Page 88 of Ava: Part Two

“Have they all been like this?” her father growled.

“It doesn’t matter. You know I don’t pay attention to any of that.”

She could tell by how he clenched and unclenched his fists that he wanted to do something about that. But it was pointless. This was the Council’s playground; he couldn’t protect her there. He had barely managed to protect her in his own pack.

It felt like only moments later that the student in the lecture hall came out of the room with her parent or guardian, and with the way Mr Patrick was herding them, it looked like they hadn’t quite finished.

“Come in,” Mr Patrick said to her and her dad.

Once they were in, he put his hand on the door and chanted as he had before. She quickly glanced at her father and frowned when she realised he wasn’t surprised at all.

“Why am I not surprised,” Alpha Roland said once Mr Patrick turned back to face them. “Why is it always you who gets involved with my children?”

“A thank you would be nice,” Mr Patrick said as he walked towards his desk, which had some chairs arranged in front of it. “Hello, Roland.”

They know each other? She remembered Mr Patrick had said something about Caleb and meditating.

“I also tried to teach your father, but like you, he was quite useless at following instructions,” Mr Patrick said.

Her eyes widened. Just how old was this man?

“Not important. Now, do you want to tell your father what you have been doing before I tell him how much trouble you’re in?”

Her father turned in his seat to look at her. She looked at Mr Patrick and thought of all the curse words she knew. She hadn’t come to him to worry her dad; she had come for help to get out of this shit.

“Did she tell you she beat an Alpha and made it all the way to the final matches at the mock evaluations?” Mr Patrick asked.

Though there was worry in her father’s eyes, she saw his pride, too,

“Didn’t expect any less,” he smiled.

“And then she yielded to save an Alpha and spent two days in Isolation instead of one for pissing off the dean.”

Her father was on his feet instantly, dragging her up with him. He grabbed her face and turned it side to side as he inspected her.

"Dad—"

"This should have been the first thing you told me," Alpha Roland growled, turning her around and inspecting the rest of her.

She could feel his fear, almost hear his pounding heart, but she knew that was impossible.

“Is it, Ava?” Mr Patrick asked.

She frowned at him as her father turned her back to face him. Of course, it was impossible. Only wolves could feel emotions and hear heartbeats, not humans.

“How are you feeling? You’re different. Is that what I’m sensing from you?” her father asked quickly.

“I’m fine, Dad. I didn’t even feel it.”

Her father let her go and tilted his head in thought. She would never have said anything to anyone else, and maybe she shouldn’t have said this in front of Mr Patrick, but she didn’t want her father to start worrying that the Council’s evil magic would break her. Even though it most likely would. There had been too many things she couldn’t explain that had happened to her.

“How did you do that?” he asked.

“I felt it all around me, and then I just... closed my mind to it, I guess,” she shrugged. “I thought of the beach and stayed there.”

“You’ve never been to the beach,” he pointed out with a frown.

“It felt so real, Dad.”

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