Page 8 of Ava: Part Three

"The dean didn't tell me anything, even when I commanded him to," her dad revealed. "But he said the guards are just extra protection for the students, so the parents don't have to worry about any more missing children."

"He's been commanded to say that," Zeke growled.

"Or compelled by a powerful vampire," her dad said. "Or a strong witch."

She felt Zeke's fear. The wolf who feared nothing was scared, and that, too, was her fault.

"We have to try Mr Patrick's way," her dad added. "We need to try something."

"No," she said as she stood.

They all turned to look at her.

"We need to try something. You need to go home," she said, her voice cracking as more tears threatened to come.

"No," her father snarled.

"I need you to go and protect the boys. If things go bad here, they won't even know what's coming," she sobbed. "Please, Dad."

"I will not leave you to fight this alone," Alpha Morgan said. "I'm going to find Mr Patrick. Go and prepare yourself."

With that, her father turned and walked up the stairs, leaving her sobbing again. This was her fight. It was her mess caused by this thing inside her. She would have to try to fix it herself.

"Ava..."

She shook her head and followed her father out of the room. He was already gone when she walked out into the hallway.

Was this how she killed her father, too?

Chapter 5

Itwasalmostlunchtimewhen her father returned. She had been on her way downstairs to eat something when Alpha Morgan knocked the broken door out of the way and marched in.

She stopped when he noticed her and her heart squeezed in her chest. Her father was in pain. She could sense that as if her wolf senses were helping her, even though she still couldn't feel anything different inside her.

"They're all over the boundary," her dad said. "We have to find a hidden place to cross into the forest."

He was still saying 'we'.

She walked down the rest of the stairs and went into his arms. When his arms tightened around her, she felt him tremble a little, and her heart broke again.

This could be the last day she saw her father.

But he would have to go. When the car came for him to take him to the airport, he would leave alone. He had the boys and the whole pack to take care of. She'd had the entire morning to come to terms with that. It was the only way.

"I will go into the forest, and then whatever the outcome, you'll have to leave tonight, Dad," she whispered.

Her father released her and then walked into the lounge, blatantly ignoring what she'd said. She sighed and followed him, knowing the boys were there. Zeke was already looking at the doorway when she walked through, and his mood brought hers down even more. She hadn't let him near her since she had decided that her father had to go.

"We have to go now. If it doesn't work, we need time to prepare for the next move. Can I use your phone, Zeke? I need to call my boys."

Just in case.

He didn't say that part, but she heard it clearly.

"Let's wait until we have better news to tell them," she said before Zeke could answer.

"So you've decided to go with my plan?"

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