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.

with the effort, but 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

thin, and through 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 going to make it. After everything, I'm

shatters the night, closer than before. My heart

risk their lives by entering

last of the trees falls away, revealing the city of

as I pour on even more speed, reveling

close. So

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

us. I can tell by how Lucas and Vester

the power within me surge, a tidal wave of energy that propels me forward with

into me from the side, a massive force that drives the air from my lungs and sends me tumbling across the uneven ground. I scramble

world explodes into snarls and growls, of vicious, inhuman

Twigs and leaves cling to my hair, my palms stinging from the impact. I blink tears from my eyes, struggling

interspersed between the rumbles. Fur and fangs clash in a frenzied melee, a tangle of snarling beasts. Their

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

But they are mere flashes, lost in an instant as the battle rages

I have something

locked on me with

veins mere moments ago has evaporated, leaving me feeling weak and sluggish in its wake. The euphoria of my newfound freedom has been replaced by a visceral terror that seizes my lungs, making each breath

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

air around him is filled with the energy of barely

eyes that seems to strip away every last

that would be curving his lips right now, the wild look in his eyes that mirrors that of his wolf so