Tangled

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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.

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

old man's ranking in my

might

say after a while, realizing both men seem to

two, which somehow makes everything worse. At

These two...

I know they've guarded

more than once.

don't even know

and peering outside. "Kind

Mentor.

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

it's there, hidden in his

other. Neither of them say a word, but their faces show how distracted they are inside

her cars. Something's happening. Maybe

one of her ears. I don't mean to; my fingers have been fiddling

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

seems to be done talking,

"What's going on?"

and shakes his head. "No one's injured.

Well, that's good

doesn't answer

taking station on either end of the room Muddy Blue Eyes stays near the window, scanning outside

pause.

guards, because he shares a few quick words before closing it again, and their footsteps

movement is tense.

Whatever happened-it's significant.

I press, unable to ignore the palpable shift in the

his words clipped and devoid of emotion. "The bodies were

lurches in my chest. "How is

silent, their faces unreadable. Selene shifts beside

room.

was right, that dhampir. This is far worse than

words only give me the urge to

could they possibly want with

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