Page 58 of Ava: Part One

“I need these books and others on those subjects,” he told her.

Miss Donovan didn’t cower. She was probably one of the few people who didn’t reek of fear when he spoke to them. She took the paper from him without a word and started typing something on her computer.

“Some of these are restricted, but I’ll tell you where the other books are.”

Miss Donovan printed something out and handed it to him, and it was just his luck that the ones he needed were restricted. He frowned and stuffed the paper in his pocket.

“Is this about that business that happened during the break?” Miss Donovan asked quietly.

Of course. She wasn’t in Dominic’s nest, but news like this was bound to have travelled. This was the perfect excuse he needed to find out what was happening between him and Ava.

“Yes,” he lied. “I need to find a way to solve this without more bloodshed. My father’s expecting a report this weekend, and I’ve made no progress.”

Miss Donovan regarded him for a moment. She was perfectly still, so he knew she was using her senses to figure out if he was telling the truth. On any other person, her allure would have been irresistible. He would have had to tell her the truth when she asked. But Shadow was stubborn and didn’t allow anyone to manipulate him like that.

“I’m proud of you for trying. You’ll make a great Alpha.”

Better than his father. That part was left unsaid, but he knew that was what she had implied.

“If you find a study room, I’ll bring you some of those books. But you must be careful with them and can't check them out. They belong to the Council.”

He was so grateful he could have kissed the older woman if he didn’t think Shadow would bite her face off instead.

“Thank you,” he said with a breath of relief.

He went to the nearest study room to wait. There were several of these rooms on each floor for when students needed to do group discussions without bothering anyone else or when they needed a more private space to study. They were usually busier when the exams were nearer, but so early in the semester, they were hardly used. Tables and chairs were in the middle, and a couple of computers were set up along one wall. He paced around the table as his anxiousness increased.

What if he discovered there was nothing he could do about this? What if it was permanent? He could feel Shadow practically wagging his tail at that thought.

The door opened, and Miss Donovan walked in with a few heavy books. They looked ancient, and he was almost afraid to pick them up after she set them on a table.

“Take your time,” she said before she left the room.

Zeke had to steel himself as he walked to the books and picked up the top one. It was simply called True Mate Bonds. When he sat down to read, even the very first sentence was a disappointment. Everything just reaffirmed his fears. True mate bonds were for life. Ava was supposedly the other half of him. And if he marked her, and she died, he would never be whole again.

She would always be his weakness. Why anybody in their right mind would want that was beyond him. The bond he would create with the woman his father had chosen would not be like this. Not at all. He wouldn’t even need to touch her unless he was ready to make heirs. But a True Mate bond was the opposite. He would want to touch Ava all the time. He was struggling with that already.

He chose to skip the other headings as he looked for the ones he wanted. How to stop himself from marking her in the first place. How to stop this bond from getting stronger.

He was looking through the last book when he finally found what he was looking for. Relief washed over him as he read every sentence carefully. Was that all there was to it? Was that all it would take to end this madness?

All he had to do was make eye contact and say, ‘I, Ezekiel Michelson, son of Ezra Michelson, reject you, Ava Morgan, as my true mate.’

For the first time since she had ignored him on her balcony last night, his heart felt lighter. He was finally going to end this shit. Today.

Chapter 41

The following day, Jared dropped her off at the kitchen for her duties because she had further to walk from his house. She was still so tired from her restless night that she hadn’t declined the offer. But she knew she couldn’t ask him to drop her off again, not if the looks she had got when he had picked her up last night were anything to go by.

She seemed to be breaking rules all over the place. Maybe she needed confirmation from the dean or the Student Welfare Coordinator, Mrs. Benton, that it was alright to live with Jared.

“I won’t be coming to the dining hall for my meals today, so I’ll pick you up after your detention,” Jared said.

“Oh, there’s no need to do that,” she answered quickly as she took her seatbelt off and grabbed her bag. “You’re already doing a lot for me; I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble with the school.”

“Let me worry about that,” Jared answered. “Keep your head down. I hear someone’s pissed that you didn’t stay in the infirmary longer.”

Ava paused with her hand on the door. She’d forgotten about Claire, which seemed ridiculous because that wolf was out for her blood.

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