Tangled

80 Ava: Moonlight and Peace

The stench of blood and death clings to my skin, my clothes, invading my senses with its coppery tang.

Yet the moon spreads its light over my face, blessing me with its ethereal glow. It’s surreal, an entire world away from the violence.

I laugh as my mind wanders into memories of science class. Of planets and space.

The moon truly is an entire world away. Thirty whole worlds, in fact, would fit between here and the bright satellite that decorates our night.

Thanks, Mr. Finnegan. I always did like science.

The dead weight pinning me to the ground and obstructing a lungful of air is yanked off me, just as strong arms encircle me, pulling me upright. Lucas. His human face swims into view, those striking golden

eyes

filled with concern as he looks me over. I can see his lips moving, but his words are muffled, as if

reaching me through a thick fog.

It’s not until his calloused palm cups my cheek that the

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80 Ava Moonlight and Peace

numbness shatters. A strangled cry escapes my lips as agony lances through my abdomen. All my wounds come to life in an instant, informing me of their

presence.

“Ava? Ava, can you hear me?” Lucas’s voice breaks. through the screams of my injuries, his tone laced with

urgency.

Answering is impossible, so I give a weak nod, my gaze flickering to the gruesome scene behind him. Lifeless wolves litter the forest floor, their bodies twisted and mangled.

The price of freedom.

Even knowing that they wouldn’t reciprocate the sentiment, their lives weigh heavy on my soul.

“We need to move,” Lucas says, still supporting me. “Can you walk?”

The world spins with every movement I make, so I just blink at him. I can’t shake my head. If I do, it just might fall off.

Without another word, Lucas scoops me into his arms, cradling me against his bare chest as he rises to his

feet.

BD

Ava: Moonlight and Peace

croak. “Clothes.”

“No time.”

break the relative peace after so much death, and Lucas tenses. His grip on me holds tight as he breaks into a run, his

missing, and a pang of

innocent. Someone who was never

abuse.

still be here.

he have a mate?

Family?

Friends?

he have pups who will wonder why Daddy’s not coming

come hot and steady against my cheeks, burning and stinging

in harsh

11:

Moonlight

Pack links are so convenient, and yet I’ve never had access to

one.

mind has been Selene, and for a brief moment, Clayton’s

never had a link

wounded wolves. Seeing over his shoulder, I can see the bloody prints

still running. Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ FɪndNovᴇl.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest

For me.

wounds shrieking in -agony with every jarring step Lucas takes.

a white SUV, and the other

come to

digs through the backpack he’d carried from the ambush site, hunting for the keys. It takes a minute or two, as howls rend the air.

telltale unlocking clicks have them

13.11

Ava: Moonlight

and Lucas sets me in

pants and hops into the seat beside me, apologizing as he shoves a shirt against my abdomen, soaking up the blood flowing freely.

hell, but I try not to whine

1. it.

would be pathetic to whine when

their own.

into the driver’s

most shifters learn after a few naked

SUV roars to life with all the

of a

drives through the quiet streets. My head lolls against the seat, boneless now that I’m in a safe place. Beside me, one of the unfamiliar shifters rummages through a medical kit, retrieving supplies to tend to my wounds. The other two ran to a different car,

I might be melting

a little” the unrecognizable

Ava Moonlight

at my face with an antiseptic

my cheeks. Despite the pain, I force myself to remain still, not wanting to make his task any more difficult. Focusing on

Lucas lets out a low, rumbling

over and let me drive,” he snaps. “You need to get those mating instincts under control.”