Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 48 Ava: No Great Destiny

Selene's warm, furry body is a balm to my soul as we cuddle in on the sofa, a random show playing in the background. My eyes drift to the new phone sitting on the nightstand.

Is it safe to use? Could Clayton or someone else have hacked into it, using it as a way to track my every move? A shiver runs down my spine at the thought.

Selene stirs beside me, her head lifting as she blinks in the dimness. Her piercing blue eyes find mine, and I feel the gentle brush of her consciousness against my own.

You're being paranoid again, she murmurs, her mental voice a soft caress against my frazzled thoughts.

"Can you blame me?" My voice comes out in a whisper "After everything that's happened, I don't want to take any risks that could turn my life upside down again. I just don't know how far I can trust Clayton."

I know, pup. Selene nuzzles my cheek with affection. But driving yourself mad with worry isn't the answer either. We'll be cautious, but we can't live in fear.

I swallow hard, wishing I could just turn off the constant stream of anxious thoughts whirring through my brain. "I just finally felt like I had a handle on things. And now..."

Now everything has been ripped away from me once more.

It isn't over, Selene points out, ever the voice of reason. Hugging her as she crawls into my lap, I sigh.

"I feel like something's going to happen," I admit, reaching up to touch the necklace that's once again around my neck. Selene nudges it with her nose.

Everything will be okay. Don't be so quick to assume the worst of that alpha.

Rubbing her ears helps calm down the anxiety fluttering in my belly, and Selene rolls over in bliss at the attention. We've missed each other terribly this past week.

"It just worries me. All this stuff, the care he's taking—it makes me feel like he's decided I'm his mate, and he's just waiting for me to accept it and follow along like a good little she-wolf." Her fur is soft against my cheek as I rub my head against hers. "I don't want that kind of life."

I know.

The weight of the world is on my shoulders, it feels. Sighing, I snuggle even closer to Selene's warmth, taking what comfort I can get. "What about my heat. Am I going to go through that again?"

bed with him might give him even more ideas about our relationship. But if I'm not

thought of experiencing another heat with a

her mental voice tinged with a seriousness that immediately puts me on edge. It should be taken care of, with the ring and the necklace, is

pendant again, its comforting weight reassuring me of its

against me. The necklace acts as a dampener. As long as you're wearing it, you should maintain control over yourself during your cycles,

mind. "Why did I go

burst out as soon as it had a chance. The ring acts as a shield for your power. Others can't sense it, and it will

magic that I'm not supposed to

Yes.

simple silver band on my other hand, marveling at the magic it seems

I don't wear them?" I ask

Then your heat will occur every month, each one stronger than the last, until you find someone strong enough to claim

enough to

name before; he's well-regarded in the Northwestern

Clayton isn't strong enough to claim

I have

"Lucas?"

is your fated, but that doesn't

I have to fight the urge to touch them. "I won't take them off again," I vow, my voice

licks my cheek comfortingly. We'll figure this out

to

a lie. We're all cursed, and wolf shifters actually have two souls in our

I'm somehow… different?

don't understand how

You are born, and therefore you

have the power of ancient magicians, but if

did you