Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 111 Lisa: Ava's Absence (IV)

LISA

Three fucking weeks.

No matter how many times I count, it's been three fucking weeks.

The calendar on my wall mocks me, today's date staring me in the face from any particular point of my kitchen.

Selene whines when I nearly step on her paw for the third time this morning. "Sorry, girl. Give me a second, and we'll go see her."

I'm drenched in sweat. Jericho hasn't blinked a single eyelash over Ava being in the hospital, and we've all settled into a new kind of normal.

It's not normal at all, but it's life now. At least until Ava wakes up again.

I'm stronger. Faster, though nothing compared to these shifters who surround me. I'm learning some basic self-defense, and Selene has helped with the hands-on training to evade and defend against wolf attacks.

I have bruises and wounds everywhere, and a few of them have even gotten infected, but Healer Vanessa is a godsend who always has some magical cream on her somewhere. Antibacterial, antifungal, prevents scarring, and smells divine. I have no idea why they don't sell it in the human markets.

Probably because they'd never be able to keep up with the demand. For all I know, it probably reduces wrinkles, too. Shifters age well, though, so who knows. Maybe they don't need wrinkle cream.

I slip into the shower, with Selene's reproachful blue eyes watching me.

The water pounds against my back, a blistering reminder of just how tense I've been. I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to punch something.

Lucas, but just high enough in the pecking order to earn my

every right to be there, and Kellan has every responsibility to keep things running smoothly. But fuck if I don't feel like I'm drowning in this new world without any sort of

mate, some high-up shifter in the pack called Vester, in two weeks, not since he left for the Blackwood territory to keep things running there. I can't even imagine how she's

water and step out, wrapping myself in a towel that feels too soft

I miss Ava.

should be here with me. Selene's finally here. We should be connected, a trio whose first priority is always what fun is around

she's lying in a hospital bed, unresponsive to the world

thrown my way. The Blackwood

is rallying behind Westwood, but Jericho says there's a lot of movement in the shadows. He's been training me

told me yesterday, his scarred face grim. "And you're her

door, her tail thumping against the floor. She's been my constant companion these past few weeks, a comforting presence in a world turned

familiar now I could walk it in my sleep. The guards nod at me as I pass, their eyes scanning the hallway for any potential threats. They ignore the guard following

and drop offs, giving me a little freedom to move around as

Always.

bedside, his hand clasped tightly around hers. He looks up

ask, though I already

his head. "Nothing yet. But she's strong.

trusting myself to speak. I take my usual seat on the other side of the bed,

looks so peaceful, so still. Like she's just sleeping, and any moment now she'll

hasn't

up on the bed, curling up at Ava's feet. She's been doing that more and

back in my chair, closing my eyes for a moment. I'm