Werewolf Rage Book #2 in the Taming The Wolf Series (5 page)

Cole stepped closer and shook his head.
“I watch football and baseball. I had no idea what I was missing out on,” he said regretfully. “Would you
please
do that again?”

Ava snorted and turned away, only to find her students joining in with Cole’s request.
They jumped up and down, begging her.

“Okay, one more, but after that I’m done.
I’m going home and taking a shower. I’m serious,” she said glaring at everyone.

“Just one more,” Cole said with a boyish smile on his face, putting his hands together pleadingly.

Ava winced but gave in. She flicked her hands at everyone, motioning them back and stretched her neck side to side. She pursed her lips as she thought of what she could do. She hadn’t shown them the routine she’d done at the lake when she’d first met Cyrus. It was one of her favorites. She looked over her shoulder and grinned at Elijah. “This is what I want you to be doing next week Elijah,” she said with a wink.

Elijah nodded his head worriedly and she turned around.
She sprinted forward and then jumped up, twisting her body into a triple full layout with three twists. She landed it and arched her back triumphantly before turning to bow low.

“Bravo!” shouted Cole as he walked toward her.

Ava waved goodbye to the kids and started walking toward the house, ignoring Cole.
He fell into step with her though.

“Your dad tells me that you didn’t grow up here in Paskell.
He told me that you were a gymnast and that you were getting ready to go to college this year. Why’d you change your mind? You’re amazing. You shouldn’t throw away your talent and your chance to show the world what you can do for a stupid town like this and a grumpy boyfriend.”

Ava snorted and looked up at Cole with a grin.
“Cyrus is only grumpy around
you
for obvious reasons and quitting gymnastics was my decision. One I made before I’d ever set foot in Paskell. I appreciate the compliment, but I’m right where I want to be,” she said, as they reached the sidewalk.

Cole grabbed her arm.
“
Why?
” he demanded. “What made you want to turn your back on who you are?”

Ava frowned at Cole and looked at his hand on her arm, watching as he slowly removed it before she answered.
“I’m not turning my back on who I am. I’m embracing it. For the first time in my life I’m actually accepting the fact that I’m a werewolf. Gymnastics isn’t who I am, it’s what I do. I left it because no matter how much I enjoyed flying through the air, I began to hate going to the meets. It was hard for me to be constantly watched and judged. It took all the joy out of it for me. I began to have panic attacks. So I left it. Now I enjoy gymnastics when I want to, not because I have to.”

Cole frowned and looked at his feet.
“Understandable, but still a stinking shame. You’re incredible Ava,” he said and turned and walked away without another word.

Ava watched him go, with a puzzled frown on her face.
For a moment, Cole hadn’t been putting on a show for Cyrus and she had seen his true feelings. He might be using her to upset Cyrus for whatever reason, but ironically, his feelings of attraction for her were genuine. She felt a shiver of unease wash through her and she hurried to the front door. Cole was just going to have to live with disappointment. No way would she ever turn her back on Cyrus.

Ava spent the rest of the week, avoiding Cole, hanging out with Cyrus whenever they could both find the time, working and coaching her kids.
But at the end of the week, she knew she needed to relax and do something more. She wasn’t sure what she needed, but she felt antsy and grumpy. If she were back home, she’d call up her friends and they’d go to the movies or to the mall or out to dinner. Sometimes just sitting around a large platter of nachos with her closest friends was the best medicine in the world. Every stress disappeared after laughing and talking for a couple hours.

She took off her apron, waved good bye to Kurt and headed out the door.
Patricia would be out late with Tobias, her father and Cyrus were meeting with the werewolves in the outlying farms who didn’t like to come to town. They needed all the support they could get. Yvonne, her cousin would be gone for at least two more weeks. That left her with . . . ,
no one
. She’d just have to make do with a bubble bath and see what was on TV.

She pushed her tired legs into a light jog and ran toward the park and home.
She never coached gymnastics practice at the park on Fridays since the girls usually had plans, but she’d scan the area and see if anyone showed up anyways. A few of the younger boys might be bored. She could run them through a few drills before heading home.
Alone
.

Ava grinned at herself and shook off the pout that was trying to fixate on her mouth.
She was flat out bored.
Pathetic.
What she really wanted to do was change into her wolf form and go running. Sometimes when she was running full out, it felt like she was flying. Gymnastics didn’t even compare. Too bad she’d promised Cyrus she’d never go running without him. Until he was sure they’d taken care of all the stray hybrids, he didn’t trust her out by herself. Ava grimaced automatically at the thought and shook her head in irritation. She was being treated like a child, not allowed outside without a babysitter. Just a little annoying, especially for someone with an independent streak a mile wide.

But in return, Cyrus had promised to behave himself and wait until she was ready for their relationship to move to the next level of commitment.
Which for Cyrus, was marriage. A word that made her cringe no matter how many times she heard it.

She stopped jogging when she reached the park and walked through the grass to the middle of the green.
She reached up and stretched and then twisted side to side, before shaking out her arms. She leaped forward, grinning before doing a few flips. She landed on both feet with a satisfaction and then headed toward the Carlston’s house. It was now her home and would be until she married.

She looked up at the looming old gothic house and smiled.
It was growing on her. Besides that, her only other option was her father’s childhood home and she’d rather sleep in the cemetery than in Titus Paskell’s house. Her grandfather had ordered his hybrid children to attack her. She shivered at the memory and pushed it aside. Time to think ahead and not of the past, she reminded herself.

“Ava!”

Ava turned her head around and shaded her eyes from the sun to see who was calling out her name. She smiled as she saw Perry running toward her.

“Hi Perry,” she called out with a polite smile.

Perry had come into the pub a few times with her brother to eat lunch.
She usually had Kurt take their orders because the way Cole stared at her was too unsettling.

Perry ran up to her, smiling happily.
“Cole told me you were a gymnast, but I had no idea you could do stuff like that. I can’t believe you just did three flips! I am so jealous,” she said shaking her head.

Ava laughed and relaxed. “It’s no
biggee. I could teach you how and you’d be doing the same thing as me. Werewolves are the finest athletes known to mankind. I’ve been teaching a few of the kids here in town and any one of them could be an Olympic champion within a couple years. It’s incredible,” she said with a grin, scanning the park one more time for any of her regulars. Coaching her kids was starting to become an obsession.

Perry looked at her curiously. “So why don’t they?
Or why don’t you? If I had the chance to go to the Olympics I’d grab it with both hands.”

Ava shrugged and looked away.
“Yeah well, they do these little things called blood tests at the Olympics. We’d be found out and become lab rats for the rest of our lives. My dad’s a geneticist. There’s no way to get around our DNA.”

Perry’s face fell.
“Oh yeah. I didn’t even think about that. Are you disappointed? Like, do you feel cheated or sad that you don’t get to fulfill all that amazing athletic potential?”

Ava smiled wryly and stared at the beautiful red head.
“Nah. I traded it in for being a werewolf. I have all the fulfillment I need. I think I’ll survive,” she said and took a tentative step toward the house.

“Listen, I’m going to head home now and take a shower.
I just worked five hours at the pub. Come with me. We can make something for dinner, hang out and watch a movie or something?” she said, smiling hopefully. It would solve a few problems all at once. She wouldn’t be bored, she’d have female companionship and she could find out more about Perry. It hadn’t escaped her notice that her father would come in to the pub at the same time as Perry every day. Before her father fell completely in love with this woman, she needed to find out more about her.

Perry’s face lit up and she nodded her head.
“I would love that. I have a few friends back home in Tanner’s Landing and I haven’t been able to talk to them in ages. I would love to hang out. Besides, I think it would be fun to get to know you better. Your dad talks about you constantly. I sort of feel like I already do,” she said shyly, blushing a little.

Ava grinned and pushed her hair out of her eyes.
“You poor thing. For that alone, I’ll cook for you. Whatever you want, I’ll make. No one should have to hear the boring ramblings of a loving father.”

Perry’s green eyes twinkled in amusement.
“I think it’s sweet. It really shows me what kind of man he is. From what I can tell, Harry is a sweet, kind and loving father. He seems very protective of you and yet he’s very respectful of women. I’ve never met anyone like him,” she said quietly, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Ava frowned and looked closely at Perry as they started walking toward the house.
“It sounds like you’ve known men who haven’t been so respectful of women in the past.”

Perry’s eyes closed for a moment as if she was remembering something painful and then she nodded her head.
“Yeah, you could say that,” she said quietly.

Ava wanted to dig further but let go.
She didn’t want to put Perry on the defensive. She’d rather Perry opened up to her when she was ready. They crossed the street and walked up the sidewalk toward the imposing front entrance of the Carlston home.

“Where’s Cole tonight? Will he be worried about you if he doesn’t know where you are?”
Ava asked as she opened the front door and held it open for Perry to walk through.

Perry sighed and nodded.
“He’s helping my uncle deliver a foal today. Cole likes to know I’m safe. He’s the best brother in the whole world. He’d do anything for me,” she said.

Ava watched as some strong emotion rippled over Perry’s face.
Perry was not only beautiful, but her face was so expressive it showed every emotion she felt. Right now, it looked like she was feeling a mix of guilt and gratitude.

“Your brother is pretty interesting,” Ava said dryly, heading toward the kitchen.

Perry laughed, the sound light and musical. “That’s a nice word to use.”

Ava laughed too and walked over to the fridge.
“Have a drink while I take a shower. What would you like? They have everything. Patricia stocks up once a month.”

Perry looked over Ava’s arm into the fridge and nodded toward the coconut water that Patricia was currently obsessed with.
“I’ll have one of those. I always see Patricia drinking them. They must be good.”

Ava grabbed one for her and motioned for her to have a seat at the counter.
“They are good. Just make yourself at home and I’ll be down in about fifteen minutes,” she said and walked out of the kitchen. She ran up the stairs lightly and headed to her bedroom. She took a quick shower and opted for black capris yoga pants and a white scoop necked fitted tee. If she was going to hang out, she was going to be comfortable.

She walked back into the kitchen to find Perry reading one of Patricia’s home and garden magazines.
There was such a wistful look on her face that it made Ava’s heart twist.

“Hey there.
What are you reading?” she asked, walking over to look over Perry’s shoulder.

Perry smiled and pointed to the picture of the house surrounded by trees and flowers and in front was a man and woman with their three children.
“They look so happy don’t they? That’s all I really want. Just a good home I can plant some flowers around, a kind husband who loves me. And
children
. Someday I’d love to have children,” she said softly, the yearning in her voice unmistakable.

Ava leaned against the counter and studied Perry.
“Perry, you’re young and beautiful. You can have all of those things.”

Perry gave her a sad twisted smile and shrugged.
“Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you want the most.”

Ava frowned and looked down at her hands for a moment before looking up into Perry’s troubled green eyes. “What could stop you from having a husband and children Perry?” she asked softly, wondering if Perry would confide in her.
“If that’s all you want in life, then you should have it.”

Perry closed her eyes briefly at Ava’s words, but she fought to keep control. She reached up and whisked a tear from her cheek and looked away.
“Ava, I’m here in Paskell for a reason. I’m not just here to visit my aunt and uncle.”

Ava’s eyes widened and she leaned in closer.
Perry was staring at her with wide, haunted eyes and she’d have to be blind not to see the pain there.

“Perry,
tell me
. What’s been going on? Has someone hurt you? Is that why you’re here?” she prodded gently.

Perry’s face crumpled and she swallowed convulsively before
leaning her head on her arms and crying softly. Ava groaned in compassion and moved around the counter to put her arm around Perry’s shaking shoulders.

“
It’s okay honey, you just cry as long as you want to,” she murmured in a low soothing voice as she rubbed her back.

Ava heard the front door open and heavy footsteps and sighed.
Dang it
. Whoever came through that door had really bad timing.

Perry didn’t hear anything.
Her whole body was shaking now with the emotional letdown. Ava continued to rub her back as she watched the doorway with bright lethal eyes. Hopefully whoever it was, would see that they should just turn around and head right back out.

As the sound of Perry’s soft crying filled the kitchen, she watched as Cole walked through the doorway.
He took one look at her comforting Perry and his face grew tight and shuttered. He stared at her over his sister’s back with a dark unreadable expression as he walked toward them.

“Perry? What’s going on?
What have you been telling Ava here?” Cole said coming to stand on the other side of his sister.

Perry lifted her head and stared at her brother in surprise as she wiped her eyes and tried to regain control.

“
Cole
? What are you doing here?” she asked in confusion.

Cole crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the counter.
He had borrowed another of her father’s t-shirts obviously. This one sporting a double helix DNA sign on the front.

“I was looking around for you and someone said they had last seen you talking to Ava in the park.
I just wanted to make sure you were okay. And it looks like you’re not. Perry, what have you been telling Ava?” he demanded softly, but with a hint of steel in his voice.

Perry sniffed and looked away from her brother.
Ava walked over to the sink and grabbed the box of tissues that Patricia kept there. She walked back over and handed them to Perry. Perry glanced at her in gratitude and then blew her nose before answering Cole.

“Cole, sometimes it’s too much.
I just need someone to talk to you know? And Ava’s my friend. Aren’t you Ava?” she asked, looking at Ava almost pleadingly.

Ava blinked in surprise but found
herself nodding automatically. She had a good feel for people and she knew Perry was a good person. She was sweet and kind and she was in pain and hurting. And she was in need of a friend.

“I’m your friend.
You can tell me anything you want to and I’ll help you. I promise,” she said, glancing at Cole who was looking at her calculatingly.