Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 18 Lucas: Realization (I)

LUCAS

The frost of winter thaws, giving way to the brisk air of spring. The days drag on, each moment blurring into the next as my frustration builds. Weeks have passed since that fateful night at the Lunar Gala, and still, the Blackwood Pack's intentions remain shrouded in mystery, even with summer peeking around the corner. My wolf paces restlessly within me, yearning for answers, for action, for her.

My obsession grows.

I slam my fist on the desk, the impact reverberating through the room. Kellan, ever the loyal beta, barely flinches. He knows better than to disturb me when I'm like this, consumed by the need to unravel the web of secrets that surrounds us.

A missive arrived last week from Alpha Blackwood, a terse notification that his beta's daughter, Jessa Grey, would be attending the local university here in Granite City. The balls on that asshole, sending her into our territory without so much as a proper request for permission.

It's an unspoken rule among our kind, a courtesy extended to the ruling pack when an outsider plans to stay within their domain.

I can't help but wonder if this is another ploy, another move in the twisted game that Blackwood seems intent on playing. Jessa's presence here, so close to the heart of our pack, sets my teeth on edge. What secrets does she carry? What lies will she spin to further her alpha's agenda?

My thoughts drift naturally to her, the girl who haunts my every waking moment. Ava. The memory of her scent, her touch, the way she surrendered to me in the garden—it's seared into my very being. And yet, my hatred grows by the day.

a caged beast. The cool air

silence. "I want eyes on Jessa Grey the moment she sets foot in Granite City. I want to know her

He understands the gravity of the

the Blackwood Pack's actions, like we have a thousand times. But this time, I let my mind linger on Ava. On the garden. On that scent that I can never forget and

I muse aloud, my eyes focused on something beyond the walls of this room. "A way to force a mate connection, to

"I don't know, Lucas. When I met Ava that night, I didn't sense anything unusual. No hint

scoff, turning to face him. "She probably applied it in the garden, knowing I was watching her. It's the perfect setup, don't you see? Lure me in, make me believe there's a connection, and then use that to

with her family seemed strained. The way they interacted, the tension between them, wasn't faked. It didn't feel like a

more likely. Think about it, Kellan. If Ava's relationship with her father is rocky, she'd be even more desperate to prove herself, to earn his approval. Sacrificing herself, using her body as a tool to

thing a desperate wolf

hadn't considered that angle. It does make a twisted sort of

being used in such a way, of her willing participation in

to be prepared for anything," I growl, my voice low and dangerous. "The Blackwood Pack is up to something. I won't let them destroy everything we've built,

you, Lucas. We'll keep

they try to mess