Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 87 Ava: Missing, AGAIN

Panic has me looking around the room, as if they would just be sitting somewhere. It's most likely that someone took my jewelry off when I was brought in.

My gaze falls upon the various wires and tubes tethering me to the bed. A thin IV line snakes its way into the crook of my elbow, delivering fluids and medication. A catheter bag hangs from the side of the bed, freeing me from any need for the bathroom.

All great, until I need to get up and look for something. Son of a bitch.

There's a wheeled table for meals, but all it has is some paperwork that seems to be welcoming me to the hospital. Does anyone even read those things?

Panic is well on its way to blowing its top inside of my head and setting off a full-scale anxiety attack. My eyes dart from the nightstand to the small closet, but there's no sign of my jewelry anywhere.

I keep trying to fiddle with a ring that is no longer on my finger, and it's driving me crazy.

Finally, I remember the call light. With a trembling finger, I depress the button.

Seconds feel like an eternity as I wait, my mind racing with possibilities. What if they were lost in the woods, during the attack? I hadn't stopped to see if they'd fallen off. If they're all the way out there, how the hell do I get them back?

I don't know a lot about Lucas, but I know alphas.

He'd never let me go back there, and it would be impossible to explain how important the jewelry is. I can't just tell him that they're used to keep my power hidden.

The gentle click of the door opening draws my attention, and a kind-faced nurse steps into the room. She's older, and smells of human and rubbing alcohol. "Did you press your call light, dear?"

"My necklace and ring," I blurt out, struggling to keep my voice calm despite the desperation seeping into it. "I can't find them anywhere. Do you know what happened to them?"

The nurse's expression softens with understanding. "I'm afraid I wasn't here when you were first admitted, sweetheart. But let me check with the security team. It's standard procedure to put any valuables in a safety box, especially when the patient isn't conscious."

Relief washes over me at her words, and I nod gratefully. "Thank you. Those items mean so much to me."

dear. I'll

Now to wait.

pillows, my fingers idly tracing the bandages wrapped around my neck. Memories of

And my mate.

word still feels foreign, even as it ignites a flicker of

at his presence in Cedarwood,

caving too

even if I'm willing to give him a chance,

And even then…

secrets. Like

like there are a thousand reasons against

is an exercise in

my fingers against the quilt, because I have no ring to twirl. Every steady beep from the machines around me only amplifies the anxious, never-ending

and ring,

people

heat? So far, there are no signs—but,

powers begin to

the vicious cycle of questions with no answers, and I feel hope rise in me, only to be dashed a moment later

security team hasn't called

in my belly, like a hyperactive raccoon.

moving a bit?" she suggests brightly, even as she approaches with a

really a question, but an order in that

me wiggle over to the edge of the bed, her movements careful and deliberate. A sharp twinge of pain stabs through my abdomen as I swing my legs

my back. "One step at a time.

wave of pain to recede as she opens a clear package of giant yellow socks. They have little rubbery circles on the bottom, probably

ease my feet against the floor. It's tile, yet the cold doesn't reach through the thick fabric now snuggling

but right now, I love them more than anything