Tangled

123 Ava: New Shifters

Lisa and I share a look before following Amara further into the gym. I can feel the eyes of the other shifters tracking our every move. Unease has my heart beating in rapid rhythm, like a frantic chicken flapping its wings. All the excitement I’d felt at meeting new people is now buried beneath the worries dashing through my mind.

Do they hate me?

Is their disapproval because I’m a Blackwood wolf?

Do they know I can’t shift?

Have there been complaints about me?

What have they been saying?

But, of course, I don’t have the answers, so I follow. behind with my mouth shut.

It will be fine, Selene assures me, but she’s very unconcerned about the thoughts of humans or shifters. In fact, I’m not sure she cares about anyone other than me. She isn’t even fond of our fated mate.

Selene snorts. Fated doesn’t mean inevitable.

13:42

123 Ava: New Shifters:

her

Once we reach the mats, Amara turns to face us, stance relaxed but ready. It’s hard not to focus on the lean muscles defined in her arms. I’d thought I was making improvement with my training, but compared to her? I look like a newborn baby, soft and squishy.

“Let’s start with some basic defensive moves and see

where you’re at.”

Amara launches into an explanation of a simple block and counter, demonstrating the moves with fluid grace. I focus on her words, trying to commit the steps.

to memory.

Then it’s our turn to try. Lisa goes first, her face set in concentration as she attempts to mirror Amara’s movements. It’s a little clumsy, but she executes the block successfully.

“Good,” Amara praises. “Remember to keep your weight centered and your arm firm.”

nods, blossoming beneath her praise. Jericho snorts, but by some miracle manages

to center myself. Amara nods at me to

13:42

28

Ava: New Shifters.

memory from Jericho’s training kicking in. The block is solid, my stance steady. Amara’s eyebrows raise slightly, a hint of surprise flickering across her face.

done,” she says. “You’ve clearly been practicing. Next time, commit to the movement. You’re hesitant, and hesitation will

Maybe I’m not as far behind as I feared? Maybe I can hold my own here

I push myself harder, striving to

Lisa is a quick learner, her determination making up for any shortcomings. She gets me down more often than not, but I can tell a difference in

3/8

123 Ava:

This is beyond training, but something else. Like my enhanced healing, and how I woke up from a three–week long coma no longer needing

a break, my muscles are burning and my lungs heaving.

usually dead after a long day

I gulp down water, a prickle of awareness runs along my spine. Glancing up, I find several of the male shifters watching me

learned. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I find myself smiling,

***

day was a fucking bait

ús to Amara’s tutelage,

wa’ra brutalizad and

New

anymore, and I no longer feel pride over my improvement.

at me with more

Westwood. Instead, she’s meticulous in explaining what she’s teaching me

nothing, technically, to

the shifters, in their eyes and

Selene opines, sounding

your trashy TV show again?

course. I can sense her tail swishing despite our distance. It is very entertaining. Humans know how

shouts, and I drag my head back to the situation at hand.

a younger male with a cocky swagger, is my opponent this morning. He’s one of the many who watch me from the

Now Shifters

to access chapters of novels early and in the highest

knowing they think of me as their alpha’s mate. Their future

because of her Lycan soul; I don’t know how she cares so little about

our pack, she says, without me asking. How they think of you is inconsequential. If they have something to say, they can do it through

Still.

lifetime of conditioning, where knowing how your pack feels on any given day