Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 226 Ava: War is Here (I)

Magister Orion personally escorts us up the mysterious spiral staircase to two adjoining rooms, promising to begin my training in the morning.

The moment the door closes behind him, I pull out my phone, unsurprised to see no new texts or phone calls. Sister Miriam did say only the occasional ones text would come through.

So I call Lucas.

He answers on the first ring.

"Are you okay?"

His question is more of a shouted demand for an answer, and I hold the phone several inches away from my ear, blinking at the force of his volume. "Yes. I'm fine. Did you get Kellan's messages?"

"Do you need help? When can you come home? Why won't our phone calls connect? Is everyone treating you okay? Are you in danger? Have you eaten?"

"No. Soon. I don't know. Yes. No. Not yet." My lips curve at the way his questions barrage my ear.

"I miss you."

"I miss you too, Ave. So much." Lucas's voice softens, the rough edges smoothing into something tender that wraps around my heart. "I understand why you're there. I do. But I don't like it."

conversation, Vanessa catches my eye, tilting her head toward the adjoining room. Marcus follows, the door clicking shut behind them,

rapid-fire, all with the same ultimate theme: Is the city safe? Can Alpha Renard or my family find

promised. Even Sister Miriam can't come here." I settle onto the edge of

I'm okay."

to keep you there forever?" The suspicion in his words is both legitimate

"No. Actually—"

he pulls away from the phone to tell someone to enter. I try to

the hospital and wounded, which has ice forming into an anxious ball in the pit

Council." Exhaustion roughens his tone, grim and heavy.

"What kind of uproar?"

other alphas separated from the Council. He's claiming we overstepped our bounds, abused our authority by allowing the takeover of the Blackwood pack. There have been five rogue attacks today. All

to jelly. Sliding onto the bed, I

war

punch. War. The weight of it steals my breath, leaves

safe. You're probably safer there than here, now. Blackwood is under our control, but only because they haven't attacked there yet. Our forces are too scattered, spread over too wide an area. We're working with the other alphas on

"Westwood is my pack too, Lucas. I want to fight.

"It might be a blessing

I want