Tangled

77 Ava: Running

The haunting howls of wolves echo through the night, sending fear deep into my soul.

I shudder.

The strange shifter with the drugs curses under his breath. “They’re on the hunt,” he says, his voice low and urgent.

Lucas‘ arms tighten as he runs. It’s not the most comfortable, with all the jostling, but he manages to run while holding me as though my extra burden

doesn’t affect him at all.

How long has it been? Hours? That he’s maintained his pace without faltering. I can’t help but admire it, even

as I worry.

“It’s going to be okay,” he murmurs, his tone cold with

determination.

We pick up the pace, the shadows of the forest

seeming to press in around us as we hurry along. The howls grow louder, closer, sending icy tendrils of fear slithering through my veins.

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77 Ava: Running

“How much farther?” I ask, my voice a hushed whisper.

Lucas‘ subordinate’s response is grim. “Too far to be comfortable.” There are a few grunts of agreement among the other wolves. “We should have shifted. We would be there by now.”

Lucas just growls. “Not an option.”

The weight of his words settles over me, and I realize with a pang that he knows–he knows I can’t shift.

I swallow hard. How long has he known?

It isn’t as though it was a secret in our pack.

But it still hurts.

still, echoing through the trees, the sound itself nipping at our heels. Anxiety spikes my

and Lucas‘ head whips around. He signals to the others,

1. us.

the air, thick and palpable, as

The forest seems to hold its breath

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Ava: Running

in this agonizing

from the shadows–a massive wolf, its eyes glowing like

a fluid motion, he sets me down and

down,” he growls, his voice laced with an unmistakable

its hackles raised, but something in Lucas‘ unwavering presence seems to give it pause. For a long, tense moment, they regard each other, locked

and it lowers its head in a grudging show of

He turns back to me, his

says, like that’s

until he lets me down. “I can’t shift,

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77 Ava: Running

if you

Let’s go. Stay close, Ava. Vester will

I nod.

grimaces. “They still haven’t caught our trail, but they’re getting closer. We’re still five miles

it in reassurance. My lips quirk into a small

I have to.

sneakers is a distant concern. My heart pounds, but not from exertion–not yet. Terror still grips me, its icy tendrils constricting my lungs with every rasping breath. But each footfall on the forest floor

Freedom.

my mind with every stride, fueling my legs to push harder, faster. The men around me struggle to keep pace, their harsh pants filling

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77 Ava Running

warns, his brow furrowed with

concern.

shake my head, unable to spare the breath for a reply. Selene’s words ring in my ears, a silent chorus urging

run. She’d made it sound

if I did.

And it is.

feel it now, a thrumming beneath my skin, like electricity crackling

shift,” I say, knowing deep inside that I’m

and he grips my arm, pulling me -to an

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into a blur of shadows and silence. It’s just us, our ragged

finally, he nods.