Tangled

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78 Ava: An Old Enemy

78 Ava: An Old Enemy

The terror that had gripped me so tightly finally begins to loosen its hold, washed away by the exhilarating rush of my feet pounding against the ground, the world flying past in my periphery.

It’s a simple rhythm.

One foot in front of the other.

Vault over an obstacle. Veer to avoid a tree. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FindNøvᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

The wind against my skin is harsh, like a thousand icy whips snapping against my cheeks. But the pain is almost euphoric.

My feet pound against the forest floor, each step fueling the fire of freedom burning within me.

It’s a feeling unlike anything I’ve ever experienced- raw power, an almost frenetic energy, thrumming through my body with an intensity that steals my breath away. The trees zoom past in blurs of shadow.

I can hear the wolves keeping pace beside me, their breaths ragged growls that harmonize with the frantic beat of my heart. My unnatural speed helps me keep

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78 Ava: An Old Enemy

pace. I’m not faster than they are, but I’m far faster than their human forms.

They probably have questions.

I don’t know how to answer them.

But, that’s for another time. Right now, we need this.

There’s no fear now, no uncertainty. Only an overwhelming sense of freedom so pure and intoxicating that I want to lose myself in it forever. I am unleashed, unchained–a force of nature given

form.

My lungs burn with the effort, but I don’t slow. Can’t slow. This is what it means to be truly alive, to embrace what dwells within me. To hell with being human; right now, I am so much more.

see the faint glow of distant lights. Civilization. Safety. My throat tightens with a sudden surge of emotion–hope, relief, gratitude. I’m going to make it. After everything, I’m

before. My heart stutters, but I

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An Old Enemy

wolves beside me. Wolves willing to risk their lives by

trees falls away, revealing the city of White Peak. An hour’s drive has taken much longer on

foot.

I pour on even more speed, reveling in the

close. So damn close.

neck. The wolves are gaining, closing the distance with every second.

Lucas and

within me surge, a tidal wave of energy that propels me forward with impossible velocity.

drives the air from my lungs and sends me tumbling

gorahhling against the

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An Old

fight to stop my

vicious, inhuman noises torn

world spinning around me. Twigs and leaves cling to my hair, my palms stinging from the impact. I blink tears from my eyes, struggling to make sense of what just happened.

the darkness, and eerie shrieks of pain interspersed between the rumbles. Fur and fangs clash in a frenzied melee, a tangle of snarling beasts. Their forms

arcs. The ground trembles with the force of their collisions, each impact punctuated by deep, guttural growls that reverberate through my bones. The scent

blood.

fleeting glimpses of familiar wolf faces. But they are

Ag

An Old Enemy

rages

far worse to worry about.

from the shadows, its golden eyes locked on me with

predator sizing up

sluggish in its wake. The euphoria of my newfound freedom has been replaced by a visceral terror that seizes my lungs, making each

Mason’s wolf is an average–sized wolf, but still menacing to someone who can’t shift. I’ve seen him -hundreds of times through the

menacing silence that’s somehow more terrifying than any snarl or growl. The air around him is filled with the energy

of

present.

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<

Ava: An Old

to strip away every last shred of my humanity, reducing me to

would be