Tangled

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181

181 Ava: Twenty Laps Around the Track

Muddy Blue Eyes turns back in my direction, and while I can't sense any sort of real respect or care, he at least reclaims a

professional air when he addresses me.

Before he can ask anything important, I have an odd, niggling little bug in my car from what he'd said a few moments ago. "Five miles around the track is twenty laps?" I ask, with a faint frown. 1-what? His confusion is clear in his wrinkled brow and hesitation. "Yes. Twenty laps."

"Not twelve?"

"No. It's twenty. Four laps to a mile

My memory is very clear of my torture during training, and I know that can't be right. "Jericho told us to run five miles, and it was always twelve laps."

"Beta-Mentor Ashbourne?" Muddy-Blue Eyes looks astonished, his brows rising. "Only twelve laps? Are you sure?"

"Positive. He had us count them. The memory of my jello-legs after each lap have me shuddering. "It was torture."

"Torture? She's been blessed by the Moon Goddess for his favor, and she calls it torture," Muddy-

Blue Eyes' partner mutters, looking out the window and bringing his hand to his lips in a gesture of faith I've seen often in Westwood, but almost never in Blackwood. It's always the older wolves who do it. "Pertaps Beta Mentor Ashbourne

oft on newbies? I suggest

soft

and Muddy Blue Eyes shakes his head in a firm negative. Then ! pause, rolling that name over in my head. "Wait. Ashbourne... isn't that Kellan's family name?

"Beta Mentor Jericho is Beta Kellan's father, Muddy Blue Eyes confirms. "When he stepped down as beta to focus on training young wolves, Beta Kellan took his place."

Ah.

The odd feeling between them now makes sense. It doesn't seem like a favorable father-son connection, somehow.

"I see." In a few minutes, I've learned more about the man who spent ages training me and Lisa for hours every day than I did. when he was training us.

Another eye-opening experience.

and I bemoaned every mile, thinking we were really running five miles- I rub

ranking in my heart

miles might have actually killed

a while, realizing both men seem to be

presence has been replaced with these two, which somehow makes everything worse. At

These two...

them before. I

more than once.

don't even know their

to the window and peering outside. "Kind isn't

Mentor.

agree. Kind is not really a word that fits his

in his gruff words and demands

them say a word, but their faces show how distracted they are inside

and Selene perks her cars. Something's happening. Maybe they'll

my fingers have been fiddling with them for a while, and my skyrocketing anxiety brought it to a new level.

into my thigh. Sorry. But my stomach is churning, acid eating

Blue Eyes seems to be

"What's going on?"

me and shakes his head. "No one's injured. that's what you're

Well, that's good

that doesn't

the room

pause.

partner stays by the door, opening it only when someone approaches. It must be the new guards, because he shares a few quick words before closing it again, and their footsteps don't leave back down the

movement is tense.

Whatever happened-it's significant.

unable to ignore the palpable shift in

by the door finally speaks up, his words clipped and devoid

my chest. "How is that

beside me, her hackles

room.

dhampir. This is

grim words only give

possibly want with

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