Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 91 Ava: Clearing the Air (I)

All my thoughts circle into some sort of insane melodrama right out of Selene's favorite TV show, and I slap my hands against my face, rubbing hard against my cheeks, as though I can push the tears right back into my eyes.

"Sorry," I say, as Lucas rests a worried hand against my back, stroking me like you would pet a puppy. It's cute. He doesn't seem to know what to do with me, while I'm just grateful that he's trying.

Once I'm sure my tears are gone, I smile up at him. "I'm just frazzled."

"You've been through a lot. Did I upset you when I took the phone call?"

"No!" The word bursts from me in horror. Does he think I'm that kind of person, who gets upset when he has to do important things instead of watching me sit in a hospital bed? "Not at all."

He blows out a breath in what I'm sure is massive relief. No one wants a mate that high maintenance. "Are you upset that I have to leave?"

I cringe. "It isn't that." I just came to some insane levels of assumptions. "Why… do you have to go?"

"Ah." Now he looks uncomfortable, and takes a seat on my bed, grabbing my hand.

Oh, God. This can't be good.

"Once we were safe, Kellan—my beta—led a force of my men into the heart of the Blackwood pack." I must not look devastated enough, because he clarifies, "In an act of war."

Since he seems to want some sort of input from me, I nod to show that I'm following.

"Unfortunately, in the chaos, your family and Alpha Renard escaped, but the territory is under our control."

I nod again.

your pack," he says, as if I'm not

heard you." I tilt my head. "I don't care what happens to them." Too

the hospital. She's in critical condition

now. Like sadness, anxiety, worry, or other emotions

vengeance in my soul that

don't want to show my possible future mate that I'm a raging psychopath. He's treating me so carefully as he tells me all these things, and not a single one

fingers between mine. He must think I need comfort, and I'm not sure how to break it to

go because there's a lot of work to be done. We are working on disavowing every wolf from the Blackwood Pack and integrating them into ours, or letting them go as rogues. I'll be back every few days. Right now, another alpha is helping me keep things in control over there, but I can't just let other people do my

to reach out and rub the lines on his brow. "You'll do great," I assure him. "But before you go, I have

be Clayton; that's why he called. Maybe Clayton doesn't realize who I am yet, but they'll figure

his watch. "I only have a few minutes. There's a

just need you to promise to listen

hand tenses, but his face is admirably calm with my words. "Whatever you have to tell me, don't worry, Ava. I won't think less of

about them. "When I was taken from Cedarwood, it wasn't

slack against mine, and his brows come

take a deep breath. "There were some rogues in Cedarwood who caught my scent.

you go into heat without a wolf?" Lucas asks, and

do you

meet mine, unwavering. "At the Gala, I'd been under the impression

he looked at me

time to get someone into the pack to get the information, but I heard that you