Page 21 of Ava: Part Three

She didn't dwell on it as she got to work until the other students arrived after their lunch break.

And then, finally, the coach walked in. The man who'd tried to get her hurt during the evaluations. The man who didn't deserve her respect at all.

It was hard not to meet his gaze directly as he walked to the centre of the room; she had to force herself. She could feel his gaze on her, though, and could imagine how much anger he was directing at her.

"Morgan, I'm moving you up to the Intermediate level. Make your way down the hall."

Shock rippled through her, and she forgot not to look into his eyes. Was this a joke? Because she had forfeited a match, she'd known she would be stuck in this class until the following evaluations. Why was he moving her?

"Move it, Morgan! You're delaying my class."

What the hell was happening? She started walking out of the room, wondering if the coach was sick of her or if he had found the perfect way to hurt her. The last place she wanted to be was at the intermediate level. Douche Dexter was there. And Claire.

At the door, she turned back. No, she wasn't going. What if her beast came out in a room full of students?

"Get the hell out of my training room, Morgan," the coach growled.

When she met his gaze this time, she saw it all. The hatred. The anger. The disgust. She was sure the coach would drag her there himself if she refused.

She sighed and left the room to start walking to the other end of the building. This was ridiculous. It had been one thing after the other, as if everything was set to break her before the Council came for their pound of flesh. Outside this building, there was no fighting allowed, but within these rooms? There were no holds barred.

She pushed the door open, and all the students standing in front of the coach turned their heads to look at her.

Douche Dexter was the first she saw. And still, even with the new rules, she didn't look away from his gaze. It was Dexter who looked away first.

And then, at the back of the room was the wolf who'd somehow come back from the dead. The room was full of the darkness, the evil that shouldn't have existed outside of that forest. A shiver of dread ran down her spine.

Claire's lips curled into a smile until her eyes lowered to her neck. The sinister smile turned into a snarl, and her eyes flashed blue.

And that was when she remembered that, without the collar and tie of her uniform, Zeke's mark was exposed.

"Are you just going to stand there like an idiot?" the coach said. "Get in here. You're late."

She would be in there for hours. Everyday. With the thing that wanted to kill her. And everything in her told her Claire would cause the bloodbath before the Council even arrived.

Chapter 12

Zekewasstillstrugglingto stop himself from going on a bloody rampage when he sensed he wasn't alone.

He looked over at the lake to calm himself. It really wasn't Mr Patrick's fault, he knew that. But still, he wanted to rip his head off.

"Calm down, Zeke," Mr Patrick said from somewhere behind him.

"Don't tell me to calm down. I should never have listened to you. To either of you."

Ava's father was the first to come down to the bank and stand beside him as he looked over the water. Ava was going to kill him for this but damned if he was going to send away the only other person there who would lay their life down for her.

"And what was your plan?" Alpha Morgan asked. "Charge out of here and protect my daughter out there alone? Try to outrun the Council?"

Zeke snorted.

"I think we all saw that she doesn't need protecting," he growled.

"But none of that matters if she doesn't talk to her wolf, Ezekiel," Mr Patrick said.

Did he want her to talk to her wolf? At this point, he wasn't sure.

"Her wolf is still a part of her, and because you've bonded, it's a part of you," Mr Patrick said. "And she did not reject you—"

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