Page 36 of Ava: Part Three

“I’m falling asleep on my feet,” she said. “I’ll see you when I wake up.”

But Zeke took her hand before she started walking and led her to the basement door without a word. She sighed as she began to walk down the stairs. Did any of them have any idea what she had put her body through the past few days? Going up and down too many stairs was not recommended. Her limbs were burning with the exertion by the time she got to the bottom step.

“I’ll just sleep here then, shall I?” she asked sarcastically as she walked further into the room and saw Myles sitting on one of the benches.

And then she froze,

In there, her father’s earthy scent was more potent.

Because the man himself stood on the other side of the room, with his hands in his pockets, standing next to Mr Patrick.

“What..? Are you kidding me right now?” she shouted as she walked towards him.

What was he doing back here? He was supposed to be gone. He was supposed to be safe. Zeke said he had ordered him to go as she had asked.

She looked back at Zeke and saw how he kept his gaze down. Felt his guilt. He hadn’t done it!!

“What the hell, Zeke?!”

“It wasn’t his fault, sweetheart.”

She looked back at her father, tears filling her eyes. What had he done? He was trapped here now. He would die here. She had failed him.

“Yes, it was. He could have listened to me and sent you home. But now you’re going to die here because you would never let me fight this battle on my own,” she said, her voice cracking as the tears fell. “He could have ordered you to go home and watch the boys, but now... You have no idea what's out there, Dad.”

“I would have gone, but I would never have been able to live with myself. What kind of father would I be if I let you fight alone? You’re just a kid, honey. You can’t do this by yourself,” Alpha Roland said as he closed the distance between them and put his hands on her shoulders.

“Nobody can win this fight, Dad,” she said, pulling back from him. “The Head of Council is a monster. He’s the one who controls everything and everyone. None of us stand a chance.”

She turned away from her father to look at Zeke, who still couldn’t look her in the eye.

“How could you do this to me?” she whispered.

Zeke finally looked up. Though he was full of guilt, she saw no remorse in his eyes.

“I would do anything to give you a chance to survive,” he said.

“You’ve just killed my father,” she hissed.

And then she turned away and started walking back up the stairs. Zeke didn’t follow her. He must have realised that he would not be welcome.

Instead of going to his bedroom, she went to her old one and pushed the broken door to the side to walk in. She was angry and terrified at the same time and would probably have blown up a lot more if she hadn’t been so tired.

The bed had been stripped, but she threw herself onto the bare mattress. She expected to stew and simmer over this unwelcome development, but her eyes closed straight away.

The last image she had in her head was the purple-eyed man grinning at her as he stood over her father.

Chapter 21

Avasleptlikealog.

Something shaking her shoulder jolted her out of her deep sleep, making her jump out of bed and straight into a fighting stance to face whoever had done that. Her first thought was the Council had come into the house, the purple-eyed man had caught her father, and it was time to fight.

But it was Samantha and Julie. The Omegas jumped back from her and lowered their gazes.

“Sorry,” Samantha said. “We made you some breakfast. Beta Derek said you slept through the weekend, so we made you something special to eat before lessons.”

“And I made you a drink that my mother told me is perfect for recovery when a wolf goes into heat,” Julie said. “Old family secret recipe.”

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