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.

by birth, I

let it go to your head. The title of Luna is not for the likes

keep the bitter resentment from showing on my face.

to meet her gaze. She’s almost manic in her quest for my acquaintance. “This is your duty, your

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C

Ava: Sister

bear his children. That is the extent of

puppet on strings. My mind, however,

as Phoenix grants me the freedom to return to the Aspen pack, I’ll contact Lisa. We’ll

an elegant bearing and a bright, unsettling gleam in her eyes enters the

either. Her eyes are a dark, glittering red and her hair is black without the faintest

“Sister Miriam,” she greets the stranger. “What an honor to have you grace us with

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Sistor Miriam (1)

“The honor is mine, Grace.

skin.

I had hackles, they’d be

predator. She’s an existence that’s dangerous even to wolves. I can feel it, even if I

what she is.

tense. She’s affected, too. “Alpha Renard said you would be able

to meet Sister Miriam’s probing stare. I don’t know what she

as she approaches. “I am the most skilled in detecting the earliest signs of breeding. The alpha can rest assured that I will provide

meeting

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Ava: Sister Miriam (1)

unnatural on her face, as though no other muscles move with her

voice is sweet in a way that should be soothing, and yet paired with her face, it’s terrifying. “I will be

tilt my chin upward 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

eyes.

go to trail her hand down my neck, across my collarbone, down my chest and finally coming to rest on my abdomen. “Tell me, have. you

Tenderness?”

“No.”

and I flinch. Though her hands are cold, an