Chapter 28: Ava: Omega? (I)

I'm walking to the bus stop after my evening class, my mind still focused on the lecture. The streetlights flicker overhead, casting long shadows that seem to shift and dance in the corners of my vision. An uneasy feeling prickles at the back of my neck, but I push it aside, chalking it up to my overactive imagination.

Then, without warning, a searing pain explodes at the base of my skull. A strangled yell tears from my throat as my knees buckle, and I crumple to the pavement. Spots dance before my eyes, and for a disorienting moment, the world tilts on its axis.

Ava! Ava, listen to me! Selene's frantic voice cuts through the haze of agony. Get up! You have to run!

A rough hand grips my arm, hauling me upright with a savage jerk. The potent scent of shifter slams into me—musky, feral, and utterly alien. My heart stutters in my chest as a car screeches to a halt beside us.