Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

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.

Fight, Ava! Fight! Selene's command echoes through my mind, her urgency lending me a burst of adrenaline-fueled strength.

I thrash against my assailant's hold, kicking and clawing with everything I have. A guttural snarl rumbles in my ear as he wrestles me toward the waiting vehicle. My nails find purchase, scoring deep gouges along his cheek, but he doesn't relent.

The backseat door flies open, and I'm shoved inside with brutal force. My head cracks against the opposite window, and stars explode across my vision. Rough hands pin me down, the weight of a body trapping me against the cracked leather seats.

"Get off me!" I scream, bucking wildly. "Let me go!"

Hot, rancid breath washes over my face as my assailant leans in close, his features twisted into a savage leer. "Calm down, little wolf," he growls, his voice a deep, grating rasp. "You'll be fine. We'll be mating you soon."

throat as he buries his face in the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. Revulsion

unmated, all right," he pants, his words muffled against my skin. "A rogue wolf, free for the taking. What are you doing,

and I can hear the

my training screams at me to fight, to claw and bite and scratch until I'm free, but he's just too strong. His bulk pins me down, rendering

my mind.

panic in my head. I'll survive until I can get away. Just get to me

his eyes flicking to the rearview mirror. "Can you smell that? She's about to go into heat." He drags in a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. "Goddamn, that scent is driving me crazy. I

don't go into heat until they're mated. At

not be that great, honestly. In White Peak, it was rare to see a shifter among humans. Here—well, Cedarwood didn't have many before, but lately they're everywhere, and they fit in just fine… Something Alpha Renard always said was

to vomit is strong, and I jerk my head away, only for his teeth to bite into me in punishment. Stupid shifters. They have to be rogues; they smell wrong. Wild. And they're so fucking horny they'd abduct a potential mate right off

either. I cringe as

a plan, my mind racing even as the brute on top of me nuzzles the crook of my neck with disturbing tenderness. Play dead? No, they'd never let their guard down.

to bide my time until they make a mistake. I force my body to go limp, feigning defeat as a whimper escapes my lips. The man chuckles darkly, mistaking my deception for fear

fanning over my skin. "Just

Please. They're not even

guess rogue wolves get a little

fighting to keep my expression blank even as his calloused hands roam over my body in a mockery of a lover's caress. Rage simmers beneath my skin, scorching through my veins with every touch, but I can't let it show.