Tangled

30 Ava: Omega? (III)

I groan as searing pain lances through my ribs, fairly certain that at least a few are broken from the impact. Gasping for air, I blink through the haze of confusion, trying to make sense of the chaos surrounding me.

Derek is slumped over the steering wheel, a grotesque trickle of blood oozing from his hairline. In the backseat, Jeremy lies crumpled in a disturbing, bloody mess, unmoving and alarmingly still.

For one hysterical second, I muse that this is precisely why seatbelts exist. Should’ve worn a seatbelt, Jeremy.

I grit my teeth against a wave of pain as I claw my way into the passenger seat.,

My shaking hands fumble with the door handle, but the door remains stubbornly jammed. Peering through the cracked windshield, I realize this side of the car

has collided with a tree. A few inches of trunk are all

that’s blocking my door from opening.

Adrenaline courses through my veins as I muster what little strength remains and kick the door with

everything I have. Before I can kick again, the door

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flies off.

I don’t stop to question my luck. As I tumble out of the wrecked vehicle, gasping for fresh air, a strong hand suddenly grips my arm, yanking me upright. I whirl around, my heart pounding, only to find myself face–to–face with a stranger–a tall, imposing man with chestnut hair and piercing green eyes.

His gaze sweeps over me, assessing, before he speaks in a deep, authoritative tone. “Are you injured?”

I sway into him, my battered body screaming in protest as I fight to remain upright. A dizzying wave of nausea washes over me, and I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the world to stop spinning.

That’s when the scent hits me–ocean fresh, with a woodsy scent lingering just beneath, along with something that can only belong to one of my kind. A shifter. My eyes fly open, locking onto the stranger’s intense gaze, and I instinctively flinch away from him.

A mistake.

brace myself for the unforgiving impact of the ground. But instead of hitting the hard earth, I find myself enveloped

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Ava: Omega?

embrace, cradled against

his impressive stature. I tense, every fiber of my being screaming at me to fight, to flee, but I’m

grim line as he studies me intently. “Are you injured?” he rumbles, his

with concern.

my

respond, but

of the past few hours have left me reeling, and I can’t

the chaos.

as he takes in my silence. “We need to get you to safety,” he declares, his

his iron

are futile. He merely tightens his hold, cradling me closer to his chest as if I weigh no more than a

his voice low

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Ava: Omega? (III)

of the rogues,” he orders over his shoulder as he strides away

crashing over me. “Who are you?” I rasp

am Alpha Clayton Shadowpine of the

I know my future is now even more uncertain. Selene remains silent in my mind. “Ava,”

tone leaves no room for argument as he continues walking, heading deeper into the trees. “Those rogues

and leaving me chilled in

you cold?” the

just-” I shudder as another tremor wracks through me,

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as we approach a sleek black SUV. His presence is both comforting

of me wants to burrow deeper into his warmth, to soak in the reassurance of his strength, to lean on an alpha. It’s been so long since I’ve been in a pack, and I guess somewhere deep inside, something’s

back of my mind whispering that I can trust no

another shifter.

arms, freeing one hand to retrieve a set of keys from his pocket.

inside where it’s warm,” he murmurs, his

in the backseat, my fingers instinctively curling into the fabric of his shirt. A strangled noise escapes my

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