Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 67 Ava: Their Plans (I)

Every day that passes is a slight uptick in my stress level. Mom and Dad are never home, busy with something. I haven't seen Phoenix since the day we spoke in the kitchen. And Jessa has been less than receptive over talking about future plans with me.

The fragile alliance feels like it's crackling away beneath my fingers, like old paper that disintegrates with the faintest touch.

So when Phoenix comes by without Jessa around, dismissing my guards, my heart jumps into my throat. It's hard to swallow the water I'd just sipped out of one of mom's coffee mugs.

"Hi."

"Hey." Phoenix looks me over, rubbing his left brow in a mannerism that's new to me. "They're planning the mating ceremony for next week. Mom's in charge."

"Oh."

What else is there to say? We all knew it was coming.

It's odd how peace flows through me at the announcement. It's like my body understands that I'm either going to escape or die trying, because there's no way in hell I'll ever let Alpha Renard near me like that.

"Have they sent you to the healer yet?"

I shake my head. "I haven't heard a word about any of this."

Phoenix sits at the kitchen table, so I sit across from him, setting my glass of water aside. The tightness in my throat makes it too hard to swallow. "How much do you know about the pack situation, Ava?"

My lips quirk up into a mocking smile. "How often do you think people inform me about anything, Phoenix?"

by them. It's just a clear indicator that he's only here for his own interests. Despite everything, he's not here to save his sister. He's not here to care about me, or what happens

just wants to keep his position

walls I've built

for her to mate with the beta or another high-ranking shifter in the pack, but Westwood sent her back home, closing the boundary to all shifters

Was this before or after

feel somehow tainted. Was it all

he continues, "Westwood's been accusing us of attacking their wolves at the border,

Now the conversation between him

scouts. The Council's kept their paws off for now as there is no clear evidence of a war brewing between each pack." His brown eyes, cold like Dad's, bore into mine. "That's what's kept peace here so far. This has been going on for a year or more, and we have managed to avoid any large-scale conflicts between

understand, even as I'm confused he's telling me all of

increased since the Lunar

My entire body stiffens.

you were with him in the garden, and he left in anger. What did you tell him,

was flirting with me. Once he found out my

leans back with a sigh. "We had reports that Lucas had been sniffing around, trying to get information on you. Once we heard that, we put every

searching. The ones in the Novel

must have happened in the garden, Ava. When you first disappeared, the alpha told us to leave you alone, that searching for

me. I want to roll my eyes at the blatant gaslighting, but I

out of the territory, things changed, and Alpha Renard developed a keen interest in bringing you back.

Go, Lisa!

is convinced that you've consorted with our enemies, Ava. He thinks

tell him anything, Phoenix. I never got a chance. The moment he realized who I was, he turned into a different person." That

territory. When even Jessa couldn't find any evidence of you there, we branched out, asking other clans to help find you. The plan was to use you to approach the Council and tell them that you were taken from us without approval, in order to begin the war with the Council on our