Ava’s POV
I don’t flinch. I don’t even blink. Sarah’s reaction didn’t surprise me, I expected it.
“If you are not somewhere spreading your legs, then where?” She takes a step closer, and I move back.
She raised her hands for another slap but she held it back into a fist, her sharp gaze locked onto mine, filled with suspicion and something else I can’t quite place. “Where the hell have you been then?” she demands, crossing her arms over her chest. “You disappeared for an entire day. Do you think this house is a hotel?”
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. If I tell her the truth, will she believe me? Will it even matter?
Ava’s POVThe morning sun filters through the window and I blink a few times before opening my eyes, my body still aching from yesterday’s ordeal. My face stings where Sarah slapped me. I push myself out of bed, my legs feeling heavier than usual. I don’t want to go to school, but I have no choice. If I skip, it’ll only give Sarah more reason to torment me. She’ll call me lazy, useless, a disgrace to the family. Dragging myself to the bathroom, I stare at my reflection. My eyes are slightly swollen from all the crying. My lower lip looks red where I bit it too hard last night. I look miserable. I feel miserable. But I don’t really have time to dwell on it, I’m used to it. After a quick shower, I slip into my uniform. The fabric is a little worn-out, the edges fraying from too many washes. I don’t care. It’s not like I have another option. I grab my bag, take a deep breath, and step out of my room.The house is quiet. Sarah is probably still asleep. Good. I don’t need her ruining my
Ava’s POVI feel like my body isn’t mine anymore. My heart beats fast, and my breathing is shallow. Irish’s grip on my wrist is strong but not painful, but enough to remind me that I can’t escape. His fingers press into my skin, his touch warm and firm.I hate how my body reacts to him. I hate how his presence makes everything feel confusing.“Stop looking at me like that,” he murmurs, his voice low and unreadable.“Like what?” I swallow hard. His grip on my wrist tightens slightly, pulling me a fraction closer. My breath hitches. His gaze dips to my lips for a second, so fast I might’ve imagined it. But then, before I can process what’s happening, his lips are on mine.The kiss is brief, just a few seconds, but it steals the air from my lungs. His lips are warm, firm, pressing against mine with a confidence that makes my stomach flip. He doesn’t rush, doesn’t force it’s just enough to make me forget everything else.Then, just as suddenly, he pulls away.I barely get a chance to rea
Zayne’s POVThe moment I step inside the house, I know something is wrong, It’s too quiet, too empty for Ava to be inside. My footsteps echo through the wide space as I stride forward, my pulse hammering so loudly that I could hear the sound.I push open the first door on my right, my grip tight around the handle. Nothing. I check the next one empty. My movements grow rougher, more frantic, as I storm down the hall, yanking doors open, scanning every corner.Still nothing.Where the hell is she?My jaw clenches. She should be here. I left her here.I curse under my breath, frustration burning through me like wildfire. My body feels hot with irritation as I stand in the middle of the steps, my breathing harsh.I pull out my phone, dialing Steve’s number, but before the call can connect, I stop.No.I exhale sharply and shove the phone back into my pocket. I need to calm down. I’m not going to act like some restless, desperate fool.I turn on my heel, heading toward my room. I need a s
Ava’s POV The entire walk home, I couldn’t stop thinking about Zach.He had followed me despite my protests, despite me telling him to leave me alone. He had never done that before. In fact, he had never even been nice to me. So why now?When we reached my street, he finally stopped. “Take care,” he said, his voice oddly soft before turning around and walking away.I stood there for a moment, watching his retreating figure. A part of me wanted to believe his kindness was real, but I wasn’t stupid. People didn’t change overnight.Shaking my head, I turned and walked into the house, expecting the usual, my stepmother yelling at me, Sarah glaring at me with pure disgust, maybe even a slap if they were in a bad mood.But the moment I stepped inside, I froze.Something was wrong.The dining table was set with food. Not just any food, but an actual meal, steaming rice, roasted chicken, a bowl of soup, and even fresh fruit. The smell was inviting, almost unreal, like something from a dream.
Ava’s POVMy body stiffened at his demand.Get on your knees.I stared up at him, my stomach twisting into knots. The dim lighting of the room cast dark shadows over his face, but I could still see the glint in his eyes expectation, amusement, a cruel kind of patience. He thought I would obey him without question.He was wrong cause I’m not going to set his dirty thing into my mouth.“No.” My voice was steady, though my insides churned with fear.His smirk faltered. He leaned back against the couch, tilting his head slightly, as if he hadn’t heard me properly.“What?”I swallowed hard and forced myself to meet his gaze. “I’m not doing that.”A grave silence filled the room. The air felt thick, suffocating.
Writer’s POV Zach watched Ava closely, his gaze sharp as he studied her expression. She looked at him, confussion written all over her face. Her lips parted slightly, her breath coming out uneven, but she didn’t look away from him, her eyes piercing his skin. “Let go,” Zach tried grabbing her hands but she was fast enough to take a step back. “Why are you suddenly being nice to me?” Ava asked quietly, her voice was small and hesitant. Zach didn’t answer instead he tightened his jaw slightly, his dues unreadable, instead of giving her the answer she wanted. His eyes rake to his foot and he saw a way to divert the conversation. “Why are you barefoot?” He raised his eyes. “Ava blinked repeatedly, glancing down at her feet as if she was just realizing it. The cold pavement suddenly pressed against her skin making her toes curl. “My slippers are inside,” she murmured, interlocking her fingers together. “Wait here. I’ll get them.” Zach nodded once. Before she could protest, he tur
Writer’s POVIrish took a slow deliberate step forward, his gaze locked onto Ava with a look that sent a shiver down her spine. His fingers twitched at his sides aching to touch her. He had been forced to stay away from her all day because of the Alpha’s orders and it had driven him on the edge. Now, standing in front of her, he didn’t care about anything else.With one swift movement, he reached out, pulling Ava into his chest. His arms tightened around her, caging her in and making sure she couldn’t slip away. A deep satisfied breath escaped him as he buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. It was torture being apart from her. Ava sucked in a sharp breath, her hands pressing against his chest. “Irish,” she muttered, shifting uncomfortably. “Let me go.”But he didn’t.Her hand pushed harder against him because he was stronger, always had been, she struggled but her resistance only fueled his desire to hold her closer. “Irish, stop,” she tried again, her voice firmer.He t
Irish’s POVI sit in class, staring at the open textbook in front of me, but I don’t see the words. The letters blur together, meaningless shapes on the page. My fingers grip the edge of the desk, my knuckles turning pale. My mind isn’t here. It’s on her. It’s on Ava.She had refused to let me follow her home yesterday. I had wanted to, my entire body itching to chase after her, but she had looked at me with those stubborn eyes, daring me to respect her space. I had known it was a bad idea to let her go alone, but she didn’t give me a choice. And now, regret sits heavy on my chest like a weight I can’t shake off.I don’t know if she made it home safely. I don’t know if she’s okay. And it’s driving me insane. My fingers tighten even more around the desk, my jaw clenching so hard it aches. I should have followed her. Rules be damned. Ava always acts like she doesn’t need anyone, but I know better. She’s reckless. She does things on her own, even when she shouldn’t.I bounce my leg under
Iris's POV "Did you just refuse me because of this girl?" The Alpha asked, visibly pissed that he had been denied.Zayne was about to stand up and reply to him with the anger already raging within him, but I stopped him with my hand.His anger was palpable, and if care wasn't taken, he could do or say something that would destroy everything entirely and most especially make us lose Ava permanently.Zayne probably had the same thoughts since he sat back down and curled his fingers into fists to suppress his anger.I stood instead, shifting everyone's attention to me. Including Vanessa, who had been smiling at Ava. And Ava, who had looked petrified. The least of the things he expected to happen was this, and it shook her to her bones. It was so visible. I was certain that was what Zayne saw when he wanted to stand to challenge the Alpha. "With all due respect, Father, there is a misunderstanding here. You should listen to what we have to say rather than make a rash conclusion." I dir
Ava's POV A knock sounded on the door, and I knew that the triplets were here.I unlocked the door, and they walked in, each of them asking if I was okay.They seemed excited, and I wondered what it was all about until they broke the 'good news to me'"So, we had dinner with the Alpha, and he asked us to bring our mate to him. He would love to see you, Ava." Steve broke the news to me in a calm voice.My voice hitched in my throat."W….what?" I asked, fear visible on my face."It's fine, Ava, you don't have to be scared. The Alpha is really cool, and we're going to be there to protect you as well." Zayne spoke from behind, his words made me feel safe."You have us every step of the way, Ava, we're not going anywhere, so relax," Iris spoke this time, and I felt calm. He was the calm one amongst the triplets, and he often let me tap into his calmness. I heaved a sigh and let a smile across my face. A smile that was meant to make them drop the topic. "Okay," I replied, and they seemed
Author's POV After Zayne walked away without saying a word to her, Vanessa knew that she got him pissed off. Not only him, but the triplets.The word about her planting the paper had spread through the school like wildfire, and even though Zayne didn't say anything to her at that moment, she was going to face the consequences of her actions."Shit...!" She huffed and bit her lower lip as she shot Zach a glare.She walked away as well, in anger.She didn't even get the response she hoped for from Zach or change his mind about Ava because he was still playing helper-good guy.As she made her way home, she grew even more angry at the turnouts of events. She could have lied to her brothers, telling them that it was all plotted against her, but now, Zayne had already heard her admitting what she did to Zach."Perfect! Just perfect! Suspended from school and caught red-handed by my brother, who would no doubt spread the news to the others, who would most likely see me as a bad person now.
Zayne POV "Did you hear what happened during the exams?" A student asked her friends, who nodded frantically. "Is it about the Ava girl? Of course, we did." Another replied.My ears flared at their words, but I did not stop walking."I saw everything unfold from the exam hall window. I must say, Zach saved the day." The third girl added with a cheesy smile that made my stomach churn.What Zach did for Ava that day was all over school, and different students had different things to say concerning it. While some said that Zach saved the day, some of them strongly believed that Zach had feelings for Ava and that his act was just a means for him to show it to her.All the theories didn't sit well with me, but I wasn't going to do anything about it. Not yet. Until I spoke to my brothers, and I was going to meet them. We agreed to meet behind the school library after school, and I got there just in time to see Iris and Steve waiting for me.Steve looked troubled, pissed even while Iris r
Author's POV Vanessa walked out of the cafe and down a street not far from the school they attended. She settled on one of the pavements along the path.She was sure that Zach was going to walk the path home, so she waited for him.Those words Jessica and Barbie said concerning Zach never left her mind as she constantly thought about what Ava had on her that made Zach follow her around like a pauper.She thought they had a connection, but Zach's movements towards Ava crushed whatever hope she had of being in like minds with Zach. 'Where are you, Zach? We do have a lot to talk about...' she spoke inwardly as she dangled her legs forward-backward while waiting on the raised pavement.She waited for hours and almost lost hope of seeing Zach. While she was waiting for him, some students passed by the path and they shot glances at her. Some were mocking glances, some were pitiful glances, and others were irritated glances."Ahh, shit..." Vanessa bit her lower lip as she cupped the side o
Author's POV After the unexpected outcome in the exam hall, Jessica and Barbie waited for Vanessa in the school's cafe to deliberate on the issue.They knew that they were in deep shit. Vanessa kept them in charge of lookouts, but somehow, someone was able to record a video of her planting the paper. And it wasn't just anyone, it was Ava"Oh my God, she's coming, she's coming. What do we do?" Barbie announced with panic as she sighted Vanessa closing in on them."Hey..." Jessica greeted, unsure of the response she was going to get."Don't hey me!" Vanessa replied a lot louder than intended, causing the customers in the cafe to shift their gazes."Don't do that. How did that witch get the evidence? And she didn't just get any evidence, she had a freaking video of me planting the cheat. I wonder how she was able to make that video when I had two grown women look out for me!" She said with anger etched in her voice as she folded her hands across her chest, expecting an explanation. Jes
Ava's Pov "I have what you need," he smiled, but I wasn't ready for any of his games.I had an agenda, and I didn't have the time to waste with Zach. The corridor was sparsely populated, and he had dragged me to a corner."Leave me alone!" I wriggled myself out of his grip, and he released me. "Fine, but at least hear what I have to say to you before you completely rule me out." He blocked my path, I noticed an unusual sincerity in his voice and eyes, so I paused."What do you want from me? You heard and you want to rub it in my face, or maybe you are part of it, aren't you?" I folded my arms across my chest and raised a brow."How lowly you think of me, but I won't blame you. I was mean to you in the past, but I want to right my wrongs.""How?""Is this what you're looking for?" He handed a phone to me.My eyes doubled their size when I watched the content playing. I didn't quite have good experiences with random videos, but thankfully, this was not a video of me stripping; it was
Ava's PovIt was not just a quiet walk of shame since I was literally dragged to the council. The teacher from the disciplinary committee had been diligent enough to make a very big deal about the situation as she interrupted my exam."Can I at least finish my exam first? I promise, I don't know how those papers got there." I had tried to plead with her earlier, but it was pointless to reason with her."You want to write what you memorized, not so?" She had cruelly seized my answer booklet and handed it over to the invigilator before calling the security to drag me out like a criminal. My life of peace was often short-lived, and this was just another ditch as usual, and like the rest, I couldn't see any light at the end of the tunnel. Malpractice was a huge no-no in our school, and they gravely frowned against it.I saved my tears and explanation for when I stood before my persecutors. Actually, since they were convinced I was guilty of the charge.I waited several minutes before it
Ava's PovThe days after that day stretched easily into a week; my mates had put in so much effort, and they had wiped every trace of that day from the school.No one dared talk about the day, the videos were taken down from the server where it was uploaded, and out of fear, no one dared have them on their phone.They were trying hard to erase the day from the calendar, if possible, from my memory too.I could tell."From now on, you will go to school with us," Iris had informed me."And if you don't have classes?"