Tangled

70 Ava: Sister Miriam (II)

Trepidation and anxiety flow in equal measure through my veins as my mother leans forward, tired of waiting for a clear answer. “Can you sense if Ava is pregnant, Sister Miriam?” o

The woman’s eyes glaze, her gaze becoming distant as if peering into another realm. Her voice deepens, taking on a strong cadence that seems to vibrate the very air around us. “An ancient power lies dormant, awaiting the weakest to awaken it. Her womb shall house the strongest, who will inherit the legacy of the

Lycans.”

And just like that, she’s back, the energy dispersed in mere seconds. She blinks at me, then toward my

mother. “It is uncertain,” she answers, still with her eerie smile. “I shall come again before the ceremony. Alpha Renard has chosen well.”

“Ah, yes…” My mom’s pathetic agreement only cements her disdain toward me. “Thank you for coming, Sister

Miriam.”

“What are friends for, Grace?”

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70 Avs Ster Miriam (1)

Sister Miriam’s gaze meets mine once again. There’s a glint in her eyes that makes me nervous. “If you ever need me, child,” she says, her voice low and almost melodic, “simply light a candle and call my name. I’ll

find you.”

I watch Sister Miriam leave, her words lingering in the air like an ominous mist. As the door closes behind her,

my mother lets out a shudder, her face twisted. She

reaches for a small travel bottle of hand sanitizer on Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

the dresser and rubs the gel over her palms, making sure no amount of skin is untouched, as if trying to scrub away an invisible stain.

“Who is she?” I ask, unable to contain my curiosity despite the strange encounter.

My mother’s eyes narrow as she turns to face me. “Stop being so nosy, Ava,” she snaps, her voice laced with irritation. “That’s none of your concern.”

She looks over my body in disgust. “It’s unfortunate that we still don’t know if you’re pregnant, but I guess there’s little we can do except wait.”

I watch my mother closely as she continues fussing with my hair, her movements stiff and agitated. The

C

70 Ava: Sister Miriam (II)

her visibly unsettled, a rare crack

demeanor.

I ask, unable to contain my curiosity any

mid–motion, her fingers tangled in my hair. She meets my gaze in the mirror, her eyes narrowing. “I told you, it’s none of your concern,” she snaps, her

part of me refuses to back down. “But she was saying such odd things.” I

was said

thinking of her own status in the pack. If Alpha Renard

force than necessary. “Enough, Ava. You’re not to speak of this again, do you understand?” Her voice is low and threatening,

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Sister Miriam (1)

heard countless times

I choke out a

***

races with a thousand thoughts and a thousand more worries as I pace back and forth in the cramped space of my bedroom, having skipped dinner with the family. Seeing their faces would make it

any moment they’d start talking about Sister

like a haunting melody. How did she know about the power I can’t access?

spot?

door opening interrupts my circular thoughts and I whirl around to see Phoenix entering the room. His expression is grim, his brow furrowed with concern. He tosses a burner phone onto my bed, the device bouncing

“What’s going on?”

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Ava Sister Miriam (II)

ask, heart pounding.

a hand through his tousled hair. “Mom and Dad are freaking out about what Sister Miriam said,” he explains, his grim tone

in my

stomach twists, and I want to vomit all the food I’ve eaten from past to future. “Are they going to tell Alpha

shakes his head. “No, they won’t,” he assures me, but his tone is laced with uncertainty. “Look, Ava,

and Dad are loyal to Alpha Renard, they never expected that you would truly be able to bear him any kids, considering that he hasn’t had any luck

Renard is barren.”

“What do you mean? How do you

some

kids weren’t biologically

be true. “How is that possible?”

rolling his

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Ava: Sister Miriam

to the floor off to

helped cover it up. She told

implications of his words sink in a little at a time. Alpha Renard, the powerful and feared leader of our pack, has been deceived all this time, his wife bearing children that were not truly his own. They’d been his pride and joy, even if they were weak for alpha–heirs, all

with

too much to

because they weren’t alpha heirs

were weak. Did she mate

why would they do that?” I ask, my voice trembling with a mixture of disbelief

a pack. She didn’t want to lose her position as Luna,

my bed, my mind reeling. How many other secrets are buried

our pack?

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