Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 100 Clayton: Clashing Alphas

CLAYTON

Lucas's voice booms through the room, frustration palpable in every syllable. The scouts cower under his scrutiny, and I can't blame them. The Blackwood leaders have proven more elusive than any of us anticipated.

I should be focused on the task at hand, strategizing our next move, but my mind drifts to Ava. Is she healing well? Has she found any measure of peace after the trauma she's endured?

Even though the mating bond didn't take, my wolf and I feel bonded toward her. It's one-sided and fragile, but it consumes my thoughts. I long to see her, to offer comfort and support. But Lucas guards any information about her whereabouts with a possessiveness that borders on obsession.

I don't blame him, but after a week of knowing nothing, the frustration is getting to me.

As the meeting concludes, Lucas and I make our way back to the alpha's house. The promise of paperwork and hacked computer files looms ahead, a necessary evil in our quest for answers. Yet, even as I try to center my thoughts on the investigation, Ava's face flickers through my mind.

I glance at Lucas, wondering how to broach the subject of contacting her. His jaw is set, eyes hard with determination. I know he sees me as a threat, a rival for Ava's affections. And perhaps I am. Everything I feel toward her is undeniable, something I've never felt toward a woman before. It's like a whisper of fate that I can't ignore.

And yet I'm not the one she's fated for.

I don't want to come between them, not if Ava has truly chosen Lucas. I respect her choices, her autonomy.

Still, the fact that she hasn't fully committed to him, that she hasn't borne his mark, and that he doesn't have hers, gives me a glimmer of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there's still a chance for us.

to voice my request, but the words die on my tongue. Lucas's posture is

need to tread carefully, to find the right moment to

Lucas's voice cuts

this a thousand times, Lucas." My voice is steady despite the turmoil within. "We don't know anything. Our best bet is that

to say the least. While many have embraced the change, seeking a fresh start and a more stable

to Renard Blackwood. I can sense their unease, their resistance to this new

rogue, unsworn to any

where a female's loyalty is expected to lie with her mate above all else, these she-wolves are breaking the mold. They gather their cubs close, eyes bright with determination as they step forward

A female, leaving her mate behind to join a new pack? It goes against every tradition, every deeply ingrained

mates separated and under guard,

their young. I can only imagine the strength it takes,

he runs his hands through his hair. The

speaks. "Ava asked for space. I haven't been able to talk

of hope igniting before I can quash it. Guilt follows swiftly on its heels. I shouldn't feel

"I want to kill you every time I see you." He meets my gaze, eyes flashing with barely restrained anger. "But I don't want

to respond. The air between us

truly not bonded?" Lucas asks, his

But I can't lie, not about this. "I tried to mark her," I admit, my voice barely above a

over. I barely have time to brace myself before he collides with me