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)

visibly unsettled, a rare crack in her

demeanor.

she some sort of prophet?” I ask, unable to

in the mirror, her eyes narrowing. “I told you, it’s none of your concern,” she snaps,

she was saying such odd things.” I just want to make sure

was said here.

status in the pack. If Alpha Renard

grip on my hair tightens, and I wince as she tugs at a lock with more force than necessary. “Enough, Ava. You’re not to speak of this again, do you understand?”

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Ava: Sister Miriam (1)

countless times

a soft, “Yes,” hoping I look properly cowed.

***

more worries as I pace back and forth in the

to choke down any food, wondering if at any moment they’d start talking about Sister

my head like a haunting melody. How did she know about the power I can’t access? And are her words a vision of the future, or

spot?

sound of the 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

wars with caution. “What’s going on?”

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Ava Sister Miriam (II)

ask, heart pounding.

freaking out about what Sister Miriam said,”

in my head.

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

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 in so long. Even with you being

Renard is barren.”

has me frowning. “What do you mean? How do

his shoulders sagging with the weight of some

weren’t biologically his.”

“How is that possible?”

his weight rolling

12:40

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Sister Miriam

desk, then to the floor off to the side of

helped cover it up. She

this time, his wife bearing children that were not truly his own. They’d been his pride and joy, even if

with other

is almost too much to

died because they weren’t alpha heirs at

she

they do that?” I ask, my voice

hardens. “Power, Ava. It’s always about power in a pack. She didn’t want to lose her position as Luna, even

the edge of my bed, my mind reeling. How many other secrets

our pack?

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