Tangled

181

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.

laps nearly in half, instead of forcing us to run the full five miles-while Lisa and I bemoaned every mile, thinking we were really

cantankerous old man's ranking

might have

realizing both men seem

shift uncomfortably on the bed. It seems their constant presence has been replaced with these two, which somehow makes everything worse. At least the other ones hated me and I didn't feel obligated to try and strike up

These two...

I

more than once.

even know their

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

Mentor.

can only agree. Kind is not really a word that fits his

in his gruff words and demands for

to glance at each other. Neither of them say a word, but their faces show how distracted they

perks her cars. Something's happening. Maybe they'll explain it

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

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

Muddy Blue Eyes seems to be done talking,

"What's going on?"

his head. "No one's injured. that's what

Well, that's good

doesn't

end of the room

pause.

the door, opening it only when someone approaches. It must be the new guards, because he shares a few quick words

is tense. Jerky.

Whatever happened-it's significant.

to ignore the palpable shift in

his words clipped and devoid of emotion. "The bodies

heart lurches in my chest. "How is

shifts beside me, her hackles raised, sensing

room.

that dhampir. This is far worse than

words only give me the

possibly want with

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