Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 250 Ava: Clear Her Mind

My phone rings, and I nearly leap out of bed to reach for it.

Marcus grabs it as I fall into an unceremonious tangle of blankets and legs on the floor, staring at me with an impassive face that hides his amusement.

I know he's laughing inside, because there are little crinkles at the corners of his eyes, and his jaw's a little tenser than normal, as if holding back laughter.

"Unknown number," he reports, handing it to me.

Damn. Not Lucas.

Then again, maybe it is.

I answer eagerly, before I'm free of the mess I've created. "Hello?"

"Is this Alpha Westwood's mate?" The voice is soft and feminine, her words coming out in a rush.

I don't recognize it. "Yes. Who is this?"

"You must return to the pack, or everyone will be slaughtered." The woman's voice trembles, urgency lacing every breathy word. "You can't trust the Fae."

My heart leaps into my throat. The room spins, and I grip the phone tighter, its edges cutting into my fingers. "What? Who is this? What's happening?"

"There's no time to explain. Just come back as soon as you can. We need you."

"But who's in danger? What's going on?" My voice rises, panic seeping into every syllable.

"Everyone. Or else Alpha—"

The line goes dead.

"Hello? Hello!" I shout into the phone, but there's nothing but silence.

Marcus snatches it out of my hands, hands tapping at the screen. "Can't dial back."

No surprise there; the number didn't even show up. I struggle out of the tangle of blankets trapping my legs. "We need to go back. Everyone's in danger."

He frowns. "Ava, calm down. Sit, first."

"I can't calm down. Lucas—"

He shoves a hand over my mouth, shoving me back until my knees hit the bed.

over the edge of

he repeats, his heavy brows drawn in as his eyes bore into mine. "You need to listen to me before you do

crazy. It's a war drum, each beat reverberating through my body. The rush of blood in my ears

expression. Narrow

I'm about

is covered, so I close my eyes and breathe through my nose, drawing oxygen into my lungs and stretching them as far as I can bear, before releasing it all in

I meet Marcus' gaze. His hand drops from

less trapped by the panic fluttering in my

I say, my voice steadier than I

at me. "First, we can't trust random phone calls. Anyone could be on the other

the pack really are in danger? We

know you're worried. But we

"—or worse."

Of course he's

I do is on impulse and instinct, and I don't have

another deep breath, ignoring how small I feel when I realize how much I'm still lacking. Being

logically, I take a

what to do,

job,

think it through, Ava. Strange phone call, vague statements, and a

Wait.

Ward. It shouldn't have gotten through to us. It

relax; I hadn't realized how bunched

in his voice makes it feel like we're in a classroom, and I'm responding

it helps my mind

Alpha Westwood's mate. She didn't call me by name,

nods. "Good.

name, or call me Luna?" That's what the other wolves do, when they find out I'm his mate.

strange," he agrees. "Anything

"She said I can't

Another nod.

eyes widen. "No one in Westwood knows I'm with the Fae. Only Lucas." Everyone who knew

my name." And very few know I'm mated to Lucas. "None of

"Exactly."

has my back straightening and my chin

else that strikes you from that

was cut off in the middle of talking about Lucas…" My voice trails off. "No, she said Alpha. If she's Blackwood, that might mean

in disgust. "Just call him Renard. He is no

Ah.