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.

don't slow. Can't slow. This is what it means to be truly alive, to embrace what dwells within me.

the gaps I can see the faint glow of distant lights. Civilization. Safety. My throat tightens with a sudden surge of emotion—hope, relief, gratitude. I'm

night, closer than before. My

Wolves willing to risk their lives

the city of White Peak.

as I pour on

so close.

with a chilling resonance that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. The wolves are gaining, closing the distance with every second. I can sense their

tell by how Lucas and Vester crowd into me, teeth bared and hackles

of energy that propels me forward with impossible velocity.

from my lungs and sends me tumbling across the uneven ground. I scramble for purchase, fingernails scrabbling against the dirt and rocks as I fight to

of vicious, inhuman noises torn

and disoriented, the world spinning around me. Twigs and leaves cling to my hair, my palms stinging from the impact.

eerie shrieks of pain interspersed between the rumbles. Fur and fangs clash in a frenzied

of their collisions, each impact punctuated by deep, guttural growls that reverberate through my bones. The scent

of familiar wolf faces. But they are mere flashes, lost in an instant as the battle rages

something

golden eyes locked on me with an intensity that chills me to the core. The raw hunger in that gaze is unmistakable—a

its wake.

Mason's wolf is an average-sized wolf, but still menacing to someone who can't shift. I've seen him hundreds of times through the years.

terrifying than any snarl or growl. The air around him is filled with the energy of

wolf-yellow eyes that seems to strip away every last shred of my humanity, reducing me to nothing more than a trembling rabbit for

I could envision the arrogant smirk that would be curving his lips right now, the wild look in his eyes that mirrors that