Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 160 Ava: Eyes Wide Open

It smells like him, Selene grumbles, her wet nose twitching as she sniffs around the plush rug in the center of Lucas' bedroom. Everywhere.

I glance up from where I'm unpacking my suitcase, one eyebrow arched. "Well, it's his room. What did you expect?"

She huffs, her tail swishing in annoyance. I expected not to be assaulted by the scent of alpha male posturing every time I breathe. Her mental words are sour, but without the bite they used to have when she spoke of Lucas.

A laugh escapes me despite the heaviness still lingering in my chest from the earlier confrontation with Margot. "Posturing? Really? It's just his scent."

Yes, really. She flops down on the rug, her chin resting on her paws. It's like he's marking his territory. Letting everyone know this is his space.

"Is it really posturing when he just sleeps in here?"

Yes.

I roll my eyes, turning back to my suitcase. She's reaching for reasons to complain, but knowing that her grumbling doesn't have the fierce hatred of before helps a lot. "He's the alpha. Isn't that kind of his job?"

There's a difference between being an alpha and being obnoxious about it.

Her complaints continue as I move about the room, hanging up clothes and arranging my toiletries in the en-suite bathroom.

It's a beautiful space, all dark wood and rich fabrics, with a massive king-sized bed dominating the center. It's all masculine without a single feminine touch, which somehow pleases me.

The thought of sleeping here, surrounded by Lucas' scent, makes me smile—even if my wolf hates it.

But Selene's complaints nag at me, pulling me out of my reverie. I pause, a shirt dangling from my fingers, and turn to face her.

"Okay, what's your deal with Lucas? I thought you were over your issues with him now that we're together."

heavy sound that seems to deflate her entire

her, my fingers sinking into her thick fur. "Because from

being stubborn. She's still grouchy, but there's less heat in her voice now.

time again. He's been there for me, for

good man, Selene admits.

cryptic words of some sage, but at times like this, she's just a sassy

"But…?"

tail thumps against

day, Ava. I'll

that I don't argue, just pet her head and ears. "Promise that it's not the same kind of 'another day' where you don't say anything until I'm kidnapped, rescued, and then go into a coma for three

in the first place,

add, "Besides, I didn't get kidnapped by the vampire this time." My heart sinks as I think

for someone who hasn't

"Hush."

out before me. The small

stepping back in

shoulders hunched. They move with a sense of urgency, as if they're afraid to linger too

in the Blackwood pack, but which I've never truly seen

when I attended school in White Peak, or worked there. But I always felt, deep down,

Now?

relative equality and

core. This is not because we're shifters;

okay? Selene's voice echoes in my mind, her concern

across the street, her arms laden with bags. She has a few young pups, if I remember her

and the female shrinks back. Even from this distance, I can see the fear in her body

isn't until an unfamiliar male strides over, breaking up their confrontation, that I realize my shoulders are tense and drawn up, my fingers gripping