Page 74 of Ava: Part One

Wait. Did Ezekiel leave her alone in the middle of an alleyway?

That bastard! She had been unconscious. Anything could have happened to her.

She lifted her hand to try and feel the damage on her face but sucked in a breath when she saw the blood on it. Her hand was covered. She lifted her other hand and saw it was the same. The blood was under her fingernails and all over her clothes. How much damage had she taken to have so much blood on her? She had already lost a lot last night; losing that much again would be fatal. She needed to head to the infirmary quickly.

She used the wall to push herself to her feet and then lifted her torn and bloody T-shirt to inspect some of the damage. She didn’t see any bruises, and when she felt her ribs, they weren’t even tender or broken as she had suspected.

She couldn’t understand it. Was Jared’s cream working or not? Because her head was still pounding from those blows, and she felt woozy. Maybe it was from the blood loss, but...

Confused, she slowly made her way out of the alleyway. There was hardly anyone around at this end, almost like this part of town was abandoned. That should have been her first clue that Emily had been leading her into an ambush. Instead, she had been too busy trying to find a way out of this place.

When she made it back to the inhabited part of the village, no one even looked at or helped her. Maybe the locals weren’t as friendly as Emily had said because it was clear no one cared that she was bloody and limping through their streets. There was no sign of Ezekiel or Claire, either.

No taxis were waiting on the long road back to the academy. She looked longingly at the town before she started the journey back to the safety of the school grounds. She almost scoffed at that, but it was true. At least there were rules at the academy. The town was dangerous. Maybe she would have found a way out, but she was in no state to escape now. Her head still felt like it was exploding. She needed to heal and wash all the blood off if she was going to stand a chance against any other attacks. Plus, she had no money to go home once she escaped. She needed to pack a bag, at least.

Tonight. She would return tonight when she was prepared. She wasn’t giving anyone else a chance to hurt her again.

Chapter 52

Zeke’s father called just as he prepared to pick up Ava. Zeke normally called him when he was ready for the weekly check-in calls, usually after lunch, but his father had called an emergency conference meeting because the rogue attacks had increased in the past couple of weeks.

It pissed Shadow off. He had marked the whole territory because he considered it his. No one in the pack dared to dispute that, even though the current Alpha was alive and well. Therogues didn’t dare attack when he was home; it only happened when he was too far away.

That was one of the reasons he was anxious to graduate and take over from his father. Nobody feared Ezra Michelson anymore, but they were fucking terrified of Shadow.

He paced the room while his father and his Beta and Gamma, Derek’s and Myle’s fathers, filled them in. They had been lucky that no one had been injured, and the warriors had quickly taken care of the rogues. But they had come too far into the territory and too close to the pack residences for anyone to be comfortable.

“Had they already succumbed to moon madness?” he asked.

Once a wolf was exiled from a pack, it went insane the longer it was alone. Once they lost all their humanity, they became a deadly threat to all they came close to. His pack was huge, so they also had a lot of human suburbs in it. A rogue attack on the humans would be disastrous; it would bring all the human authorities to their doorstep. Exposure was the last thing they needed. The Council would step in faster than anything, and then the whole pack would be up shit creek.

“Nearly. But several of them worked together almost as if they were a pack. It’s ridiculous even to imagine, but those are the reports.”

His father wouldn’t have been out there with the warriors. He waited for the reports and the meetings. Zeke almost snarled in resentment, but he held himself back. His father would be stepping down soon anyway.

“They were so close to being rabid that I fear the next rogues that attack may be completely moon mad,” Derek’s father, Beta Lawrence, said.

“We have to increase patrols and protect our families,” Gamma Jeffries put in.

Myles had already lost his twin brother, and his family had not been the same since. His father was more protective of the remaining members of the family.

He looked at his future Beta and Gamma, and they nodded.

“We agree. Maybe speak to the nearest packs and come up with a plan together,” he said.

“Do you think I haven’t already done that?” His father snarled. “This is a mandatory meeting because you are the future Alpha and must be updated. I haven’t asked for your opinion.”

He clenched his fists and eyed the phone he had put on speaker on the table. If only he could hang up, but his father would find ways to punish him for the disrespect.

“We’ve had a notice about Parents’ Weekend,” his father continued. “They want to have it before the Council comes for your evaluation. I’ll bring the girl so you can start getting better acquainted.”

The girl? Shit. He’d been so preoccupied with Ava that he had forgotten there was already someone waiting to mate with him. Someone more suitable who would help him avenge his mother. Shadow growled loudly in his head, a threatening growl that had him tensing as he waited for the wolf to go crazy. It didn’t take long. He had to sit down as he fought with Shadow for control. His wolf would never let him touch someone else, not when Ava was still his mate.

Tonight. He would reject Ava tonight.

“Did you hear that?” his father said.

“Yes,” he said through his teeth.

---