. Then, at first light, take your bags to the office and tell them that there has been a mistake. Leave. You need to leave.”

With that, he stepped forward again and took her scent in again. Was this a threat? Would he hunt her down if she wasn’t allowed to leave?

When he finally walked away, she remained frozen in place for a while. What would happen if the Council refused to hear her? Would he be the one to tear her apart?

She took a shaky breath and then finally lifted her head. The entrance to her dorm had glass doors. She could see several people standing in the lobby when there had been none before. They had obviously been listening. She pushed the doors open and walked past their snickers and whispers.

By the time she entered her empty room, she was still shaking, and she had lost her appetite. Someone at the school office would have to listen to her tomorrow. She wouldn’t survive here without her family.

Chapter 10

Of all the things that could have happened to fuck up his final year and his life, his wolf snarling that the human was theirs was the last thing he had expected.

What the fuck?

Zeke paced back and forth in his bedroom, his shoulders tense, fists clenched, and eyes glowing on and off as he tried to tame his beast.

True mates were practically unheard of. There hadn’t been any such bonds reported in his father’s time or his grandfather’s.And when those rare meetings had happened, it was never to a fucking human! How the hell would that work? They broke so easily! He would be the Alpha of the biggest, strongest pack in the country. His arranged mate came from the second biggest pack and had been carefully vetted. The Luna of his pack had to be strong enough to hold everything together.

Not a human. Not something so fragile.

Fuck!

He could have punched something, but he knew Shadow would grab his chance to take control the moment he let his emotions take over. The beast was fighting to go and claim her. Her scent was still everywhere. It had been stupid to follow her, to interact, to stand so close that he could have taken her right there. Why he had even taken in her scent like that when she had been standing in front of him was beyond him.

Why hadn’t he considered this possibility when he had followed this scent? It had been referred to several times in the books his father made him study in preparation for this role. Most wolves of his generation considered true mates a myth, but he knew it wasn’t because he had to learn everything passed down from Alphas before him. He’d been so stupid.

They said it was the Moon Goddess’ blessing, the other half of a wolf. But what sort of blessing was it to be forced to be with someone he would never have wanted? It was almost as bad as his father arranging his mate, but at least he agreed with his father’s choice. The Midnight Pack was nearly as formidable as his own, and the Alpha’s daughter had been prepared for her role her whole life. Their joining would make them a threat to any pack, and it would make him strong enough to finally avenge his mother’s death.

A human would do the opposite. She would put his pack in danger. And she would put his life in danger. And on top of all of that, with her being so close, his impeccable school record wasin danger. Humans were so low down on the ranking that they were never even mentioned much in all the lessons he had been taught, but they were forbidden all the same. He could only mate with another wolf. He’d always stuck to the rules, but the human had made him forget himself.

Jared had been flirting with her at his party, and it had taken every ounce of control he had in his body to stop himself from shifting and ending that bastard. He’d almost completely lost his head in front of all those witnesses.

He couldn’t let a little human derail all of his hard work. Couldn’t let her ruin his life. That’s why she had to go.

“Zeke?”

He turned to his bedroom door with a frown as Myles entered.

“I just heard you were at Jared’s party. Is this true?”

He looked away and walked towards his balcony doors.

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