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.

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, I’m finally

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

13:00 –

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An Old Enemy

risk their lives by entering enemy territory to find

city of White Peak. An hour’s drive has taken much longer

foot.

as I pour on

close. So damn close.

chilling resonance that raises the hairs on the back of my neck. The wolves are gaining, closing the distance with every second. I can sense their urgency, their hunger.

by how Lucas and Vester crowd into me, teeth bared

propels me forward with impossible velocity. The city is

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

gorahhling against the dirt

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Ava: An Old Enemy

as I fight to stop my

snarls and growls, of vicious, inhuman noises

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

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

by deep, guttural growls that reverberate through my bones. The scent of earth and rage hangs thick in the air, mingling

blood.

I catch fleeting glimpses of familiar wolf faces. But they are mere flashes, lost in an instant as

Ag

Ava An

rages on.

then I have something far

hands clawing at the earth as a familiar wolf emerges from the shadows, its golden eyes locked on

up its prey.

in its wake. The euphoria of my newfound freedom

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 never mistake

a menacing silence that’s somehow more terrifying than any snarl or growl.

a promise of brutality in past

present.

13.00

<

An Old

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

mouth as he prowls ever closer. If he were human, I could envision the arrogant smirk that would be curving his lips right now, the wild look in his eyes that mirrors that of his wolf