Page 110 of Ava: Part Three

Would all of them disappear like this? Was this freedom for everyone, not just their campus but for others around the world?

Zeke tightened his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head before they turned back to the others.

Mr Patrick looked shell-shocked as he stood looking at the wreck before him. Her father approached her, holding his shirt out to her so she could cover herself. In all the madness, being naked in front of everyone had been the last thing on her mind.

Once she had her father’s shirt on, she hugged him and sobbed in his chest.

“You did it, girl. Don’t start crying now,” her father said.

“No, we did it. It took all of us,” she sniffed as she released him.

“No, Ava. It took you,” Mr Patrick said. “If you hadn’t come here and met your fated mate, Zeke would have gone off and become Alpha, and I would have been stuck here for the rest of my life. It was you we needed to make this happen.”

“But it still took all of us,” she said, looking back at Alpha Diego.

He was still standing over Hansson’s body, and she could feel his grief. Andrei had told her that Hansson had imprisoned the people they loved, and now, with Hansson gone... She had taken their only hope to have them free. She couldn’t imagine the pain he felt now. She wished it hadn’t gone down like that, but her hands had been tied. They couldn’t have waited.

She sensed the others approaching before she saw them and wondered if Nyx had decided to stick around now. The vampires reached them first and stopped to look at the damage. Prince Gideon had lost his blazer and tie, and there was blood down his chin and ripped shirt. He looked every bit the dangerous prince that he was.

“Is it over, brother?” he asked Zeke.

“It’s over.”

Gideon came forward and shook Zeke’s hand before turning to her and kissing her.

“I knew from the moment you helped my young ones that you would change this place,” he said with a smile. “I’ve told you this before, but anything you need, at any time, we’re all at your service.”

She smiled at him. She doubted she would ever need anything from him now that Mr Hansson was gone, but it was nice to know someone would have her back if she did.

Derek and Myles reached them next. Zeke released her to embrace his packmates and check on their injuries, and then she was surprised when Derek embraced her, too. She sensed no fear even though Nyx was now more dangerous than the day she had first appeared. Myles joined in the hug, and she knew they had finally completely accepted her. They had accepted Nyx. Something settled in her chest as she held the two of them.

‘I thought we were going to die,’ Myles said in her mind. ‘Thank you, Luna.’

‘I’m an Alpha!’ Nyx said indignantly.

She chuckled as she released them. That was a fight for another day.

And then, behind them, she saw Jared. He looked terrible. He had cuts and bruises everywhere and was supporting his arm, but he was alive. She knew Zeke wouldn’t like it, but she ran to him and tried not to jolt his arm as she embraced him.

“You did it, Little Red,” Jared whispered.

“We did it.”

She released him to look at the other students and staff as they came up the driveway. Some were carried between their friends, others limping on their own. Mr Hansson must have forgotten that he’d forced them all to train as warriors, to battle as if they were fighting for their lives each time. She felt a sense of pride that they had held their own.

And then, amid the students, she saw something she hadn’t expected.

Iulia was walking up to them, and beside her was Andrei.

Diego must have seen them at the same time because he rushed past her to meet them. He embraced Andrei the way a lover would and then put his forehead against the vampire’s. Their eyes were closed, but she could feel their love, even from this distance. Iulia joined them, completing their circle.

She looked away to give them privacy, but her heart lightened when she realised she hadn’t cost them everything.

“Miss Morgan.”

She turned to face the dean. He was completely naked, like all the wolves. Her eyes widened, and she looked only at his eyes.

“Thank you,” the dean said.

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