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.

thin, and through the gaps I can 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,

piercing howl shatters the night, closer than before. My heart stutters, but I don’t

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Ava: An

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

city of White Peak. An hour’s drive has

foot.

I pour on even more speed, reveling

So damn close.

that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. The wolves are

and Vester crowd into me, teeth

let the power within me surge, a tidal wave of energy that propels me forward with impossible velocity. The city is closer with every passing heartbeat, the

slams into me from the side, a massive force that drives the air from my lungs and sends me tumbling across the uneven ground. I

gorahhling against the

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An Old Enemy

fight to stop my

inhuman noises torn from the

halt, I’m breathless and disoriented, the world spinning around me. Twigs and leaves cling to my hair, my palms stinging from the impact. I blink tears from my eyes, struggling

between the rumbles. Fur and fangs clash in

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

blood.

I catch fleeting glimpses of familiar wolf faces. But they are mere flashes,

Ag

Ava An

rages

I have something far

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

up its prey.

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

is an average–sized wolf, but still menacing to someone who can’t shift. I’ve

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

promise of brutality in past and

present.

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<

Ava: An Old

shred of my humanity, reducing me to nothing more than a

would be curving his lips right now, the wild look in his eyes that mirrors that of his wolf