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?"

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

his reaction. He's still staring at Ava, but I can see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands clench and unclench around

But he's not protesting.

think it would be good for her," I say, since he seems content with letting me

than I remember

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 from his chair, his hand outstretched to

tension thrumming through him like a live wire. "I think...

rumbles low in his throat, and I feel my heart stutter in my chest. Oh God. What have I done? The look on his face... it's like he's barely holding himself back from tearing

I can't back down now. Not when Ava

as my hand

I'm afraid he might crack a

But it never comes.

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

Lucas

the muscles in Lucas's arm bunch beneath my fingers, and for a

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