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.

grow louder still, echoing through the trees, the sound itself nipping at our heels. Anxiety spikes my pulse and I cling

He signals to the others, and they fan

1. us.

the air, thick

The forest seems to hold its breath with

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77 Ava:

this agonizing moment.

like embers in the

With a fluid motion, he sets me down and steps forward, planting himself between

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

presence seems to give it pause. For a long, tense

it lowers its head in a grudging show

He turns back to me, his

rogue,” he says, like

me down. “I can’t shift, but I can

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77 Ava: Running

better time if

says that he wants to protest, but he thinks better of it. “Fine. Let’s go. Stay close, Ava. Vester will stay on your

I nod.

haven’t caught our trail, but they’re getting closer. We’re still

in reassurance. My lips quirk into a

I have

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 kindles a tiny spark of hope within

Freedom.

to push harder, faster. The men around me struggle to keep pace, their harsh pants filling the air. But I’m

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77 Ava Running

Lucas warns, his brow furrowed with

concern.

the breath for a reply. Selene’s words

She’d made it sound like it would

if I

And it is.

beneath my skin,

that I’m right. “We’ll

stride falters, and he grips my arm, pulling me -to

of emotions swirling in their golden depths–disbelief, confusion, worry. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ FɪndNovᴇl.nᴇt website

we’re frozen, the world around us fading into a blur of shadows and silence. It’s just us, our ragged breaths intermingling in the scant space between us.

finally, he