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

12:40

1/7

<

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.

were her child by birth, I

The title of Luna is not for the likes of you. You’ll be a mate in

struggle to maintain my composure, to keep the

forced to meet her gaze. She’s almost manic in her quest for my acquaintance. “This is your duty, your obligation to the pack. You will mate

12.46

C

Ava: Sister

and you will bear his children. That is

mind, however,

grants me the freedom to return to the Aspen pack, I’ll contact Lisa. We’ll run far away from the suffocating confines of this stupid pack and

older woman with an elegant bearing and a bright, unsettling gleam in her eyes enters the room. She exudes an aura of authority that sends shivers

isn’t a wolf, but she isn’t human, either. Her eyes are a dark, glittering red and her hair is black without the faintest sheen of color in its highlights, adding to the otherworldly presence she

a look of respect crossing her features. “Sister Miriam,” she greets the stranger. “What an honor to have you grace us

12:48

307

Ava: Sistor

on her lips. They’re pale and thin. “The honor is mine, Grace. Alpha Renard requested

over my skin. It’s hard

had hackles,

existence that’s dangerous even to wolves. I can feel it,

what she

too. “Alpha Renard said you would

I don’t

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

by my side, meeting my

12

Sister Miriam

white. It looks unnatural on her face, as though

says. Her voice is sweet in a way that should be

I shiver at the touch, something inside me protesting the close contact. It’s like my skin

eyes.

collarbone, down my chest and finally coming to

Tenderness?”

“No.”

my stomach, and I flinch. Though her hands are cold, an unwelcome heat eats at