Tangled

69 Ava: Sister Miriam (I)

Mom’s fingers deftly twist and turn my hair, pinning it into some sort of elaborate style. Her touch is clinical, devoid of any maternal warmth, as she secures each lock into place with sharp tugs.

She’s been doing this for hours, trying to figure out the best style for the mating ceremony. The only comfort I have is in knowing she’ll never have the chance to dress me as planned.

“Honestly, Ava, couldn’t you have made more of an effort with your appearance?” she chides, as

disapproving as always. “Your hair is little better than a

rat’s nest.”

This is something she’s said at least three other times in the hour she’s been here. I bite back the retort that hovers on my tongue, knowing better than to provoke

her ire.

A musical jingle causes her to pause, and she checks something on her phone for a second, before returning to her project. “It’s a good thing your worth isn’t tied to your looks,” she continues, her words

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69 Ava: Sister Miriam (1)

cutting deeper than any physical blow. “You should be

grateful that Alpha Renard has deigned to mate with you, despite your deficiencies.”

There’s a little chip in the paint of the wall above the mirror, and my eyes are drawn toward it. It’s

something to focus on as I tune out her nagging and cruel remarks. For a woman who’s capable of so much love toward her older children, it’s amazing how much

vitriol she can throw at another.

positive I were her child by birth,

head. The title of Luna is not for the likes of you. You’ll be a mate in name only. It’s still an honor,

struggle to maintain my composure, to keep the bitter

you understand?” she presses, looking into the mirror so I’m forced to meet her gaze. She’s almost manic in her quest for my acquaintance. “This is your

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Ava: Sister Miriam

and you will bear his children.

mind, however,

contact Lisa. We’ll run far away from the suffocating confines of

creaks open, interrupting my mother’s nagging monologue. An older woman with an elegant bearing and a bright, unsettling gleam in her eyes enters the room. She exudes an aura of authority that

dark, glittering red and her hair is black without the faintest sheen of color in its highlights, adding to

straightens, a look of respect crossing her features. “Sister Miriam,” she greets the stranger. “What an honor

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Ava: Sistor Miriam (1)

Miriam inclines her head, a faint smile playing on her lips. They’re pale and thin. “The honor is mine, Grace. Alpha Renard

skin.

hackles,

predator. She’s an existence that’s dangerous even

what she is.

a little tense. She’s affected, too. “Alpha Renard

neck, and I avert my gaze, suddenly unable to meet Sister Miriam’s probing stare. I don’t know what she can do that a pregnancy test can’t this early on, and I’m

the earliest signs of breeding. The alpha can rest assured that I will provide

side, meeting my eyes again

12

Ava: Sister

wide, her teeth too white. It looks unnatural on her face, as though no other

for concern, child,” she says. Her voice is sweet in a way that should be soothing, and yet paired with her face, it’s terrifying. “I will be gentle.”

as she turns to look at me. I shiver at the touch, something inside me protesting the close contact. It’s like my skin burns. where she touches, but when I try to jerk away, she grips

eyes.

collarbone, down my chest and finally coming to rest

Tenderness?”

“No.”

firmly against my stomach, and I flinch. Though her hands are