Page 114 of Ava: Part Two

"Whoisit?"Avawhispered 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 again? What if she passed out, and then the next thing she would remember would be the blood on her hands?

"Empty your mind, Ava. Focus. What do you feel?"

"I feel like you're out of your damn mind if you're trying to make me meditate right now," she snapped as she turned to the window again.

She'd pissed a lot of people off lately, and any one of them could be the ones waiting to attack. But what were they waiting for? She was sure they could sense that Zeke wasn't there. Unless they were waiting for him? Was that the set-up? To wait for her mate so they could get them at the same time?

"I was not scared. Just surprised that they are brave enough to come so close to Zeke's boundary," Mr Patrick said. "But they are not brave enough to cross it. Just open your mind and feel it."

"They were brave enough last night. I saw them in the yard," she said, turning back to face him.

"Until they ran away with their tails between their legs."

Then Mr Patrick frowned and turned his attention to the front of the house as if he could hear something.

"What is it?"

"Trouble," he answered just before the doorbell rang. "Don't answer it."

She walked out of the lounge to look at the front door. Did they think she would just open it? Why were they knocking anyway? They were wolves; they could just break the door down if they wanted.

The bell rang again, more insistent than the first time. And then she heard her name being called.

She sucked in a breath when she realised who it was.

"Don't open it, Ava."

But she was already moving. She cracked the door open and saw Jared. Blood poured out of his nose, and his lip was cut open. It was his eyes that shocked her the most because he wasn't scared. He looked resigned to his fate.

When she opened the door wider, Jared fell to his knees. And behind him, with a sneer on his face, stood the man responsible.

Zeke's father.

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