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.

lights. Civilization. Safety. My throat tightens with a sudden surge of

piercing howl shatters the night, closer than before. My heart

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An Old Enemy

have wolves beside me. Wolves willing to risk their lives

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

foot.

breathless laugh escapes me as I pour on even

close. So

that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. The wolves are gaining, closing the distance with every second.

tell by how Lucas and Vester crowd into me, teeth bared

within me surge, a tidal wave of energy that propels me forward

the side, a massive force that drives the air from my

fingernails gorahhling against the dirt and

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An Old Enemy

fight to stop

growls, of vicious, inhuman

my

rumbles. Fur and fangs clash in a frenzied melee, a

punctuated by deep, guttural growls that reverberate through my bones. The scent of earth and rage hangs

blood.

wolf faces. But they are mere flashes, lost in an

Ag

Ava An

rages on.

then I have something far

a familiar wolf emerges from the shadows, its golden eyes locked on me with an intensity that chills me to the core. The

up its

veins mere. moments ago has evaporated, leaving me feeling weak and sluggish in its wake. The euphoria of my newfound freedom has

someone who can’t shift. I’ve seen him -hundreds of times through the years. I’d never mistake

more terrifying than any snarl or growl. The air around him is filled with the energy of barely

of brutality

present.

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<

An

that seems to strip away every last shred of my humanity, reducing me to nothing more

closer. If he were human, I could envision the arrogant smirk that would be curving his lips