Tangled

168

168

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

17-

17

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

battling wolves. Snippets of conversation reach my ears, painting a grim picture. "-fuck

never going to submit-

air, deep and powerful. Clayton. Relief mingles with dread in my gut. He's

Selene's voice is a lifeline, anchoring me

she is. I can sense her

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

100 Avi Rest

nightmares. Todd Mason's mother, her eyes wild

guilt and terror freeze

throat, squeezing,

me, my hands moving to flip her to the ground. But something goes wrong.

with a

God. What

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

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

Ava! Get it together!

avoid another wolf before

voice slices through the haze of shock threatening to

17.08.

377

process the danger, muscle memory from 1 sidestep the attack, grasping the wolf's

a moment, I stare at his limp form, my heart pounding against my ribs. Is he dead? Did I just kill another one? But then I see the faint

ПЕР

bus. Just uncons

I've done. It's easier this time, knowing he's not dead by

the chaos, and I whip around to see Clayton's massive wolf form bounding into the fray, flanked by several other wolves. Their arrival shifts the tide of the battle, the Blackwood wolves faltering in the face of

vision. I squint, trying to make out what it is, but

see that?

a mix of curiosity and wariness. I

4/7

108 Ava Ta

though she can't

break away from the battle,

draw closer, adrenaline surging through

me forward, a gut instinct that I can't. ignore. Selene runs at my side,

midst of

take shape, solidifying into a figure. A person, hunched over and stumbling, as if injured. My breath catches in my throat as