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.

The cool air brought in by an open window does little to soothe my restless spirit. I

eyes on Jessa Grey the moment she sets foot in Granite City. I want to know her every move, every breath she

expression grim. He

again contemplate the possible motives behind 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 how there was something different about it all. My mind races, trying to

of pheromone enhancer?" I muse aloud, my eyes focused on something beyond the walls of this room. "A

know, Lucas. When I met Ava that night, I didn't sense anything

applied it in the garden, knowing I was watching her. It's the perfect setup, don't

"I suppose that's possible, but her relationship with her family seemed strained. The way they interacted, the tension between

even 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

exactly the kind of thing a desperate wolf would

that angle. It does

sides. The thought of Ava being used in such a way, of her willing participation in this deception, fuels the rage that

I growl, my voice low and dangerous. "The Blackwood Pack is up to something. I

is grim. "I know. We all do. We're behind you, Lucas. We'll keep a close eye on Jessa,

show them what happens when they try to mess