She Nodded Quietly When The Alpha King Introduced Her As 'Nobody'…Then She Vanished From The Academy

Zeke should never have touched her. It had made everything worse. He slammed the door as he walked into his house, then stopped short when he saw two Omegas with their bags standing near the doorway. Great, now he had to share his personal space when he was already struggling to control Shadow. Already the Beast was snarling, trying to go back to Eva. As expected, the stench of fear filled his nostrils as he stopped in front of him. If everybody was scared of him, why the fuck did they keep giving him these Omegas in the first place?

"Speak," he growled. They startled, and one of them was visibly shaking.

"We've been assigned to you, sir," one of them said.

"I know that," he growled. "What are your names?" It was Shadow making him so irritable, but there was nothing he could do about that now. They would have no peace until Ava was out of this school.

"Samantha," the one who had spoken first said.

"Julie," the shaky one said.

"Read the rules and stay out of my way," he told them as he walked past.

Derek was in the lounge when he walked past, and as expected, he stood up to follow. "I told them which room to use, but they wouldn't move until you got home," Derek said. "I don't know why you never pick. We always end up with the ones that don't know what they're doing."

As he started up the stairs, he felt his face start to tighten and his claws extend. The more Shadow fought with him. "Do you want them to make dinner?" he heard Derek following him up the stairs and growled.

"Space," that was all he needed. He couldn't control Shadow if he kept getting distracted, and as long as Ava's scent was all over him, Shadow was going to wince. Her skin was so soft. He wanted to hold her close, to feel her against him. He wanted everything. Day 2, and he was already such a mess. She had to leave.

"Zeke, give me my space!" Derek, he growled, his voice was deeper as he struggled with Shadow. Thankfully, the footsteps behind him stopped. He didn't stop moving until he was in his wet room and had changed into fresh clothes. He would burn them the first chance he got, but he knew it wouldn't help. Her scent had already invaded the core of him.

As he stood under the shower spray, he clenched and unclenched his fists, uncaring that his claws were cutting into him. "She's mine," Shadow growled.

"But she will never be mine," he declared loudly. He had not come this far to be derailed by that pig-headed human. It didn't matter how soft she was or how good she smelled. Those were not the qualities he was looking for in his Luna. He had planned his revenge to the last detail, and this would topple it all.

"But she is soft, she smells good, and she wants us," he groaned as Shadow's words brought her scent back to his mind. She did want him. Even now, he could still feel how she had responded when he held her against the door. It made him groan as he got lost in his own head, and his wolf started to gloat.

"You stubborn wolf," he snarled. "It doesn't matter who or what she is. It will never happen." But he still let his imagination run wild as he imagined what he wanted to do to her, over and over again.

By the time he walked out of the shower, he was a little calmer. His palms had healed from where his claws had cut him, and Shadow was a bit quieter in his head. He grabbed a towel from the rack and started drying himself. As he walked back into his room, he stopped in his tracks when he saw Claire on his bed. Claire was waiting for him, wearing a revealing outfit. He had completely forgotten that she had said she would come.

"Hi," Claire smiled. He continued to dry himself slowly, as he looked at the way she had draped herself on the bed. If anyone had been created to please a man, it was Claire. The buxom chest, the voluptuous figure, the pouty lips. She did a lot of the things that he liked, well, but he would never say that out loud. He was a bastard, but not that much.

"I hope the training didn't tire you out," Claire continued, looking at her. Did nothing. This was the only thing that had made him keep her around for so long, but that was gone. He sighed as he threw his towel to a corner and walked over to his drawers. He could feel her eyes on him, and it left him feeling cold. That, and the fact that Shadow was growling in his head. He was too unstable right now to be intimate with anyone.

"It did, actually," he lied as he put a pair of boxers on and then turned back to face her. "I'm having dinner, then going to sleep."

"Claire poured. "I didn't see you at all over the break. I thought maybe we would spend more time together this year."

"Packed business, you know how it is," he shrugged. He didn't move towards her because he didn't want to risk her touching him. He had just calmed Shadow down; he didn't think he had it in him to do it again.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said when she didn't take the hint. Claire's disappointment was clear on her face, but it was better she went to her dorm and stayed safe than try to take something that Shadow believed belonged to someone else.

"Okay," she said with a tight smile as she got off the bed. He was sure the way she sauntered across the room in her lacy underwear was meant to entice him, but he didn't react as he normally would have. Claire picked her coat off the chair and put it on before she tied the belt.

"Good night, then," Claire said.

"Good night." He didn't go down to eat or go to bed. After she left, he paced his room for the second night in a row, racking his head for a way to get out of this. There had to be a way. If he asked anyone, they would put two and two together, so maybe he had to research these true mate bonds the old-fashioned way. He would have to go to the library.

Ava was shocked when she made it to the kitchen on time at the butt crack of dawn. She was grumpy and had hardly had any sleep, thanks to Ezekiel. What was this now? First, he threatened to get rid of her, and now this confusing tension. Her body still felt tingly, but she didn't have time to worry about things like that when she was in a completely hostile environment. She looked around the work area as she wiped one surface. There was a mix of people here, not just the first years. The other first years were being shown how the meals were cooked, but she had been relegated to the cleaning straight away. They had magic users here; why couldn't they just magic all the rubbish jobs? Why did Omegas have to do it? She wished she could talk to some of them, but there wasn't a friendly face around, and with the looks they were all giving her as she worked, she knew it was only a matter of time until one of them tried something.

By the time the breakfast was made and the kitchen supervisor had stood over her to make sure everything was spotless, Eva was ready to fall asleep, but she still had the rest of the day to go through. At least she'd get to eat breakfast today. After she had changed in the room behind the kitchens, she walked into the most elegant cafeteria she had ever seen. They called it the dining hall. It could have belonged to a five-star restaurant. The only thing missing were the waitresses, which was a good thing because she knew that would have been the Omegas's job as well. She filled a plate from the buffet and also put a glass of orange juice on her tray. When she turned to find a table, she stopped for a group to walk past her and then watched in horror as one of the girls tipped her tray and her breakfast went all over her uniform. She was too shocked to do anything other than gape as the girl turned back and said, "Watch where you're going, human!" Just like the douche who had slammed her into the wall. What was this high school? This had been a regular occurrence there that she'd had several changes of clothes in her locker for these special occasions. She hadn't thought she would need that here.

When she looked closer, she realized this was the same group of girls that had given her the stink eye after assembly the other day. The high-end models with bad attitudes. She shook her head as she watched them walk away.

"Move, human," someone growled behind her. She stopped looking at the women to pick up the remains of her breakfast and wipe it down with paper towels as well as she could. When she discarded her tray and used a million paper towels on her blazer, she searched the room for the wolf who had done this. Her heart almost stopped when she saw the woman sitting with Ezekiel. She was so close to him, she was practically on his lap when she whispered something in his ear and then pulled his head down to kiss him. Something in her wanted to go over there and rip her off him. She couldn't understand that. It was a wave of jealousy so intense that it knocked some sense back into her. Ezekiel was nothing to her. It didn't matter that he had sniffed her and made her body crave his touch. She didn't want him. So the girl was welcome to him. Wolves were horny beasts, so she was not surprised that he had a girlfriend. For all she knew, he had hundreds of them. He was good-looking and arrogant, so it was safe to assume that some crazy girls would throw themselves all over him. She didn't want any part of that. Even after she told herself that, she carried on watching them. She only looked away once she realized Ezekiel was watching her. He had his eyes wide open while his lips were on his girlfriend.

Once she got another tray of breakfast, she chose a table as far away as possible from Ezekiel and made sure she sat with her back to them.

"Mind if I sit?" she smiled when she saw Emily standing next to her.

"Of course not," she smiled, glad to have something else to think about. She moved her tray so Emily could put hers down as she sat opposite her and then smiled at her as she started eating.

"You like your food," Emily stated when she looked at her plate. "I've never met a human who can eat like that, especially the females."

"You've met humans? What are they like in person?" she had always been fascinated with all the humans she saw on television or in her magazines, and going to college with them had been a dream of hers ever since she'd learned about human colleges. She wanted a place where she belonged, to be like everyone else.

"You've never met any?" Emily asked with a raised brow.

"Not that I can remember," she sighed as she continued eating her food. She didn't know Emily well enough to talk about anything so personal, and a room full of sensitive ears was not the place to talk about it anyway.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to you again after..." Emily's voice trailed off when Eva looked up from her food. The Omega was looking somewhere behind her. She paled and then looked down at her food. Eva knew without looking who was the cause of this. She shook her head and continued with her food. She would not give Ezekiel another moment of her time, so she coaxed Emily into talking about other things. It was nice to do that instead of sitting in silence all the time.

"It's nice to talk to someone. I'm alone in my dorm, so I don't have anyone to talk to after classes," she admitted after she had wiped her face. It wouldn't do her any good, though, because unless she actually went back to her dorm for a change of clothes, her uniform was a mess. The whole day.

"I'd give anything to be alone," Emily mumbled, and then she gave her a smile as she stood up. "I'll see you at training." She didn't know why, but she got a feeling Emily had a lot more she had wanted to talk about. She shrugged as she picked her tray up and took it back to the service table. Besides that incident at the beginning, this had not been as bad as she had expected. She didn't look back in Ezekiel's direction a single time as she made her way out of the hall and towards the dean's office. He would hear her out today. She was not doing four years of bloody needlework.

"But sir, if you ask any of my teachers and the coach, they'll tell you the same thing. I'm human. You can smell that I'm human," she argued.

"Miss Morgan, I told you this yesterday," the dean said as he flipped through his paperwork. "What the council says goes."

"They made a mistake," she growled. Of course, her growl was ineffective because she was human. It made the dean stop what he was doing and look at her sharply. His eyes glowed blue like his human eyes, and he growled at her, a real hair-raising, threatening growl.

"Shit," her heart started pounding, but she calmed it as she looked down. She had completely forgotten who she was talking to.

"I'm sorry, sir," she whispered. She wasn't. She was seething, but it was better to not push an angry alpha.

"Your teachers have said you fit in just fine, and you even excelled in your combat class yesterday," the alpha said. "This is the last time I will hear of this matter, Miss Morgan. Do I make myself clear?" Had he been checking up on her for what purpose? If he didn't check on everyone else, it must mean she was right, and he just didn't want to admit the council was wrong.

"Can I at least do the academic program I was going to do at another college? I graduated top of my class in cleaning someone else's hut. It's the greatest service to be of service. Every Omega knows this." Did they though? Did they really enjoy cleaning up after everyone else? What would an alpha like him know about this?

"You're dismissed, Miss Morgan." She didn't look into his eyes again as she stood and walked towards the door. "And have some pride in your appearance. We have a standard to maintain here. Body odor is not tolerated here. Go back to your dorm to bathe and change." Her mouth dropped. The patch of food was clear on her blazer, so the asshole knew this was not body odor.

"Sir, my first class is about to start."

"Then you should have thought of that before you left your dorm looking like a homeless human," he cut in. Her blood was boiling as she walked past Penelope and made her way out of the building. Who the hell did the dean think he was? What sort of institution allowed someone like him to be in charge of showing the minds of their future leaders? She was still seething when she walked into her dorm later, and by then, she did need a shower because she was sweating buckets. By the time she had made it back to school, she was over an hour late, and her tablet dinged with notification of another detention. Hours later, she still hadn't managed to calm herself down. Every shove, every foul insult had added to her mood until she felt she was ready to explode.

Just before the end of the last lesson before lunch, she looked outside the window and saw a group of students walking through the quad, holding their books. They looked like they had actually learned something today, unlike her. All she'd learned to do was to breathe so she wouldn't stab anyone with her knitting needles. The students headed to a large building on the other side, which she had learned was the library. It was another building she would probably not use.

"Miss Morgan," she was startled and faced the knitting instructor. When she'd first come into this lesson, she had been sure that was a joke, but no, she was really a knitting instructor, and she taught them for two hours.

"Would you like to share with the class what has made you so fascinated that you've not completed any of your work?" the woman asked sweetly. She had to be a witch; there was no other reason that such a sweet old lady would volunteer to torture students for two whole hours.

"I was just wondering who those lucky bastards down there are because they look like they're actually learning something." She realized she had said that out loud when Miss Smith's face turned an interesting shade of red. The instructor picked her tablet up and jabbed at it. Eve didn't need to pick hers up to know that was her second detention of the day.

As soon as they were allowed out, she headed out to the quad and sat on one of the benches. She was too wired up to eat any lunch and only had half an hour to get to the training center anyway. She blinked back some tears as she tried to breathe and calm herself. Why had her dad sent her here, knowing she would suffer like this? What if she never made it back home?

By the time she'd walked to her next class and set the beginner training room up, she was no closer to releasing the pressure in her head. She was angry, scared, and confused all at the same time. She was sure it would get worse the longer she stayed here. When Ezekiel walked in after Coach Baxter, she looked away.

"Warm up, 10 laps," the coach shouted. She rolled her eyes as she started her jog and once again was made to stop after two. She didn't pay attention to the laughter this time. "Winners from yesterday, pair up. Losers, watch, maybe you'll learn something." There were no weak Omegas for her to fight this time. She fought another wolf, and this one didn't even let her get a punch in. By the time the coach tapped her out of the match, she hurt everywhere. Her ankle was twisted, and her lip was cut, but her head was still ready to explode.

In detention, she sat quietly with her arms folded. She hadn't even bothered to change out of her kit. Mr. Patrick looked at her constantly but didn't talk to her, even when the hour was up. When she finally got to her room, she dropped her bag on the floor and buried her face in the pillow before she let out a scream. She did not belong here, but they wouldn't listen until they carried her out in a body bag. Ezekiel was right. She was about to go and shower when a knock on her window startled her. The sun was just setting, so she could see Ezekiel standing there in his training kit. There was no expression on his face, so she couldn't tell what mood he was in. She walked slowly towards him, favoring her hurt ankle, until she opened the window. Ezekiel was the last person she wanted to see right now, but still, her heart did a stupid flip.

"The dean said no," she mumbled and was going to close her window when he stopped her and pushed it wide open. He had let himself in before she could protest.

"Try again tomorrow," he growled and then he held a bag out to her. Food and a first aid kit. She eyed it suspiciously until his growl made her snatch it from his hand. Then he looked around the room before he turned and got out again.

"Lock it," he growled. She was still standing there with the bag in her hand long after he was gone.

When Zeke walked into his house, the first thing he could smell was fear. It had been only a day with these Omegas, and he was already tired of them. He hadn't even talked to them except for when they had arrived. He could also smell dinner, but he wasn't hungry, not for food anyway. He had no idea why he had even gone to her dorm room, but after the conversation he had overheard at breakfast, something had driven him to confirm that she was alone in her dorm. Shadow didn't like that she was on the ground floor and had such a wide window with a flimsy lock. He had accessed her room so easily from the back, but he told the wolf to back off. She was not their concern. He told her to lock her window. That was all the advice he would give her. Hence all the growling in his head. Shadow was beyond pissed off, just as he had been when she had been sparring in combat class. Her little body had been thrown about like a rag doll, and Shadow had been ready to rip people's heads off. He would never have got any rest tonight if he hadn't stopped by her room. Still, Shadow wasn't satisfied. The anger was building up inside him, and he was prowling like the caged beast that he was, which was why the last scent to hit his nose was very unwelcome. Claire's scent made Shadow so angry that he contemplated leaving. He didn't have the energy to fight his wolf tonight.

"There you are. Training finished a while ago. I thought you'd be home by now." His eyes glowed on and off when Claire came out of the lounge and walked towards him with a smile.

"Stop," he ordered. Claire stopped immediately. He had to close his eyes to try to get Shadow to obey him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Since you were tired last night, I thought..." He opened his eyes when her voice trailed off. It was her fear that was clogging up his nose now. Why was she even with him when she was so scared of him? He couldn't remember a single time that he had warmed up to her, and their dates were very physical, and him leaving soon after. Why did she stick around for that shit?

"You know you can't come here without permission, right? You know how territorial my wolf is."

"I've always come here before," Claire pointed out, almost every night. The growling in his head became louder at that reminder.

"There's a lot of pressure on me this year. I'll invite you when things calm down. Leave, Claire." He seemed to be saying that a lot lately. There was shock on Claire's face, but she nodded her head and walked back into the lounge. She came out with her bag and then walked towards him like she was going to kiss him. He stepped to the side and opened the door. Claire walked out without another word, and he closed the door with a breath of relief. Shadow was not killing anyone today. Crisis averted.

That display in the morning had been hard to endure with Ava in the same room, but it had been necessary to prove a point to her. He had seen the look in Ava's eyes, so he had succeeded. It didn't matter how his body had responded to her; she was nothing to him. He could fuck anyone he wanted and satisfy his needs.

"Try it," Shadow said. He ignored the wolf's threat as he pushed himself off the door to head to his room. He stopped when he saw Derek standing there.

"Not that I'm not happy you're finally pushing that vapid wolf out of your life, but what the fuck is going on, Zeke? That's two days in a row you've turned her away." He shook his head and walked past his beta.

"You know there's a lot going on. We haven't made contact with Gideon yet, and my father expects a report on Saturday. That's the first thing we should have done. The vampires could retaliate any moment, but you seem intent on disappearing and forgetting your duties." He snarled and came back to Derek, sticking his face in his. "Endearing him to repeat that sentence." Derek stepped back and looked down in submission, but he wasn't satisfied. After everything he had done, everything he had given up, how dare Derek accuse him of forgetting about his duties?

"I have never in my life forgotten about my duties," he snarled. "My whole life is a duty that you and Miles will never have to bear the weight of. Do not say that shit to me again."

"Yes, Alpha." I'm sorry. His anger cooled down quickly, and he stepped back from his friend. Derek was right; his head was not in his duties right now, so he shouldn't have reacted like this.

"I'll speak to the vampire prince tomorrow morning," he said. "It's not a good idea to let Shadow near them tonight."

Derek nodded his head, his eyes stilled downwards. "I'm sorry," he said to Derek. "You're right. I think I just need to sleep." He was going to be Derek's alpha, but he didn't intend to be an asshole alpha like his father. People feared him enough as it was.

Derek finally looked up and nodded his head. "Good night," he said as he started up the stairs again.

"You're not going to eat? They've been cooking a feast or something in there."

"Even though I told them not to bother. Miles will eat it if they insist on wasting their time. Let them," he shrugged. Like last night and the night before, he didn't sleep as he had intended to. He paced his bedroom, wondering when things were going to blow up in his face because they would if Eva didn't get more serious about getting out of this place. He couldn't involve himself because that would make people ask questions.

"You will never take her from me," Shadow's confident statement left him feeling hopeless. He had found nothing about true mates in the library except mentions in passing, and he hadn't wanted to ask the librarian. There had to be a way he could break or reject this bond. He walked out to his balcony and looked in the direction of Ava's dorm. Even across the distance, she was calling to him, and all he would have to do to get to her was break a flimsy window. If she was to leave, would he still feel like this? Would distance stop it?

"She's mine," was all Shadow said. It made him think there was an even worse scenario: that Shadow would follow her wherever she went. He had her scent now; she would never be able to hide from him.

Screams, blood, the crunching sounds. Screams, blood, the crunching sounds. That same scene repeating over and over again until Eva jolted awake. There was nothing but the pitch black around her, and the shadows receding from her dreams. The movement made her groan and close her eyes as she curled into a fetal position. Breathing hurt, but she had to take deep breaths to try to calm herself. As usual, these days, her nightmares were accompanied by a panic attack. With her body in so much pain, she felt as if it was frozen in place. All her muscles seized up. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe. This was really where she died, in this school, alone with people that played with her like she was a piece of meat. She tried all her usual techniques. She counted. She focused on trying to draw in deep breaths. She tried to think of something else. It wasn't working. She felt her lungs start to burn as all the chaotic thoughts in her head told her she was dying. All she could hear was the loud beating of her heart. She tried to pull on her pajamas; they felt constricting, even though she had worn her shorts and strappy vest top, but her muscles were too stiff to move. Then she felt a gentle touch on her back and the whispered words, "Breathe." The voice washed over her and calmed her, as if all she had needed to start drawing deeper breaths was his command. "In and out. In and out." She concentrated on the deep breaths until her lungs stopped burning and her mind calmed down. Then she felt the mattress dip and felt the heat of his body behind her. His spicy cologne filled her nose as she relaxed against him and closed her eyes. She felt his warm breath on her neck as he nestled closer against her and put his huge arm gently around her body. She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, but when she woke up again, the sky was lightning outside her window, and she was very much alone. Had she dreamt that? Had she missed him so much that she had taken to imagining that he would come into her room in the middle of the night? If so, then she was more messed up than she thought.

She groaned as she kicked the covers off and then forced her stiff body to move. It was Saturday, but she was still required to report for duties in the kitchen. It took her a while, but she eventually got off the bed and limped to the bathroom. The good thing about having the room all to herself was she didn't have to share, and no one would hurry her if she soaked her body for a while. She ran the bath and then stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling length mirror before she slowly peeled her pajamas off. Her body was covered in bruises. Her face and limbs were badly hurt. She had thought she would be out of the matches after her first loss, but the coach had told her she needed all the help she could get, so in every training session, she had been thrown around and beaten, almost as if it was a sport for them. The coach hadn't stopped any of those matches until she had been unconscious, and this was just the warm-up week. Emily had told her that things got intense from the second week after the new students were expected to have settled into their new routines. How much more of this shit could she take? Did they mean to kill her? Would she really leave this place in a body bag? Maybe she was being punished for going to see the dean every single morning to request the same thing. Maybe she was being punished for sometimes letting her mouth run away from her and ending up with weeks worth of detentions. Either way, she was just one giant sore, and still, nobody wanted to listen to her to get her out.

After a soak that she had to cut off because of the time, she dried herself and took some painkillers from the first aid kit that Zeke had given her. She didn't know what had possessed him to do that, but if she didn't think he was an asshole like the dean, she could have kissed him in gratitude. By the time she had limped her way to the kitchen, she was half an hour late and another detention in the bag, but she was past caring now.

"Move quicker, human. The place is a mess. Have some pride."

"I can't move any quicker than this," she protested.

"Do it, or I will report you." She rolled her eyes, and the kitchen supervisor pulled her tablet out. It was like they kept the page open on her name so they could mark it. By the time she finished everything, she could only manage to pick up a piece of fruit before she sat at the first table she came to in the dining hall. She needed to rest before calling her dad and then walking back to her dorm to sleep the day away. There was already a queue when she followed the directions on her tablet to the phone room, a long one that she didn't think she could stand in for long. She couldn't stop the tears falling down her cheek as she turned back, though. She had been hurt by the fact that her dad had sent her here, knowing what would happen, but she had still wanted to hear his voice, still wanted him to tell her that everything would be okay, she would get through this, as she had done everything else. Still wanted to hear her brothers tease her and Caleb to ask if she was keeping her head down and following the rules. She wiped her face as she started the long walk back. She would try again tomorrow.

A car drove up from behind her and stopped, and she couldn't stop the tears when she turned to look at the driver. Jared wasn't grinning this time as he looked at her face. He switched off the car without a word and then got out. And then he led around to the passenger side where he helped her in.

"This is so fucked up," he said as he started the car. "You shouldn't be here, red." She wanted to snort and say, "Tell me something I don't know," but all that came out of her lips were the sobs. Her heart had never hurt this much. She wanted to go home.

"You're looking weak, Ezekiel. There are ways around those rules, and you know them. You should show the vampire prince who he will bow to when you become the alpha, if you become the alpha." His father's words were still ringing in his ears long after the dreaded check-in phone call. If he became alpha, that was all he had been waiting for for six fucking years now. His father thought he could dangle it in his face like that. He was lounging by the pool while Claire and her friends swam. If he could call it that, they were in the water, but they didn't look wet. It was like they were still perfectly made up when the rest of the world would have been a wet mess. How the hell did they even do that?

"Did you tell him?"

"Yes," he interrupted. "Miles. He didn't want to think about his father right now. How was it okay for him to punish the vampires for a minor infraction committed away from the school, but his father didn't even have the balls to gut the wolves who'd killed his mate? He was such a hypocrite. Talk the talk, but couldn't walk the walk." Since Shadow had made his deadly appearance, his father had used him to enforce the rules. It was him the PAX feared. It was him who had blood on his hands, but his father still liked to talk like he still had the juice.

"Are you coming in?" Claire asked with an inviting smile. He lifted his beer and tried not to scowl.

"Maybe later." To stop Derek from asking too many questions, he had invited them to spend the day, but he knew what he would rather have been doing. He could still feel her body now, hours later, even though she was so small, she had fit so perfectly against him like she had been made for him. Thinking about her made Shadow growl. It had been a hard week. He'd had to leave training several times on the verge of attacking the people hurting Ava. The coach hadn't let up on her, giving her match after match. She had fought more times than anyone else in the class, and her body showed it. The coach wouldn't let up on her. He knew that Phoenix Academy showed no mercy. It was how they produced all the bastards who ran the world, so he had stayed away, knowing Shadow would become uncontrollable if he saw her. But last night, he hadn't been able to help himself. He'd let himself in through her unlatched window and sat there watching her for hours. She'd been restless all night until she'd had that nightmare. He couldn't blame her, but the worst was still to come. He still wanted her to get out of here, but now it was just so they would stop hurting her.

As he took a swig of his beer, he caught her sweet scent in the air and frowned. "Maybe by next week, we would have sorted it."

"It's our last year. We don't want to be breaking any rules now," Derek said. They were still talking about his father, but Shadow was a mess in his head. His so-called true mate was near. What was she doing? She should have been in her dorm resting.

"I'm going to clear my head," he told Derek and Miles.

"I'll come with you," Claire offered as she started walking out of the water. He knew what she wanted. He never normally cared where he had her, so these walks always ended up as something else, but even the thought of it had Shadow ready to rip her apart.

"Stay," he growled. He didn't wait to see her reaction as he walked around the pool and headed to the woods. Ava's scent was so strong that he had a feeling he knew where she was. He didn't dare let Shadow out so he could run there quicker. It had been almost a week since he had let him out, and both of them were antsy, but it was better this way. Shadow had already cataloged the scent of the people who had trained with Ava. That was a bloodbath waiting to happen. The closer he got to Jared's house, the stronger the scent got. He stayed downwind so Jared and his pack wouldn't smell him too, but the moment he could see Jared's house, he wished he had stayed by his pool. Ava, wearing a swimsuit, her eyes closed as she lay on a lounger in the sun, and Jared was sitting next to her. Jared applying healing cream on her shoulders and arms. His claws extended as he watched the bastard lift her arm and start applying it. Eva closed her eyes and let out a relieved sigh. She moaned and let him carry on touching her body. That sound caused havoc in his body, even as his rage increased. Shadow's rage increased. It felt almost like how he had felt the night Shadow had shown everyone who he really was, so uncontrollable and unstoppable. His claws extended, and his face tightened as he felt the shifts start to happen. It was only when he saw her flinch that Shadow concentrated more on Ava's pain. He could see how bruised she was. That was all he needed to take control back from Shadow and shove him back where he belonged. He turned away from Ava and Jared before he could see anything that would set Shadow off again and made his way back to his house as quietly as he had come. The girls were still in the pool, and Claire's unwelcome scent tethered him. Derek and Miles had left them, which was good. He didn't need any questions. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist as he tried to ignore the threatening growl in his head. Shadow was a danger to everyone. He tried not to think of what he had seen so he could calm the other half of him, but the wolf's pain was his pain. It felt like his chest was caving in, like his heart had been cut open.

"I thought you'd be gone longer than that," Claire said. "You've been walking a lot lately." He frowned at the way she said that, but didn't respond as he sat back on the lounger. He didn't pick his beer back up; he probably shouldn't have touched it in the first place, but he thought he had placated Shadow enough with the nighttime visit and contact with Ava. He thought he could loosen up a little.

"Where did you go?" Could the woman not see he was struggling here? Could she not tell he was about to lose control?

"You probably need to sleep more. It's not good to stay out all the time." That made him look at her sharply. What did she know about him staying out all the time?

"I think you're right. I need to sleep. You should go." He didn't miss the look she gave him before she looked down and gave a fake smile. "Of course. Call me when you need me." He didn't know how long they took to leave, but the moment her scent was gone, it was replaced by Ava's. He growled and shoved Shadow back. Was this how the whole semester would be like, constantly struggling not to kill people, craving the human like she was the air he breathed? It was only the first week, and he had already stopped several disasters. How much more of this could he take?

Eva felt her muscles relax and a wave of relief wash through her whole body. Jared's fingers were like magic on her sore body.

"That feels amazing," she said sleepily.

"What is it?"

"A little something I get whipped up by a witch at home. Helps after hard training sessions," Jared answered. "If I had known it worked on humans, I would have given it to you sooner." The fact that anyone with supernatural healing powers needed something like this made her feel anxious again. She flinched when Jared touched a more painful spot on her back. It brought her mind back to the present.

"Sorry," Jared said.

"It's fine," she let him put it wherever he needed to and closed her eyes. She'd hardly had any sleep with the early mornings and the pain in her body. This was the best she had felt in what seemed like forever.

"Turn over," Jared instructed. She mumbled a protest, but Jared laughed and turned her over himself. It didn't feel as painful as she had thought it would. She kept her eyes closed as Jared continued his magic on the front of her body. She didn't know where he had dug up this bikini set from; she had never worn anything so exposing in her life, but she was glad he had it. It allowed him unrestricted access as he moved his hands everywhere she needed him to. She moaned when he started on her arm. Her shoulder had been hurt more after her duties in the kitchen, and now, like magic, the pain was almost gone.

"All done," Jared said when he finally stopped.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "This is the third time you've saved me. I don't know what I can do to repay you."

"You don't need to repay me. Your company is enough. No one ever really visits here unless I'm having a party," Jared sighed. Did his pack members not live with him? He sounded a little sad when he said that. She remembered how upset he had been at the assembly about something the dean had said, something about last year's evaluations. What was his story, though? He had had his hands all over her body. She didn't feel they were close enough for her to ask such personal questions now.

"Do you want to tell me what had those tears on your face besides the pain, that is?" Jared said as he moved over to another lounger.

"It's nothing. Maybe I'm just homesick. I wanted to speak to my dad, but I was in too much pain to wait in the queue," she sighed. "But thanks to you, I'll be okay to do it tomorrow."

"You don't have to wait. You can use my phone." She opened her eyes to look at him. He had a phone? Weren't those not allowed?

"All future alphas have phones," he explained. "Land lines, so the Academy can still restrict our usage if we misuse them, but on weekends, it's unlimited." She sat up on her lounger and looked at him eagerly. Jared was saving her in more ways than he could ever imagine.

Moments later, an Omega came out of the house holding a cordless phone, and she could have kissed her. Jared had probably used their pack link to give his instructions.

"Thank you," she didn't know why she was already blinking back tears as Jared stood up. "Take your time. I have things to do, and then I'll see about feeding you." She eagerly dialed her dad's number, and it was answered on the first ring, as if he had been waiting by the phone.

"Baby," Alfa Roland said instead of a hello.

"Hi, Dad," she answered, and then she burst into tears. She had so much she had wanted to ask him, to say to him, but just hearing his voice on the other end of the phone made her miss him so much. Until now, she hadn't yet faced the reality that she wasn't likely going to be taken back home.

"Shh, don't cry, Ava. Everything will be all right," her dad said over and over again. It was a while later when she could finally get some words out.

"I don't think it will," she sniffed. "I don't even know why they've kept me here when they can see that I'm not like them."

"I believe you are, Ava. You know I always have, but say the word, and I will come and get you."

"I don't know where I am," she answered with a sob, "and besides, you know I'm not going to let you do that." Even after students left this place, the council was still a thorn in the backside. If they punished her family, they would destroy her whole pack. She disliked most of them, but they were still her pack. She couldn't do that to everyone.

"You are more important to me than being alpha," her dad said. "I would do anything for you kids."

"So why didn't you tell me?" It was the question that had been on her mind with every blow she had taken.

"You know we can't say anything," her dad sighed. "I'm sorry, Ava. I didn't want you to get more anxious, but I also believe I taught you everything you need to know. Hold your head high. Follow the rules like your brother said, but do not take shit from anyone. You're a lot stronger than you think. You just have to believe in yourself." That was a lot easier said than done. The more she opened her mouth, the more she was targeted, but she didn't tell him that as she let the conversation drift to other things. By the time she had spoken to all of her brothers, she had a smile on her face for the first time since she arrived.

"Have you made any friends?" Caleb asked. She smiled as Jared walked out of the house, followed by an Omega with a tray of food.

"Yes, I have," when she finally ended the call, Jared had

fixed her up a huge plate of food, and you're saying you do all this, but no one is lining up to live with you, she teased as she accepted her plate.

"I don't do this for just anyone," he snorted.

"Then why me?" Jared shrugged. "There was someone last year. I guess I wish I had helped him too." He didn't explain any further, but she knew this was the incident that had upset him when it was mentioned in Assembly.

Jared was only sad for a moment before he let a smile on his lips. "Eat up. You need to get your strength up for next week."

She started eating, but for the first time, she felt maybe she could do this. She just had to stick to her original plan: keep her head down and put a filter on her mouth. She had already survived being beaten for a week; surely it would be someone else's turn next week.

Monday was even worse than anything she could have imagined. Being shoved against walls by supernatural beings was a lot like being hit by a car, she imagined. By the time lunch rolled around, she was already bruised and in pain. Even though Jared's cream had worked wonders on her previous bruises, Emily joined her as she had done most lunch times now.

"I thought you would look worse than that."

Today, Sundays were the only days the Omegas got off to catch up on their own things. Since she had hung out with Jared the whole weekend, she hadn't come to the dining hall, so she hadn't seen Emily since Friday's training.

"I would have if Jared hadn't helped me," she said between bites of her food.

Emily tensed and then quickly looked around. "What had she done wrong now?"

"It's Alpha or Mr. Anderson," Emily whispered urgently. "You can't refer to the future Alphas by their name. You need to understand the rules, Ava."

"Seriously? Do they want me to call him master too?" she snorted.

Emily clearly didn't get the sarcasm because she still looked worried. "Read the rules," she said again.

"The rule book is like a million pages. How am I supposed to read and remember all of that?"

"You've broken so many so far, but you've been lucky that the only consequences are detention. I'm scared for you, Ava. Rule breaking can have life-changing consequences."

"Life-changing?" She stopped chewing to pay more attention to Emily. "Like what?"

"Expulsion, suspension." Emily shook her head with a frown on her face but didn't expand on it.

She had flipped through the rule book on her tablet a few times, but she had not read anywhere that talked about the consequences of breaking the rules. What would they do to her?

"Try not to get too many detentions, too. After a certain point, they take you as a repeat offender and send you in."

"Take me where?" she asked, her eyes wide. She liked detention; it was the only place she felt safe.

Again, Emily didn't answer that question as she started eating her food. "Just use their proper titles and keep your head down. Don't befriend them. It's not our place," she advised.

Memorize the rule book? Was she really breaking the rules by hanging out with Jared? How messed up was that? That explained the hostile looks she had received from the Omegas who had been at his house.

"If you keep your head down, Coach Baxter might go easy on you this week. I don't know why you insist on looking people in the eye, but that's probably why he kept putting you in matches."

"He put me in all the matches because he's a sadistic bastard who gets off on that shit!" she pointed out, and then the whole room got quiet. Eva sucked in a breath and didn't dare look around, but she could tell by the way Emily looked down and her face paled that all the sensitive ears in the room had heard what she had said.

Was that another rule broken?

"Well, well, well," a voice said as the girl came to stand next to her table. "If it isn't the homeless vermin that's contaminating our school." It was the model and her two friends. Ezekiel's girlfriend.

She looked down at her food quickly, with Emily's words playing in her head. Had she broken a more serious rule?

"Humans are so weak and pathetic. I don't know how you made it here, but you won't make it out. I'll see you in training." She didn't respond as the girl and her friends walked past her and out of the dining hall. She watched their retreating backs before she looked back at Emily.

"What did I do?" she whispered.

Emily shook her head and then picked up her tray as she stood. "Read the rules," she whispered before she left her alone.

No one spoke to her as they were setting up the training room. It seemed as if they were going out of their way to avoid her. By the time the rest of her class filed in, her stomach was in knots. They all sneered and laughed as they looked in her direction, a lot more than usual, so she knew they had heard about what she had said.

When Coach Baxter walked in, he had more students filing in behind him. Ezekiel came in last, but he didn't even look at her.

"We are doing something different today," the coach said. "Since you all failed to impress me last week, I've moved the weapons testing to next week. This week, you'll be fighting against the intermediate level. I'll pick one of you to come to the middle, and one of them will step forward to spar with you. And trust me, I may get off on this just a little bit."

She kept her head down as Emily had suggested. She'd found a spot behind everyone else, hidden by their height, and breathed deeply to keep her heart calm, but she could feel all the gazes on her. At the coach's words, she wasn't surprised that someone had snitched.

"Ava!" She flinched when his voice boomed across the room. "Step forward."

How had she even thought this week would be better? She shuffled to the middle of the room and waited for her opponent. It felt like forever standing there, the whole class watching her. There was so much excitement in there that she knew that what was coming was going to hurt.

When her opponent finally stood onto the mat, she lifted her gaze and met the sneer on Ezekiel's girlfriend's face. "Claire, thank you for volunteering." There was no volunteering; it was obvious that this was pre-planned. There was so much coldness in the girl's green gaze that she had to wonder if this was just about what she had said at lunchtime.

The whistle blew, and she didn't even have a chance to move. Claire had her on her back instantly with a spear she felt through her whole body. She felt a sharp impact, and it hurt so much she knew something was broken. She could do nothing but try to protect her head when Claire struck her repeatedly. The coach didn't even try to stop the match, even when she tapped, even when she screamed. She was being punished to appease his ego. Her classmates were cheering every blow.

With tears in her eyes, she saw Ezekiel leave the room. She didn't know why that made her angry. She felt the rage building up; it was as if it had a life of its own inside her, and all she had to do was let it out so she could stop the girl leaving her badly injured. It washed through her, so familiar that she felt tingles through her body. Claire's blows didn't even hurt anymore, possibly because of shock. The rage gave her confidence as she looked the girl in the eye and snarled. Claire stopped the punches and snarled back, then she raised her fist again.

"Human scum!" Claire spat out as she caught the side of her head, and then everything went dark.

The nightmare of screams and violence returned. Screams, blood, the crunching sounds. Eva sat up in bed with her heart in her mouth. She expected the same excruciating pain she had felt every time she had moved her body so roughly, but she felt nothing, not even a headache from the insane girl's punches. Her heart was still pounding when she looked around and she realized she was in a hospital bed. The curtains were drawn around her, but she could hear beeping machines not too far away. They must have brought her to the infirmary when she was knocked out, and whatever voodoo they did here was excellent because she felt better than she felt in a long time. Why hadn't she thought to come here last week? It would have saved her a lot of energy; being in constant pain was mentally draining. Maybe it was whatever medication they had given her, but she felt ready to take on the world.

Someone had undressed her and put her in a hospital gown. She felt around her ribs for any tenderness, but there was nothing. Her curtain was pulled open, and she startled when a tall, thin man walked in. She could tell he was a vampire by his pale skin and the ring on his finger. Some witch decades ago had found out how to make these charmed rings, and now vampires could walk in the sun among them. Not all vampires followed the council; as far as she was aware, there were still some out there who lived by their own rules and preyed on humans.

"You're awake. Good," the vampire said as he picked up a chart at the foot of her bed. He wore a doctor's coat and a stethoscope around his neck. He looked very young, not much older than she was, but goddess knew how old he actually was.

"Everything looks good. You're free to go," the doctor announced. He was about to walk out when she stopped him.

"What about my ribs? What did you give me?"

"Your ribs?" the doctor questioned. "They were broken. Do I have to do anything for aftercare?" The doctor frowned at her and picked her folder up again. "You were knocked out at training and brought in for a possible concussion, but a body scan showed nothing. You just needed rest. Probably first years tend to come in a lot from mid-semester because of that, but humans tire quicker," the doctor said as he put the folder back. "Your clothes are on the chair. I can't give you a note to skip school today because there's nothing wrong with you, so you better get moving if you don't want to be late."

What? She had felt the pain; she'd heard the sound of her ribs breaking. How could the doctor say there had been nothing wrong with her? Was it Jared's cream still doing its magic on her body? How strong was the witch who had made it to be able to heal broken bones? She was confused as she got off the bed and picked her clothes up from where the doctor indicated. She wrinkled her nose when she shook her training kit out; it was stained with dirt and sweat. If she'd had real friends here, someone would have brought her a change of clothes. She sighed as she put the kit on and found her trainers.

The infirmary was a big, busy building. If everyone was trained the way coach trained them, then she was sure it was at capacity every night. What the hell was wrong with this place, allowing such barbaric things to happen in training? They were sparing; things weren't supposed to be taken so far, and teachers weren't supposed to let their personal issues affect the way they taught the students.

As she walked out, she realized it was still very dark. She hadn't asked what time it was, and her bag with her tablet was still in her locker at the training center with her uniform. It would take her even longer to get to her room when she didn't know where she was.

"Eva!" She looked towards the car park at the sound of the voice that made her heart skip. Ezekiel was leaning against a car, hands in his pockets, and still in his training kit. She remembered the last time she had seen him, and all her anger returned, but she deflated instantly. Why had she expected him to help her anyway? They were not friends, and the entire time she had known him, he had been trying to get her to leave.

"What are you doing here?" She didn't bother looking down; she could tell he was very angry, so they might as well get the showdown over and done with so she could make her way home. This was probably where he said that he had told her so that they would break her until there was nothing left of her but ashes. She wasn't in the mood for that today.

"I'm taking you back to your room," Ezekiel said as he pushed himself off the front of his car and walked around to the passenger side. She didn't know what to make of this. How had he known she was coming out? Had he waited? What did his girlfriend make of this?

"I don't need anything from you." His eyes flashed red briefly as he opened the door and held it open. "Stop being stubborn," he said.

She looked up at the sky and saw that it was lightning. After what Emily had told her, she didn't want to add on to her detentions; she's already accumulated enough for another couple of weeks. With a sigh, she walked over and got into the car.

Ezekiel's eyes were glued to her top, and when he took a breath, his eyes glowed, and the hand holding the top of the door tightened. Maybe it was a bad idea to get into such an enclosed space with an angry alpha. He said nothing as he got into the car and started it. He didn't say a word during the drive either, but his fists kept clenching and unclenching. By the time he stopped outside her dorm, she didn't know what to think.

"Thank you," she mumbled as she got out. She was surprised when he got out too and walked beside her. He didn't look at her a single time, so she had no idea why he had even got out. Before she reached the door, Ezekiel pulled her to the side of the building and crashed her body into his. She gasped at the contact, but she didn't have a chance to react before he brought his lips down. A surge of heat rushed through her, unlike anything she had ever known, flooded her body instantly as Ezekiel claimed her mouth. It felt like a million electric shocks through every nerve in her body. When he picked her up and backed her against the wall, he pressed her against the wall and awakened so many emotions at the same time that all she could do was close her eyes and let them take her. His hands, his mouth, his amazing cologne, everything whirled around her as her body craved more. But just as quickly as he had started, he stopped. He set her back on her feet and backed away.

"Burn those clothes," he growled, and then he got into his car and sped off as if the devil himself was chasing him. She was left clinging to the wall because her knees were too weak to hold her up.

Zeke parked his car on the driveway and gripped the wheel tightly. He could feel the change coming as Ava's scent overwhelmed him. The heat of her mouth, the way she had responded to his kiss, to his touch, the way she had molded her body to his as he had urgently ground himself against her. He groaned and closed his eyes, and then the scent of her blood hit him all over again. That his rage returned. He'd been fighting that constantly since he first saw Ava. There were so many strong emotions raging inside him that he didn't think he could hold shadow back this time. Pain, rage, this inexplicable bond to Ava calling him constantly, making him want to be with her all the time. The whole time he had waited outside the infirmary, his senses tuned to her beating heart, shadow had thrashed inside him. He'd wanted to wait there to make sure Ava was okay, and at the same time, he'd wanted to find Claire and deal with her. Today had been torture on a level he had never experienced before. Claire had known, somehow she had known that he was drawn to her. How else could he explain that look she had given him before she had felled Ava to the ground? That glint in her eyes as she had used all her strength on Ava's fragile body. His claws extended again as he thought of his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend. He could never be with her again after what she had done, and after what he had done, kissing Ava like that. How could he want anyone else now? He could still taste Ava on his lips. He hadn't planned on doing that, but after seeing her walk out of the hospital like that, he had needed to, just to reassure himself that she was really okay.

"Go back to her," shadow commanded. He couldn't. No matter what feelings she had dug up in him, he still couldn't. Shadow snarled at him, and then that turned into a growl when the unwelcome stench of vampire hit his nose. Shadow had found someone else to take his anger out on. A growl left his lips as he looked in his rearview mirror. Now was not the time for this shit. Shadow was ready to take over and lose control completely. He saw the vampires coming up his driveway and fought the shift. His face tightened as his deadly teeth elongated, but he gripped the wheel as if his life depended on it. It did depend on it. He pushed as hard as he could, but shadow wouldn't let go of him.

"Derek, Miles," he said through the pack link. "We have company." He couldn't leave the car; the moment he did, it would be chaos, and everything would all be over. He would never be alpha and take his revenge.

"Derek and Miles came out of the house quickly, dressed only in their pajama bottoms and ready to shift in an instant. "We mean no harm," Gideon said, his palms raised as he stopped a distance away. "We had a meeting, and you didn't turn up. I was under the impression our negotiations were of a time-sensitive nature."

"Shit, the vampire prince was right. He was supposed to have gone to meet with him after training to try to reach an agreement that suited everyone, but Ava." He had been unable to move or think until he had seen for himself that she was okay.

"Zeke!" Derek shouting in his head brought him back to the present, but shadow was also in there, growling at him to find Claire, ordering him to go and take care of Ava, ordering him to kill all the vampires and everyone who stood in his way.

"Not now, Derek. Tell them I'll find them." He cut the pack link so he could concentrate on calming himself down. He was in no state of mind for any delicate negotiations, no matter how urgent they were. He didn't know how long he sat there gripping the wheel, but when Derek knocked on his window, the vampires were gone. He took a last calming breath and then watched his claws retract as he muzzled the beast. When he finally left his car, Derek sniffed the air briefly before he looked at him pointedly. "Seriously? You blew the meeting off because you were with a girl? They have one of ours. We need this information." He slammed the car door and walked into the house, Derek and Miles hot on his heels. He knew exactly what was at stake. The vampires had a wolf in their ranks now, a female from his pack who'd gone and made it a vampire. His father thought this was the greatest insult to their pack and wanted blood. It had already caused too many rules to be broken during the break. If the council got involved in this, then it wouldn't end well for anybody, but he could still smell Ava's blood.

"What's really going on here, Zeke? You pace your room all night, you're not sleeping, and then you bite people's heads off all day," Miles said. He trusted them with his life; he trusted they would always have his back, but on something like this, he couldn't.

"Which girl has you wound up like this? I can't believe you're going to get us into trouble with your father over a piece of thind." He had Derek by the neck against the wall before he could finish that sentence.

"Say it," he growled. "Finish that sentence."

"Zeke, man, he can't breathe," Miles said with a hint of fear in his voice. It brought him back to his senses, and he quickly let his friend go. He watched Derek wheeze as he bent over to try to get deep breaths in and felt like the biggest dick to ever walk the planet. He felt exactly like his father. He took a step back and then another, but he knew he could never take back what he had just done.

"Damn it, I'm sorry," he said. He didn't wait for their response as he turned and took the stairs two at a time until he had locked himself in his room.

"You can't stop me, Zeke. I will have anybody who stands in my way." He ignored shadow and started pacing again. The sun was already rising, so he knew there would be no sleep again. How could he sleep when he could hear Shadow's thoughts? No one was safe here, not until he had Ava, not until she gave herself to him and had Shadow's Mark.