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

between me and the battling wolves. Snippets of conversation reach my ears, painting a grim

never going to submit-

air, deep and powerful. Clayton. Relief mingles with dread in my gut. He's on his way, but how far is

a lifeline, anchoring me to the

where she is. I can sense her

the fray, determined to help subdue the riot. Shouts of "traitor" and "bitch"

100 Avi Rest

nightmares. Todd Mason's mother, her eyes wild with grief and rage as

shricks, as guilt and terror freeze me for

around my throat, squeezing, choking off my

instinct. A twist, a shove, and she's off me, my hands moving to

stop with

God. What have

my ears. I stumble back, my heart hammering against my ribs as I stare

air won't come, my lungs seizing in my chest as the reality of

killed Todd Mason's mother. Just like I killed

Ava! Get it together!

avoid another wolf before one of my bodyguards yanks

through the haze of shock

17.08.

377

instinct, pivoting to face the 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,

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

ПЕР

Just uncons

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

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

my vision. I squint, trying to make out what it is, but the darkness and the swirling mass Selene, I call

see that?

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

4/7

108 Ava Ta

she

we break away from the battle,

heart pounds in my cars as we draw closer, adrenaline surging through my veins. What if it's a trap? What

something compels me forward, a gut instinct that I can't. ignore. Selene runs

midst

solidifying into a figure. A person, hunched over and stumbling, as if injured. My breath catches