Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 110 Lisa: Ava's Absence (III)

Lucas's shoulders stiffen, and he turns to look at the healer with a frown. "Still no answers?" he asks, his voice rough with disuse.

Vanessa sighs, her expression sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Alpha. We're doing everything we can."

Lucas nods curtly and turns back to Ava, his brow furrowed in thought. Vanessa catches my eye over his shoulder and gives me a subtle shake of her head.

At first, I'm confused. But then it hits me—she must be trying to tell me that Ava isn't pregnant. A wave of relief washes over me, followed immediately by a pang of guilt. I shouldn't be happy about this, not when Ava is still lying there unresponsive.

But at least it's one less thing to worry about. One less complication in an already tangled web.

I slump back in my chair, suddenly exhausted. It's been a long day, and the emotional roller coaster has taken its toll. I close my eyes, just for a moment, and let the steady rhythm of Ava's heartbeat lull me into a light doze.

I'm not sure how much time passes before I'm startled awake by a soft knock at the door. Vanessa pokes her head in, her expression apologetic.

"Sorry to disturb you," she says, keeping her voice low. "But I thought you might want to know—Kellan just arrived with Ava's dog."

I sit up straighter, blinking the sleep from my eyes. "Selene's here?"

nods. "He's got her out in the waiting room. I can bring her in,

still staring at Ava, but I can see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands clench and

But he's not protesting.

say, since he

it's really Selene—she looks thinner than I remember from pictures, her fur matted and dull. But then she catches sight of Ava lying in the hospital bed and lets out a high-pitched

can react, Selene lunges forward, nearly yanking the leash out of Kellan's grip. She scrambles onto the bed, her paws slipping on the crisp white sheets as she tries to get closer to Ava. Lucas starts to rise

wrist. His skin is hot beneath my fingers, and I can feel the tension thrumming through him like a live wire. "I think... I think it might be good for her. To have Selene close." I can't admit why, but I can at

feel my heart stutter in my chest. Oh God. What have I done? The look on his

now. Not when Ava needs

wrist even as my hand trembles. "Please," I whisper, my

stares at me, his jaw clenched so tightly I'm afraid he might crack a tooth. Then, slowly, he

But it never comes.

Ava's unconscious form, her hackles raised and her lips pulled back in a snarl. And she's not just protecting Ava—she's protecting me too, her body angled slightly to the side to put herself between me

barely breathe. Lucas and Selene stare each

arm bunch beneath my fingers, and for a second,

back. His eyes never leave Selene's, but he lowers his