Page 71 of Ava: Part One

That burst her bubble, and her anger drained away. Was this true? Could Jared have known? Did another person betray her?

“The shower is through there. I’ll get you some clothes, then I’ll drive you to your duties.”

Ezekiel didn’t even wait to see if she agreed before he walked out of the room in his boxers.

She took a long shower with her mind going over the events of last night. Ezekiel was right. Jared would have known Claire was waiting there. Wouldn’t he? She hated that now she couldn’t trust anyone because she’d been backstabbed the two times she tried.

When she finally came out of the bathroom, some clothes were on the bed. They were in her size, so she hoped that meant they were not Claire’s.

As she made her way down the stairs, lead filling her stomach with each step, Ezekiel came out from one of the rooms. His hair was damp, showing he was also freshly showered but hadn’t dried it. And he was thankfully clothed. He led her out of the house, which had a similar layout to Jared's, and then to a car parked outside. It wasn’t the same car he had picked her up in before.

“Where’s your other car?”

“Being cleaned,” Ezekiel answered.

They made the drive to the kitchen in silence as she wondered if she still had anything left in her to make it through another week in this hell hole.

“I’ll pick you up when you’re finished.”

She didn’t respond except to mumble thank you as she got out of the car. She was already half an hour late, so she didn’t bother going any quicker.

From the hush that settled over the kitchen as she entered, she knew they had heard what happened. The supervisor didn’t say anything or pull out her tablet to penalise her. And the other wolves ignored her for the rest of the shift. It was an unexpectedly peaceful shift.

When she finally finished and made her way to the front to grab something to eat quickly, she almost lost her balance when she was bundled into a firm hug.

“I heard what happened. I’m so sorry,” Emily whispered.

She couldn’t tell if Emily was telling the truth because it was clear that her bullshit radar was broken now. But she let the Omega take her hand and lead her to a table before she brought over enough food for both of them.

“I heard Claire’s gone,” Emily whispered after they had eaten. “I think we should do something to cheer you up and start fresh next week. We should go to town. I can help you replace your clothes.”

That perked her up.

“Town, as in out of this place?” she asked.

“Sort of. The opposite end of campus. The locals are friendly and know about us.”

She felt the first genuine smile forming on her lips as the Omega continued to talk. This had to be the way out. She was going home.

Chapter 50

Ava didn’t wait to finish her breakfast. She asked Emily if they could go straight away, and before she knew it, they had visited Mrs Benton’s office in the main building and acquired two passes. The Welfare Coordinator didn’t even bat an eyelid or look away from her screen when she made the passes appear on her desk and even when she stamped them.

“Don’t you need anything from your room first?” Emily asked as they walked down to a side of the campus she had never been to. “I already have my purse.”

It seemed darker there somehow, even though the buildings looked the same as the others. The air felt different, almost as if it were colder, making a shiver go down her spine.

“No, I just want to walk around a bit,” she answered.

Besides, she didn’t want to see Jared or Ezekiel. She’d had her breakfast earlier than usual, so hopefully Ezekiel hadn’t come to pick her up yet like he had threatened to do.

“How do you know Claire is gone?” she asked as they approached a gate smaller and less grand than the one she had come through on her first day.

The forest was on the other side but felt less oppressive here.

“I’m one of their resident Omegas,” Emily sighed.

What? She had figured out that the Alphas had Omegas catering to them from the comments they made in the kitchen the other day, but she hadn’t thought the other wolves would have Omegas, too. They made Omegas everyone’s servants. This academy was something else.

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