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.

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 running five miles- I rub my thighs,

ranking in my heart

miles might have actually killed

very kind," I say after a while, realizing both men seem to be

constant presence has been replaced with these two, which somehow makes everything worse. At least the other ones

These two...

them before. I know

more than once.

don't even know their

before walking to the window and peering outside. "Kind isn't a word anyone uses to describe

Mentor.

in silence, I can only agree. Kind is not really a word that fits his

there, hidden in his gruff words

Neither of them say a word, but their faces show

tense again, and Selene perks her cars. Something's happening.

fiddling with them for a while,

Sorry. But my stomach

Eyes seems to be done talking, I

"What's going on?"

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

Well, that's good

doesn't answer

edge, taking station on either end of the room Muddy Blue Eyes stays near the

pause.

approaches. It must be the new guards, because he shares a few quick words before closing it again, and their footsteps don't leave

movement is tense.

Whatever happened-it's significant.

to ignore

speaks up, his words clipped and devoid of emotion.

heart lurches in my chest. "How is that

faces unreadable. Selene shifts beside me, her hackles raised, sensing the unease

room.

that dhampir. This is far

words only give me

they possibly want with the

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