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

I croak. “Clothes.”

“No time.”

much death, and Lucas tenses. His grip on me holds tight as he breaks into a run,

is missing, and a pang of fresh guilt

Someone who was never involved in my

abuse.

should still

have a

Family?

Friends?

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

and steady against my cheeks, burning and stinging

coming in harsh pants. “We

11:

Ava Moonlight and Peace

Pack links are so convenient, and yet I’ve

one.

person to enter my mind has been Selene, and for a brief moment, Clayton’s wolf.

after she appeared, I never had a link with my

Seeing over his shoulder, I can see the bloody prints left by foot

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

For me.

than the wounds shrieking in -agony with every jarring step

slows as we approach a white SUV, and

they come to a

in frustration as he digs through the backpack he’d carried from the ambush site, hunting for the keys. It takes a

clicks have them all

13.11

Ava: Moonlight and

sets me in the

pair of pants and hops into the seat beside me, apologizing as he shoves

hell, but I try not to whine

1. it.

would be pathetic to whine when they

their own.

into the driver’s seat, fully dressed

most shifters learn after a few

the SUV roars to life

a new

Beside me, one of the unfamiliar shifters rummages through a medical kit, retrieving supplies to tend

anymore. Everything’s a little fuzzy. I think I might be melting into a puddle of

little” the unrecognizable

Ava Moonlight and Peace

his voice gentle as he dabs at my face with an antiseptic

to make his task any more difficult. Focusing on the astringent scent of alcohol keeps me centered and present, even as

lets out a low, rumbling growl.

pull over and let me drive,”