Tangled

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158

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.

parents, tired

always watching. Never

and bitter, fueling my words. "Why are you even saying

Please." She grabs at my arm again. "We need you to understand us. To speak for

Ah. She needs something.

No wonder she's here.

stomach churns. There's a tiny part of me, almost miniscule, that was hopeful her apology was genuine. It's dead now, like so many other little parts of "How did you know I was here?" I step

her head. "I am hired to clean the

From the

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

you or anyone else. from that

twisting into an ugly

her hackles. raised, teeth bared. She positions herself between

returns the growl, her eyes flashing amber. For a moment, I think she might actually shift and attack. My heart pounds against my ribs,

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

"We can talk when you've settled in." With that, she

turns to me, curiosity etched on her face.

my racing heart. "An old neighbor,"

316

From the

I don't hear her. I'm

nuzzling against me as I tremble, overwhelmed by the

realization that no one, not even

flood of emotions. Fear, anger, betrayal-they swirl inside me, a

voice breaks through

of my heart, slowing down. Meeting her concerned gaze,

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 me. Everything will be kept

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

From the

of

says, her voice a gentle caress in my mind. But

"Strength?

facing it head-on,