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—"

Queen,

mouth hanging open. "Wait, you were

Selene says primly, sitting straight with her

so..." Trailing off before I can finish the sentence, I try to think of

my soul. In her dog form, it's

"Um. You know. Finicky?"

curls her lip over her teeth in a silent snarl. I am not finicky. Vampires are finicky

I meant." I try

bare her

at her neck in silent apology before returning to

a strong

That's crazy talk.

idea forms

my half-packed suitcase, I start folding clothes and tucking them inside, trying to focus on the task at

me, Selene says, her mental voice cutting

we're trying to keep you a secret." The more people who

wolves don't take kindly to those of us who are different, and

It's shackling us. We have no freedom outside of these

I do so. "I don't know, Selene. What if it ruins our friendship? Vanessa

of my few allies in Westwood; someone who doesn't look at me with weighted stares and judgment behind every

like Lisa does. Just like

really seeing them, I pick it all apart in my head. Tell her. Don't tell her. Keep secrets. But why? If I like her, I should

always

that's a weakness of

right. Lisa never judged me for being a shifter or for my

Vanessa cares about you, Ava. She deserves to know the truth, and

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

won't be afraid to buck Lucas' rules if she agrees with me. The caveat being that

This should help.

I resume packing as my idea roots into my brain with insistence. "We'll talk to her when we get

startled. Vanessa isn't at the