I scream, my voice raw with terror as the door beside is wrenched open. Before I even look, I throw a punch in their direction.
But it's not one of the ard assailants—it's Phoenix.
My brother's face is set in grim lines, his mouth a tight slash of determination. My fist is held by his hand as though I'm a child throwing a tantrum—with the ease of soone far more powerful than .
He lets go and cuts my seatbelt with a knife before grabbing in an almost painful grip.
Ivy is still slumped in the backseat beside , a trickle of blood oozing from the gash on her forehead. She's completely still, her head lolling at an unnatural angle.
My stomach roils violently, and I have to swallow back a surge of nausea. Is she...?
"She's alive," Phoenix says gruffly, as if reading my mind. "For now."
"Co on, we have to move," he growls, already tugging out of the wrecked sedan.
I stumble after him in a daze, my mind whirling. Phoenix? Here? How—?
What's happening, Ava? Selene's voice, taut with concern, rings in my head.
I shake my head mutely, too shaken to articulate a response. Phoenix is already hustling towards one of the blue sedans idling in front of Ivy's car. The driver, a tall, powerfully-built shifter I don't recognize, jumps out and rushes to open the rear door.
"Get in," Phoenix barks at , giving a firm shove towards the open door.
I scramble inside without protest, my entire body quivering with a bone-deep chill. The rear door slams shut, and Phoenix is already circling around to the passenger side. "Airport," he snaps at the driver as he clambers inside. "And step on it."
We peel away from the curb with a violent squeal of tires, the force slamming back against the seat.
Ava, talk to , Selene urges, her ntal voice tinged with a rare edge of panic. What's going on? Who are those n?
I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting to gather my scattered thoughts. The image of the driver crumpling to the ground is seared into the back of my eyelids, making my stomach churn.
My self-defense class isn't enough. It was all false confidence.
I don't know. They were following us. The one who pulled out of the car… is Phoenix. My brother.
I have to swallow hard, struggling to compose myself. I'd tried so hard to hide. How did they find ?
I feel Selene's calming presence wrapping around like a soothing balm. It's okay, Ava. I'm coming.
I swallow hard, my throat feeling tight. Selene, you're never going to make it in ti. We're heading for the airport. That ans they're going to fly back to the pack.
And there's no point running. They have more people. They have cars. They have guns. Ones that can kill shifters.
Phoenix turns around in the passenger seat to face , his gaze raking over , assessing. "Why do you sll like a shifter?" he demands.
I force myself to et his stare, keeping my expression carefully neutral. "Probably because I've been living with other shifters," I lie. "The girl in the car is a shifter, too."
Phoenix shakes his head, his mouth tightening into a grim line. "No, it's different. More than just proximity to the Aspen alpha."
Shit. He knows about Clayton.
What else does he know?
"I don't know what you're talking about," I say evenly, lying through my teeth. He knows damn well I don't have a wolf of my own, and they can never prove that Selene exists. I can't shift.
Phoenix's eyes narrow, but he doesn't press further, turning back around to face the front. I let out a slow, shaky breath and lean back against the couch, cursing everything I can think of in my head.
I just got that damn burner phone.
I just started getting comfortable, expecting to be able to go ho at so point.
And now this.
It's like I'm being punished for having a few months of peace in Cedarwood.
"Have you been with Shadowpine this whole ti?" Phoenix asks, breaking the silence again as we rge onto the interstate.
I can't tell if he's asking a trick question to see if I'll lie to him, or if he genuinely doesn't know.
I hope he doesn't know.
If he doesn't, that ans Cedarwood is still safe.
"He's out of town," I say, deliberately misinterpreting his question. "I'm not sure if he cos back today. Do you want to call—"
"No!"
I can see how tense he is by the prominent veins in his neck, so I shut my mouth.
Phoenix turns around to look at again. "We've been worried sick about you, Ava. You disappeared right after the Lunar Gala without a trace."
I blink at him, trying to hide my incredulity. That's complete bullshit—they've made it abundantly clear they don't give a damn about .
"Really?" I say flatly. "Because I can clearly rember a ti when you should have been worried about , but you decided to play nice with the man who assaulted . Seconds after it happened."
Phoenix's jaw tightens, a muscle flexing. I don't know if he rembers what I'm talking about, but it doesn't matter. I do. I always will. "You're our family, Ava. Of course we were upset when you vanished like that."
I have to resist the urge to snort derisively. Family? Is that what he calls the cold indifference and outright cruelty they've shown for as long as I can rember?
Apparently sensing my skepticism, Phoenix shakes his head, his expression sobering. "Look, I know things haven't been great between us lately—"
"Lately?" Hah. There's nothing lately about the way they've treated my whole damn life.
Phoenix exhales a frustrated breath. "Okay, fine. For a long ti. But you're still part of this pack whether you like it or not, Ava. And family ans sothing—it ans we protect each other and stick together, no matter how much we might disagree sotis."
"Stop the shit," I snap. "What is it that Dad wants from ?"
A low growl cos out of Phoenix, but I ignore him. Instead of answering, he turns around and snaps at the driver to hurry up.
Reviews
All reviews (0)