Tangled

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158 Ava: From the Past

"Ava, is that you?"

The familiar rasp has me frozen, my heart lurching into my throat. Slowly, I turn around, coming face-to-face with a ghost from my

past.

Our neighbor. Margot Mitchell.

Her once vibrant auburn hair is streaked with silver, her face a

roadmap of wrinkles and scars. It's her eyes that haunt me. Piercing green eyes that see everything and do nothing.

"Margot," I greet, my voice tight with caution. "What are you doing

here?"

She limps

toward me, her gait uneven from some injury she incurred long before I was born. I remember asking about it once, and my mother slapped the back of my head, admonishing me for my rudeness. "Oh, Ava. I'm

I tense as she reaches out, half-expecting her to grab me, to drag me back to the hellscape I escaped. But she merely places a hand on my arm, her touch feather-light.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I'm so sorry for everything. For not intervening when..." She trails off, her gaze flickering to the ground.

The shame she tries to portray leaves me feeling dirty. Unclean from her mere presence.

Memories flash through my mind, unbidden. Margot's face in the

$2.00

150 As from the Pant

window, watching as I was taunted and beaten, even by her own son. Listening at the front door as my parents berated me, their voices carrying through the window. Her figure rushing inside. when I tried beggi I was thirteen.

He broke my wrist.

day. Hours. Until my parents, tired of my whining, finally dragged me to

watching.

my arm away, taking a step back. "You're sorry?" Anger surges through me, hot and bitter, fueling my

She grabs at my arm

Ah. She needs something.

No wonder she's here.

hopeful her apology was genuine. It's dead now, like so many other little parts of

her head. "I am hired to clean the lodge. I

Ava From the

I saw you." Her eyes fill with tears. "Please, Ava. Think of your pack. So many of us are separated now. Taken from our mates. Forced to cut ties with the alpha. Westwood is tearing us apart. They sh "No." My voice is cold as I take another step

no intention of helping you or anyone else. from that pack.

into an ugly mask of rage. "You

hackles. raised, teeth bared. She positions herself

I think she might actually shift

in, and Margot's demeanor changes instantly. She straightens, smoothing

she says, her tone clipped. "We can talk when you've settled in." With that, she turns and flees the room, brushing past a

me, curiosity etched

trying to steady my racing heart. "An old neighbor," I manage,

316

Aws: From the

eyes, followed by sympathy. She starts to say something, but I don't hear

whines softly, nuzzling against me as I tremble, overwhelmed by

visceral. The jeers and taunts of my packmates. The pain of their blows, both physical and emotional. The sinking realization that no one, not even our neighbors, would help me Breathe, Ava, Selene murmurs in my mind. You're safe now. She can't

right, but it doesn't stop the flood of emotions. Fear, anger,

Vanessa's gentle voice breaks through

beats of my heart, slowing down. Meeting her concerned gaze, I give the faintest smile.

be in the other room if you need me." She pauses, then adds, "Therapy isn't something to be ashamed of. If you're interested, just talk to

I turn my attention back to Selene, running my fingers through her soft fur. Her presence is a balm, soothing

Ava: From the

of

her voice a gentle caress in my mind. But you handled it

"Strength?

facing it head-on, even when it terrifies you.