Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 171 Ava: Trusting Vanessa

Vanessa shows up before dinner, with a bag full of doctor stuff and a glint in her eye that tells me I'm not doing anything until she gets the information she needs.

So I suffer through the blood pressure, my blood being drawn and taken away by one of my new stone-faced bodyguards, of which there are at least 6, and a lot of questions she asks me every single day.

My answers haven't changed, but she still asks them.

I watch intently as Vanessa packs up her medical supplies, my mind churning with the weight of the secrets I'm keeping. With the half-baked plans inside my head. With my desperate need to save Lisa from whatever fate the Mad Prince has planned.

I wet my lips, trying to find the right words.

"Vanessa, how do you feel about keeping secrets from your mate?" The question slips out before I can stop it.

She pauses, a knowing smile playing on her lips, her eyes twinkling. "Trouble in paradise already with the overbearing Alpha?"

I glance toward the bedroom door. "Can the bodyguards hear everything we say in here?"

She looks amused. "No. Your prior Alpha had this room soundproofed."

Relief washes over me and I take her hands in mine, desperation clawing at my throat. "I have secrets, Vanessa. Secrets that I want to share with you. Most of it is stuff Lucas knows, and some are things I haven't told him yet. But I need to know whose side you're on."

Her expression sobers, her grip tightening on my hands. "Ava, I'm loyal to the Westwood pack and to my Alpha." She pauses, conflict flickering in her eyes. "But I'm also loyal to my Luna. I can't give you a straight answer on where my loyalty lies. I can only promise to act on my own judgment. However, if this endangers the pack…"

"It doesn't endanger Westwood. But Lucas

her face, even as she squeezes my hands in reassurance. "I can't give you a straight answer without knowing what it is. My answer stands. But I

struggle with her response, torn between the need to unburden myself and the fear of betrayal. Selene's voice echoes in my mind, urging me

option right now, Selene reminds me gently. You need an

deep breath. "Selene isn't

of bewilderment. Her brows knit together, creasing her forehead as

that possible?" she asks slowly, her eyes flickering between me and Selene, who yawns from

straight answer out of her. It's impossible.

is clear in Vanessa's eyes. "Oh. That's good, at least." But I can see the wheels turning

mother's wolf. I want to try. The real problem is that we have to force her to renounce her pack in

an alpha can force a switch in pack allegiance. Even then, it's

they would need to be

think this through for a moment. There has to be

if

room, her brow furrowed in concentration. She mutters under her breath, occasionally shaking her head as if dismissing ideas that don't quite fit. The sight of her deep in thought, trying to find a solution to our predicament, sends a flicker of hope through

the bed beside Selene, I run my fingers through her soft fur, focusing on the sensation of her head and ears beneath my touch. It's a small comfort amidst the chaos swirling

the human host

at Selene, who tilts her head, considering the question. It might be possible, she admits, her voice echoing in my mind. But there are too many variables to say for

are too many variables to know for sure,"

expression thoughtful. "And what about your mother's

question catches me off guard, and I find myself at a loss for words. Loyalty is a complex thing, especially when it comes to the