Page 4 of Ava: Part One

It was worse there. More people stood around with their bags, and it looked like she had to stand in a queue to get further instructions. The others looked like they already knew each other, judging by how they talked in groups. Their conversations were lively, but they all stopped talking the moment she stopped in one of the lines. She kept her eyes down, knowing she could control her emotions better if she didn’t make eye contact with anyone. She didn’t even try to look around the interior of the building that had fascinated her so much from the outside.

“You’re in the wrong queue. The donors don’t come through this building.”

She looked at the boy who had said that and refrained from making a snarky comment. This was not the place to let her mouth get her into trouble. The boy had to be her age if he was in this queue. Like the rest, his silky blond hair and blue eyes could have made him a movie star.

“I’m not a doner. But thanks,” she answered with a tight smile.

“Wait. You’re actually enrolled here?” the man asked incredulously. “Did someone prank you?”

“How?” she asked with a frown.

The invitations were always delivered to the intended person using magic; only they could read the details. The instructions had been very clear.

“I’m sorry. I just thought they couldn’t have humans enrolled here,” the boy said, and then he turned back around.

She had as well. She kept her fingers and toes crossed that they would tell her this had been a huge misunderstanding and send her back home. This was not the place for her.

Chapter 3

Zeke Michelson buttoned up his shirt and tried to tune out Claire’s voice in the background. He didn’t give a shit about whatever she was complaining about. They had only been here a few hours, so only the Moon Goddess knew how she had found so much to complain about in the first place.

He put his tie on and straightened it before he ran a hand through his still-damp hair.

“Are you even listening to me, Zeke?” Claire whined.

“No,” he answered as he turned to pick his blazer up.

He held her gaze, daring her to complain about that. But Claire lowered her eyes and kept her mouth shut. Her blonde hair fell over her face as she sat naked on her bed. For a moment, he considered rejoining her because the woman knew how to use her body to please him. But she was already too clingy; he didn’t want to give her any more ideas.

He left her room without a word, ignoring the shocked looks he got from the female residents of the dorm. But none of them would dare to report him. He was the future Alpha of the biggest pack in the country. Once he graduated at the end of this year, his father would step down and make it official because he had already proved in many ways that he was more than capable of leading the pack.

Once out of the building, he found his friends leaning against his car, wolf-whistling the ladies as they walked past to settle into their dorms. Most of them would probably end up in their beds before the semester was out. Zeke shook his head as he opened the car door and jumped into the driver’s seat.

“And how is our future Luna?”

He gave Myles a withering look before starting the car. Claire would never be his mate, and this idiot knew it. He had only stayed with her all these years for convenience. He was too busy to mess around with many girls. When he started at the academy, he’d already been shouldering many responsibilities for the pack.

Besides, his father had already arranged a suitable match, one that worked perfectly for his plans. He would be mated before he became the Alpha.

“Did you even talk to her this time?” Derek laughed as he jumped into the passenger seat.

He turned his withering gaze from Myles to Derek before he started driving out of the car park. Zeke had stopped at Claire’s dorm first before he had even gone to his appointed residence.Their bags were still in the trunk since they had driven down from the plane together. Being allowed to do that was a privilege every student was allowed after surviving two years of this hellhole. By then, it was expected they knew the consequences of breaking any of the school rules.

“Check out that fresh meat,” Myles said from the back seat.

“She’s a vampire, you fucker,” Derek said.

“I didn’t say I wanted her to be my mate,” Myles laughed as he rolled down his window and called out his usual pickup lines.

The vampire’s fangs elongated, and then she snarled and gave them the finger as they drove past.

“You can bite me anytime, baby,” Myles called out.

Zeke shook his head. They had been raised together and trained together, so he knew Derek and Myles would be perfect for their Beta and Gamma roles when it was time. He just sometimes forgot that what was expected of him was on a different level. He could never be intimate with the other species, and that was so fucking ironic because the whole reason the academy was founded was so they could all learn to co-exist. It was not forbidden for everyone else, but it was forbidden for him.

As he drove past the main building, he caught a scent in the air and wondered what fruity dish was being made in the kitchens. They had their own kitchen and could order food, but he didn’t think the main kitchen had ever made anything that smelled that good before. He took a long, deep breath, and the scent seemed to coat all of his insides. His wolf, Shadow, unfurled and agreed with him. They had to have whatever that was. Shadow was practically salivating.

“What time is it?” he asked.

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