Chapter 183

“Ben, where is Av—Amy now?” I asked briskly.

I handed him back his phone, trying to keep my expression as neutral as possible. He glanced at the time on the small screen.

“Um, she should be coming out of Statistics right about now,” he told me.

“If you texted her to come and meet you here, would she?”

“I believe so,” he said with a shrug.

“Good. Do it.”

I wasn’t used to speaking with such a clear tone of command. Naturally, I didn’t see myself as a dominant sort of person. But I could sense the anger simmering high beneath my surface.

I found it amusing how Ava’s immaturity and snotty behavior used to frighten and bother me. Now, she was nothing more than a nuisance that I couldn’t stand to deal with. But I had to.

I watched Ben send out a quick text to Ava without so much as a follow-up question to my insistent request. All irritation aside, I was shocked to see that Ava had popped up like this. It only raised a series of questions in my mind.

Why was she doing all of this? What was she hoping to gain by creating that ridiculous account? Why hadn’t she ever confronted me before when I first arrived at Eastwood? And why use someone like Ben?

It was never like Ava to hide behind a veil before. She adored the attention, even more if it meant humiliating me in the process.

A little bit a time passed before I heard the grating, familiar noise of Ava’s shrill voice breaking through the air.

Good to see that she’s still rude to those around her. Some things never change.

“Why did you text me?” she asked Ben.

“Hello, Ava,” I said pointedly.

I felt my wolf rise to the surface. Ava’s eyes widened a bit in shock while Ben gave me a confused look.

“Ava? Her name is Amy.”

“No, Ben. It’s not. Her name is Ava and I’m the one she once tried to plagiarize from in our old school. Ava was, apparently still is, a troublemaker.”

Ava growled and sneered. “Surprised to see you without your sad entourage of Alphas hanging around you. What happened? They finally see you for the loser that you really are?”

Oddly enough, her words didn’t even penetrate my skin like they used. Instead, I found myself smiling in amusement.

“Ava, tell me honestly. Why did you create that ridiculous media account?”

I could see her temper was starting to already slip. “Isn’t it obvious? You think you’re something special, but you’re just a slut that goes after Alphas for attention. I mean, seriously? Liam Graven and Arthur Winslow? I wanted everyone to see how pathetic you are by fooling not one Alpha but two.”

“You don’t know a thing about me, Ava,” I stated.

“I know you’re not human. Still not sure how you’ve managed to hide that bit about yourself all these years. Always acting weak and defenseless.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I gained my wolf later in life. Simple as that. But there is something that I’m rather intrigued about...Were you also the one who sent those photos to Aaron Winslow?”

“Yes,” Ava said proudly.

“Why?”

“Because I think it was time that someone as important as Aaron Winslow knew the kind of girl that was trying to trap his son. You’re nothing but a slut and aren’t worthy to be with either Liam or Arthur.”

“Oh, but you are?” I countered back. I grabbed my bag and turned to Ben. “Ben, thank you again for meeting me. And I would really appreciate it if you were to delete that account. It wasn’t created under my consent, after all.”

Ben sank back in his seat while Ava laughed. “And why the hell would he listen to you?”

“Because unlike you, I see Ben for more than some goon you get to order around and do your dirty work. It’s why you used him, isn’t it? His photography skills are immaculate while you can’t take a picture for shit. What I wonder is, what was she promising you out of all this?”

Ben’s cheeks turned red. “She figured that once she exposed you for the person that she believed you to be, Liam and Arthur wouldn’t want anything to do with you and I...”

“You would have had your chance to...step in?” I assumed.

Again, Ben gave a sheepish nod.

Jesus Christ. This girl really must have been sick in the head.

I shook my head and made my way toward the exit. “Please delete that account, or I’ll be suing you for invasion of privacy and defamation.”

I made it about halfway back to my dorm when I suddenly felt like I was being yanked back by my bag. I fell to the ground and instantly saw Ava standing over me with a mean scowl and anger burning in her eyes.

“I will not let you ruin me for a second time!”

I could see Ava’s nails extending into long feral-looking claws. “Ava, stop. You don’t want to do this.”

“Oh, I’m pretty sure I do. I’m so, so sick of you getting all of this undeserved attention and for nothing.”

I wanted to fight back. At that moment, I wanted to let my wolf and unleash several years of deep-seated hatred I had for this lunatic. But I couldn’t. I wouldn’t let my wolf out and risk being seen in broad daylight.

I guess the only bright side to this unsettling situation was that there were multiple other students around with their phones in their hands. Not that I was looking to get attacked, but if I was, then at least there would be evidence.

Ava took one sharp swing of her hand at me and ended up scratching me across the face.

The pain was viscous and followed up with a burning sensation that caused my insides to shake.

“Ahh!”

“What’s the problem? Even with a wolf, you’re still too weak to fight back?”

“She’s not weak,” a feminine voice spoke out.

I turned my head to see Olivia and Bonnie standing firmly behind me.

Both Olivia’s nails and teeth started to lengthen. “It’s called self-preservation,” she said venomously. “You see, unlike Ella, I don’t have a lot of that. So, I’m not afraid of getting my hands a little dirty.”

My heart hammered wildly in my chest when I watched Olivia step up and take a violent swing at Ava’s face. Her fist connected squarely with the other girl’s jaw, knocking Ava back several feet.

Ava let out a menacing growl before shifting completely. Her head snapped in my direction and immediately tried heading straight for me. Olivia shifted not a minute later and dove at Ava’s side, keeping her from reaching me.

“Oh, God. Ella, you’re bleeding,” Bonnie whispered. She hooked her hands under my arms and pulled me off toward one of the large side pillars.

I pressed a hand to my face and again felt the searing pain from Ava’s earlier attack. When I pulled my hand back I noticed that it was covered in blood.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben who looked horrified and deeply panicked. Within seconds, he took off in the direction of my dorm room.

Oh, boy.

I had a very strong feeling that I knew he was heading to find Liam and Arthur. My only hope was that the two of them wouldn't hurt Ben the second they saw him.