Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 78 Ava: An Old Enemy

The terror that had gripped me so tightly finally begins to loosen its hold, washed away by the exhilarating rush of my feet pounding against the ground, the world flying past in my periphery.

It's a simple rhythm.

One foot in front of the other.

Vault over an obstacle. Veer to avoid a tree.

The wind against my skin is harsh, like a thousand icy whips snapping against my cheeks. But the pain is almost euphoric.

My feet pound against the forest floor, each step fueling the fire of freedom burning within me.

It's a feeling unlike anything I've ever experienced—raw power, an almost frenetic energy, thrumming through my body with an intensity that steals my breath away. The trees zoom past in blurs of shadow.

I can hear the wolves keeping pace beside me, their breaths ragged growls that harmonize with the frantic beat of my heart. My unnatural speed helps me keep pace. I'm not faster than they are, but I'm far faster than their human forms.

They probably have questions.

I don't know how to answer them.

But, that's for another time. Right now, we need this.

There's no fear now, no uncertainty. Only an overwhelming sense of freedom so pure and intoxicating that I want to lose myself in it forever. I am unleashed, unchained—a force of nature given form.

I don't slow. Can't slow. This is what it means to be truly alive, to embrace what dwells within me. To hell with being human; right

tightens

piercing howl shatters the night, closer than before. My heart stutters, but I

beside me. Wolves willing to risk their lives

of the trees falls away, revealing the city of White Peak. An hour's drive has taken

breathless laugh escapes me as I pour on even more

so close. So damn

my neck. The wolves are gaining, closing the distance with every

found us. I can tell by how Lucas and Vester crowd into

propels me forward with impossible velocity. The city is closer

me tumbling across the uneven ground.

vicious, inhuman noises torn from the

a halt, I'm breathless and disoriented, the world spinning around me. Twigs and leaves cling to my hair, my palms stinging from the impact. I blink tears from

between the rumbles. Fur and fangs clash in a frenzied melee,

saliva flying in glistening arcs. The ground trembles with the force of their collisions, each impact punctuated by deep, guttural growls that reverberate through my bones. The scent of earth and rage hangs thick in the air, mingling with the metallic

catch fleeting glimpses of familiar wolf faces. But they are mere flashes,

I have something far worse

from the shadows, its golden eyes locked on me with an intensity

leaving me feeling weak and sluggish in its wake. The euphoria of my newfound

wolf, but still menacing to someone who can't shift. I've seen him hundreds of times through the years. I'd never mistake him for

with a menacing silence that's somehow more terrifying than any snarl or growl. The air around him is

strip away every last shred of my humanity, reducing me

I could envision the arrogant smirk that would