Tangled

119 Ava: Her Power

I wish I could share Lisa’s optimism, but the weight of this newfound knowledge settles heavily on my

shoulders. If what Selene says is true, then I’m not just different from other shifters. I’m different from

everyone.

There’s something else you should know, Selene says, her voice taking on a somber note. Your connection to the elements is like a beacon. Other sensitive beings might be able to sense it, to feel the power that lies dormant within you.

My heart sinks at her words. “What does that mean for

me?”

It means that you’ll be in danger if you leave the safety of the Westwood pack lands, Selene replies, her tone grave. There are those who would seek to exploit your power for their own gain, or worse, to eliminate you as a threat. Though most shifters lack any true memory of our time as Great Wolves, as Lycans, the instinct is still there… if they’re strong enough.

I slump back against the couch, my shoulders.

119 Ava Hor Power

drooping under the weight of this revelation. It’s not enough that I’m an outsider among my own kind, or that I’m caught between two powerful alphas—though Clayton has been absurdly kind about giving me the distance I need. Now, I have to worry about being

hunted down by god knows who, all because of some mystical connection to the elements that I never asked

for.

“I can’t even leave?” I whisper, my voice small and broken. “I’m trapped here, like some kind of prisoner?”

Perhaps for now, for your own protection, Selene says, nuzzling her head against my leg in a gesture of

comfort. Until you learn to control your powers, until you can defend yourself, it’s the only way to keep you

safe.

Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, hot and stinging. I blink them back, refusing to let them fall.

I’m not going to

“Just sit here and wait for someone to come and teach me how to be a magician?”

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29

Her Power

quiet confidence. You’re not alone in this, Ava. You have me, and you have Lisa.

life without constantly looking over my shoulder, without wondering if the next person I meet is going

kill me.”

sound like a

my shoulders, pulling me into a tight hug. “I know, sweetie. But you’re not alone in this. We’ll get through it together, one day at a

from her presence. It’s a small

voice filled with a quiet determination. I promise you, Ava. We’ll find a way to keep you

powers.

You’d mentioned feeling

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Hor Power

few times. What exactly do you mean by that?” Lisa asks when I

once more.

breath, trying to gather my thoughts. “It was… intense,” I begin, my voice barely above a whisper. “I died, over and over again. In

“I was burned alive, drowned, buried, and suffocated. Each time, it felt so real. The

Selene says, her voice echoing in my mind. Your consciousness was trapped in the place between worlds, where

Lisa, watching as her expression shifts from shock to confusion. “What does that mean? Where is this

physical world, Selene explains, her voice taking on a reverent tone. A place where the souls of our kind go when they are not bound to a physical form. It is a place of great power, but also of great danger.

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Her

weight of Selene’s words settling heavily on my shoulders. “So, I

was lost, trapped between

were the voice I heard,” I whisper, realization dawning on me. Of course she was. Who else would be in my head? “The one telling me to leave, to

back.”

see you suffer, to watch as your soul

eyes, hot and stinging. I blink them back, swallowing past the lump in my throat.

her voice filled with a quiet conviction. Stronger than you know. You would

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Her

help.

her faith in me nonetheless. It’s a small comfort, knowing that I have someone in my corner, someone who believes in me even when I don’t believe in