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.

child by birth, I would definitely assume

Luna is not for the likes of you. You’ll be a mate in name only. It’s still an honor, but the pack can never have a blemish as its figurehead.”

to maintain my composure, to keep the bitter resentment from showing on

almost manic in her quest for my acquaintance. “This is your duty, your obligation

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Sister Miriam (1)

his children. That is the extent of

like a puppet on strings. My mind, however, is already spinning, formulating a plan to escape this waking nightmare.

Aspen pack, I’ll contact Lisa. We’ll run far away from the suffocating confines of this

monologue. An older woman with an elegant bearing and a bright, unsettling gleam in her eyes enters the room. She exudes an aura

isn’t a wolf, but she isn’t human, either. Her eyes are a dark, glittering red and her hair

Miriam,” she greets the stranger.

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Ava: Sistor Miriam

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

over my skin.

I had hackles, they’d be standing.

She’s an existence that’s dangerous even to

she is.

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

up my 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 not sure I want

her footsteps soft as she approaches. “I am the most skilled in detecting the earliest signs of breeding.

stops by my side, meeting my eyes again in

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Sister

on her face, as though no other muscles move

in a way that should be soothing, and yet paired

me protesting the close contact. It’s like my skin burns. where she touches,

eyes.

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

Tenderness?”

“No.”

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