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

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

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

Narrow

thinks I'm about to

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 a single measured breath. One. Two. Three. I count each inhale and exhale, willing

meet Marcus' gaze. His hand drops from my mouth as

feel less trapped by the panic fluttering

listening," I say, my voice steadier than I feel inside. "What

we can't trust random phone calls. Anyone could be on the other end

"But what if it's not? What if Lucas and the pack really

tone softens slightly. "I know you're worried. But we need to be

"—or worse."

Of course he's

on impulse and instinct, and I don't have a track record

how small I feel when I realize how much I'm still lacking. Being upset over good

myself to think logically, I take a

I can just ask Marcus what to do, but there's a reason he isn't throwing orders at

my job, as

call, vague statements, and a

Wait.

this phone call get through? We're in the Fae Ward. It shouldn't have gotten through

hadn't realized how bunched up they were. "What

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

as it is, it helps my mind

mate. She didn't call me by name,

"Good. Keep

what the other wolves do, when they find out

strange," he

"She said I can't trust the

Another nod.

the Fae. Only Lucas." Everyone who knew is at Blackwood. "Maybe she's

And very few know I'm mated to Lucas. "None of this makes

"Exactly."

in Marcus' voice has my back straightening and my chin lifting with a

else that strikes you from that

my brows together, thinking. "I don't think so. She was cut off in the middle of talking about Lucas…" My

surprised to see his nose wrinkle in disgust. "Just call him Renard. He is no

Ah.