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

Moonlight and

I croak. “Clothes.”

“No time.”

His grip on me holds tight as he breaks into a

wolves is missing, and a pang of

innocent. Someone who was never involved in

abuse.

should still be

he have a

Family?

Friends?

he have pups who will wonder why

come hot and steady against my cheeks, burning and

grunts, his breath coming in harsh pants. “We need to hurry.”

11:

Ava Moonlight and Peace

Pack links are so convenient, and yet

one.

to enter my mind has been Selene, and for a

after she appeared, I never had a link with

through the city naked, followed by wounded wolves. Seeing over his shoulder, I can see the bloody

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

For me.

wounds shrieking in -agony with every jarring step

as we approach a white SUV,

shift as they come to

ambush site, hunting for the keys. It takes a minute or two, as howls rend the

telltale unlocking clicks have them all breathing

13.11

Ava: Moonlight and

sets me in the

seat beside me, apologizing as he shoves a shirt against my abdomen, soaking up the

hell, but I

1. it.

whine when they lost one

their own.

into the driver’s seat,

most shifters learn after a few

roars to

of a

now that I’m in a safe place. Beside me, one of the unfamiliar shifters rummages through a medical

melting into a puddle of Ava goo,

little”

Moonlight and Peace

gentle as he dabs at my

any more difficult. Focusing on the astringent scent of alcohol keeps me centered and present, even as my mind keeps trying to run away into

seat, Lucas lets out a low, rumbling growl. Vester

eyes on the road, or pull over and let me drive,” he snaps. “You need to get those mating instincts