Tangled

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168 Ava: Riot

It isn't impossible, but it might kill her before we get any results. Her answer isn't quite hesitant, but not firm, either.

"You're not telling me something

It is hard to explain. Selene stands and shakes herself. The only thing we can do is try. But it is a great risk. We should talk to Vanessa before trying, I think, if you wish to have her renounce her pack. As a heal That makes sense, only-

Selene and I share a startled glance as the chaotic noises from outside crescendo into a cacophony of snarls and shouts. Terror seizes my throat, memories of the party flashing through my mind, but I push pas We rush to the window, and my heart nearly stops at the sight below.

It's a full-on brawl. Wolves. Shifters in their human form. They're all locked together, dozens of Blackwood wolves overwhelming the few guards at the lodge.

Ava, we need to go. Selene's voice is sharp in my mind, urging me into action.

We race downstairs, my pulse pounding in my ears. There are no bodyguards to stop me; they're in the fray.

Fuck. I'm going to end up with twenty of them after Lucas hears

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abean chit

Marra winch rises above the din, his face a

mut of forty as he grapples with a narling wolf.

Telore I can respond, movement catches my eye. A Blackwood. Someone I vaguely recognize.

He launches at me, his body twisting and contorting as he shifts in

midair.

But Selene is faster. She meets the wolf head-on, and her snarl sends ice through my bones as she knocks him down.

I guess her body isn't very domestic dog, after all.

Chaos erupts around me. Claws and teeth flash past, barely missing me as I dodge and weave, my bodyguards struggling to form a protective

of conversation reach my ears, painting a grim picture. "-fuck all of

never going to submit-

howl pierces the air, deep and powerful. Clayton. Relief mingles with dread in my gut. He's on his way, but

voice is a lifeline, anchoring

I can sense her in this mess

"traitor" and "bitch" assail me from all sides, the Blackwood wolves' hatred palpable

100 Avi Rest

mother, her eyes wild with grief and

and terror

hands close around my throat, squeezing, choking off my

body reacts on instinct. A twist, a shove, and she's off me, my hands moving to flip her to the ground. But something goes wrong. The

slams against the parking stop with a sickening crack. She goes still.

What have I

spins around me, the sounds of battle fading to a dull roar in my ears. I stumble back, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stare at the motionless body before me. Ava. Selene's voice, distant

lungs seizing in my chest as

I killed Todd Mason's mother. Just like I killed

Ava! Get it together!

wolf before one of

voice slices through the haze of shock threatening to

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oncoming threat. Another Blackwood wolf, eyes blazing with hatred, lunges at me. My body moves before my mind can fully process the danger, muscle memory from 1 sidestep the attack, grasping the wolf's foreleg as he passes. With a sharp twist, I use his own momentum against him, sending him crashing to the ground. He lands

against my ribs. Is he dead? Did I just

ПЕР

bus. Just uncons

the guilt and horror of what I've done. It's easier this time, knowing he's not dead by my hand. But

bounding into the fray, flanked by several other wolves. Their arrival shifts the tide of the battle, the

even as the fight rages on around me, something catches my eye. A shadow in the distance, flickering at the edge of my vision. I squint, trying to make out what it is, but the darkness and the swirling mass Selene,

see that?

with a mix of curiosity and wariness. I don't know what it is, but we

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108 Ava Ta

even though she can't see me. Let's

we break away from the battle, darting toward

my cars as we draw closer, adrenaline surging through my

that I can't. ignore. Selene runs at

midst

hunched over and stumbling, as if injured. My breath catches in my throat as a sudden,