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.

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

beneath Todd's paws, pressing down on my shoulders with crushing force.

and writhe, but his claws are like miniature daggers digging into my

strength, I manage to free one arm and lash out blindly, my nails raking across his muzzle and smacking

don't hit my mark, but it startles

with a snort,

the side, scrambling for the knife

The scent of my blood mingles with the earthy aroma of the forest floor, a

Faster, damn it.

crashes down where I'd been lying just moments before. His jaws snap

the blade slicing a shallow gash across his ear, his neck. A guttural yelp rips from his throat as he snaps at my arm, ripping skin as I dash backward, scrambling to

route. No other weapons. The other wolves are still involved in their own struggles several feet away.

can't worry about

have to deal with

his body slamming into mine like a fucking freight train. I stumble, gasping for air as his claws rake

Agony.

can, wild jabs of my hand. I hit something, because blood coats my hilt and

movement of his head and upper body somehow and I backpedal, my

startled scream, and he's on

dodge.

weight slams me into the ground beneath him. My fingers scrabble against the knife as I yank it out and stab again and again, even as

slick streaks of crimson. A strangled whine escapes his muzzle before

his rancid breath. There's no breath at all. Only blood and