Page 86 of Ava: Part Three

“You’re all doing excellent work,” Mr Hansson said to the class, and then he turned to leave.

She could feel the relief from everyone in the class. But would it be short-lived? It was nice that her father and Zeke had faith that she wouldn’t buckle under the pressure and give in to this man, but if she came to that point where she had to choose their lives over everyone else... She didn’t know if she deserved their trust.

She followed Mr Hansson and sensed the three councillors following behind her. She cleared her mind because she knew Mr Patrick’s protective magic required her to control her emotions to be more effective.

Mr Hansson said nothing as they walked down the hallway. He started whistling and had his hands in his pockets, as if this was truly a day to celebrate for him. And when they walked out of the doors, he looked up at the sky and smiled.

“This day will go down in our history as the day that changed everything,” Mr Hansson said.

Dread filled her stomach.

Had she been wrong to trust them? Had she fought her wolf and lay there while they had found a way to break her bond with Zeke?

Her heart started to pound. She was a fool. A gullible fool.

“Oh, don’t worry, Ava. I can hear your little heart pitter-pattering, but you don’t need to be afraid. You’re on the good side of history because today, I learned I can trust you despite everything. You will do as you're told."

Because she'd let her mate die? Because they weren't true mates after all?

She risked a glance at Mr Hansson, and her fear must have shown in her eyes.

"I saw a chance today, and I took it. Do you know where your mate is?"

Was he alive? That was all she wanted to hear.

"Come."

He started walking again towards the Administration block, and that was when she noticed all the guards lined up down the streets. He’d made sure he was protected to come to see her, but he hadn’t needed this before. Was Mr Patrick right? Did the forest affect him, too, the longer he was here? Mr Hansson hadn’t been on campus nearly as long as Mr Patrick, so he couldn’t be affected already. Could he?

Someone nudged her gently from behind and made her start walking.

“Your mate went on a rampage today,” Mr Hansson said. “He killed several people.”

What?

She felt Zeke’s anger but hadn’t thought he would do that.

“And the fact that this is news to you also proves my point,” Mr Hansson said. “That day by the forest, I masked your bond, but I felt like somehow you were still connected. So when Ezekiel defied my guards today, I sent them back up to stop him. I had to be sure, see. But he went through several of them before he could be subdued.”

“What did you do to him?” she asked quickly.

Subdued, to this insane man, could mean anything. Her heart twisted again as she waited for the answer.

“Oh, he’s fine. You’ll see him in a moment,” Mr Hansson said. “But the moment he went down, I expected you to massacre the whole school in a bid to find him. I thought this would be a bleak day for the academy, the day I proved that somehow two demon wolves had been fated. Killing you would have ruined all my plans.”

So Andrei and Iulia had been telling the truth. They had saved her.

She resisted the urge to turn back and look at them as she walked next to Mr Hansson. She didn’t know what this meant. Were they allies? Or were they just looking out for them because they liked them, not because they would ever turn on Mr Hansson?

“All I’d have had to do was kill Zeke while he was vulnerable, and that would have taken care of you, too. They don’t teach you about True Mate bonds because it’s something that never happens anymore, thank fuck. Everyone's better off without that bond. People should be allowed to pick who they want to be with. Like you and Ezekiel did,” Mr Hansson continued.

She could see the Administration block coming up ahead. Where had they put Zeke? In Isolation?

“Two good things came out of this experiment today, so I can’t complain. I proved you’re just an ordinary, murderous, blood-thirsty wolf with no crazy bond enhancing you. And Zeke murdered some people, which means if he doesn’t accept a position on the Council, he would have to pay for that crime, the same as you.”

What did he mean when he said the bond enhanced them? Was that why Mr Patrick said that was their advantage?

“You’re rather calm for someone who just found out you have no choice,” Mr Hansson said.

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