Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 167 Ava: Mom's Stronger?

"Mom?" I ask in disbelief.

It can't be. How can Mom be stronger than the pack beta?

In another pack, your mother would have been a strong Luna candidate.

Wow.

I'd always known Mom had a strong presence, but I would have never guessed—never, in a million years, ever—that her wolf is stronger than Dad's.

I wonder how that worked out. Did Mom force her wolf to submit?

It is likely that the alpha did.

"Alpha Renard?"

Correct. An alpha's bond can force submission in any wolf, and change dynamics as he wishes.

I'd heard about things like that, of course. I knew we all had to submit, and I knew he had the power to force submission—but I don't think I've ever heard of him forcing wolves to submit to other wolves.

It happens.

"Wow." Despite my visit with Mom yesterday, I feel a little sorry for her.

A woman like her? With a strong wolf? She must have felt so stifled in this pack.

Your mother is strong in wolf, but weak in human, she explains. Not all souls are well matched.

"You said she would be a strong Luna candidate. Why can't strong female wolves be alphas?"

They can be. They used to be. Selene sounds frustrated. But today's wolves don't recognize it. An alpha today would have been King in my era.

My mind jiggles. A Lycan King.

Wait a second.

"Sister Miriam called you—"

I was Queen, in

hanging open. "Wait, you were a queen? Like, an

says primly, sitting straight with her

she called you Lycan Queen, I figured it was because you're so..." Trailing off before I

what? Selene tilts her head, those ice-blue eyes staring deep into my soul. In her dog form, it's adorable. But that mental voice of hers is almost

"Um. You know. Finicky?"

Selene's fur bristles as she curls her lip over her teeth in a silent snarl. I

what I meant." I try to keep a straight face, but

bare her teeth, but glances

in silent apology before returning to the packing process

has a

That's crazy talk.

idea forms in

tucking

Selene

I pause, a shirt dangling from my hands. "I thought we're trying to keep you a secret." The more people who know about

who are different, and I have

need to be shared. It's shackling us. We have no freedom outside of

"I don't know, Selene. What if it ruins our friendship? Vanessa might feel betrayed that I kept this

allies

will understand and accept you, Ava. Just like Lisa does. Just like Lucas

seeing them, I pick it all apart in my head. Tell her. Don't tell her. Keep secrets.

always

a weakness

me for being a shifter or for my past. And Lucas... was angry at first,

you, Ava. She deserves to know the

slowly, my decision made. "Okay. We'll tell

rules if she agrees with me. The caveat being that she needs to agree with me, of course. And she holds significant sway

This should help.

roots into my brain with insistence. "We'll talk to her when

sounds startled.