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

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

never going to submit-

with dread in my gut. He's

is a lifeline,

is. I can sense

dive into the fray, determined to help subdue the riot. Shouts of "traitor" and "bitch" assail me from all sides, the Blackwood wolves' hatred palpable in

100 Avi Rest

then, a face from my nightmares. Todd Mason's mother, her eyes wild with grief and rage as she lunges

guilt and terror freeze me

around my throat, squeezing, choking off my

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

with a sickening crack. She goes

What

back, my heart hammering against my ribs as

in my chest as the reality of what just happened

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

Ava! Get it together!

mental voice helps me avoid another wolf before one of my bodyguards yanks him to the

through the haze of shock threatening to consume me. On

17.08.

377

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

my ribs. Is he dead? Did I just kill another one? But

ПЕР

bus. Just

harden my heart, to push aside the guilt 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

into the fray, flanked by

flickering at the edge of my vision. I squint, trying to make out what it is, but the darkness and the swirling

see that?

curiosity and wariness. I

4/7

108 Ava Ta

even though she can't

away from

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

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

midst

we approach the shadow, it begins to take shape, solidifying into a figure. A person, hunched over and stumbling, as if injured. My breath catches in my throat as a