Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 79 Ava: Fighting Back

Todd's wolf form prowls closer, his hackles bristling with menace. His eyes burn with a feral hunger that sends tremors through me. Anticipation hums in the air between us.

The tree trunk is rough against my back as I use it for support, forcing my body to its feet. The cool weight of the pocketknife in my hand keeps me centered.

I will not cower.

The mysterious energy from before, that primal force filling my veins, is gone. It's a fleeting whisper of the past, eluding my grasp no matter how desperately I search for it.

All I have is my training and the small knife I'd stolen from home.

I flip open the blade with a flick of my thumb, the soft click lost amidst the snarls and growls of the ongoing battle around us. At least, I hope it's lost. I know wolf hearing is keen, but I don't know its limitations.

Todd's lips peel back in a vicious snarl, revealing yellowed canines. It figures that even his wolf's teeth would need some work. His breath had always smelled like those tuna sandwiches he eats.

He lunges, a blur of ruddy fur and gnashing jaws.

Instinct has me diving to the side, scrabbling for purchase on the uneven ground. He whirls to face me as I roll to my knees, gripping the knife tightly as I swipe at his muzzle. The blade catches a superficial level of skin and fur, drawing a thin line of crimson that only seems to enrage him further.

A deafening snarl rips from his throat and I dash to the side, my heart pounding in frantic rhythm. The rush of blood overcomes all sound in the area, a static thudding in my ears.

His jaws snap shut inches from my face. Nausea churns in my belly, courtesy of his rancid breath.

I lash out with the knife again, the blade slicing through fur and flesh. A guttural yelp tears from his throat, but his momentum carries him forward, ramming into me with all the force of a large adult wolf and an entire lifetime of anger issues.

I hit the ground, the knife clattering from my grasp. Stars explode across my

Todd's paws, pressing down on my shoulders with crushing force. His hot breath washes over me in waves of putrid

claws are like miniature daggers digging into my

free one arm and lash

my mark, but it startles

snort, giving

side, scrambling for the knife as he lunges at

get in my way as my fingers scrabble for the knife, its silver blade glinting in the moonlight. I'm bleeding. The scent of my blood mingles with the earthy aroma of the forest floor, a sickly metallic tang that

Faster, damn it.

whirl onto my back just as Todd crashes down where I'd been lying just moments before. His jaws snap shut with a

blade slicing a shallow gash across his ear, his neck. A guttural yelp

own struggles several feet away. How many have

I can't

to

fucking freight train. I stumble, gasping

Agony.

I can, wild jabs of my hand. I hit something, because

shoves me to the ground with a wide movement of his head and upper body somehow and I backpedal, my heel catching on a gnarled

with a startled scream, and he's

dodge.

and blind, grunting as his weight slams me into the ground beneath him. My fingers scrabble

body shudders violently, his blood coating my hands in slick streaks of crimson. A strangled whine escapes his muzzle before he finally goes limp, his

rancid breath. There's no