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 picture. "-fuck all

never going to submit-

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

is a lifeline, anchoring

idea where she is. I can sense

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

100 Avi Rest

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

guilt and terror freeze me

my throat, squeezing, choking off

off me, my hands moving to flip her

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

What

back, my heart hammering against my

seizing in my chest as the reality of what

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

Ava! Get it together!

me avoid another wolf before one of my

of shock threatening to consume me.

17.08.

377

memory from 1 sidestep the attack, grasping the wolf's foreleg as he passes.

against my ribs. Is he dead? Did I just kill another one? But then I see the

ПЕР

bus. Just uncons

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

massive wolf form bounding into the fray, flanked by several other wolves. Their arrival shifts the

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, I call out in my mind, my voice tinged with urgency.

see that?

immediate, laced with a mix of curiosity and wariness. I don't

4/7

108 Ava Ta

even though she can't see

break away from the

through my veins. What if it's a trap? What if it's another enemy, lying in

I can't. ignore. Selene runs at my side, her presence a

midst of the

take shape, solidifying into a figure. A person, hunched over