Tangled

C

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.

Safety. My throat tightens with a sudden surge of emotion–hope, relief, gratitude.

than before. My heart stutters, but I don’t falter.

13:00 –

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An Old Enemy

me. Wolves willing to risk their lives by entering enemy territory

revealing the city of White Peak. An hour’s drive has

foot.

on even more speed, reveling in the rush.

so close. So damn

back of my neck. The

us. I can tell by how Lucas and Vester crowd into me,

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

air from my lungs and sends me tumbling across the uneven ground. I

fingernails gorahhling against the

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An Old Enemy

as I fight to stop

inhuman noises torn from the vocal chords

a halt, I’m breathless and disoriented, the world spinning around me. Twigs and leaves cling to my hair, my

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

with the force of their collisions, each impact punctuated by deep, guttural

blood.

wolf faces. But

Ag

Ava An

battle rages

far worse to worry about.

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

predator sizing up its prey.

in its wake. The euphoria

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 years. I’d

stalks toward me with a menacing silence that’s somehow more terrifying than any snarl or growl. The air

promise of brutality in past

present.

13.00

<

An Old Enemy

shred of my humanity, reducing

dries my mouth as he prowls ever closer. If he were human, I could envision the arrogant smirk that would be curving his lips