Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 296 Lucas: Her Touch

My world has been nothing but shades of gray since the moment I opened my eyes.

A life I don't recognize.

Unfamiliar faces. Voices. Scents. Relentless pain.

Concerned friends, but can I trust them? Are they allies, or enemies playing a dangerous game?

Crazy stories of a world gone mad, and endless silence where half my soul should reside.

It's as though I've been living in a haze of simmering rage. At the world. At those who proclaim friendship. And this mysterious, alleged mate of mine, who comes in smelling like sex and hope, with wide blue eyes and the golden hair of an angel.

She's too perfect.

I'm drawn to her. Every inch of me clamors to soothe the grim lines around her lips, to take away the burdens weighing down her tiny shoulders. Some part of me insists that she's mine and I need to keep her, to hide her away from everyone's view until she's so wholly mine she can't even breathe without me.

I want to possess her.

My lips brush against the crescent scar on Ava's neck. The constant tension in my muscles eases, replaced by a warmth I can't explain. Her scent envelops me, that mix of honey and vanilla that feels like coming home.

I'm so tired. Tired of second-guessing every word, every touch. Tired of searching for hidden motives behind kind gestures. Tired of feeling like a stranger in my own skin.

But here, with Ava in my arms, the world makes sense again.

Her soft gasp as I trace the scar with my tongue sends a shiver down my spine. My hands tighten on her waist, pulling her closer. I want to memorize every curve, every freckle, every scar.

"Lucas," she whispers, her voice trembling.

I lift my head, meeting her gaze. Those blue eyes, wide and vulnerable, hold a universe of emotions. I want to understand everything about her.

here," I murmur, though I'm not sure if I'm reassuring

small, so fragile in my arms. Yet there's a strength in her

I woke up. Everything's been muted, distant. But Ava... she's a burst of color in my grayscale existence. A ray of sunlight

to this unfamiliar life, I feel anchored. Grounded. The constant buzz of suspicion in the back of my

right.

entire world might burn,

it now, deep

feels so damn good in my arms—right where she belongs. Her warmth seeps into me, chasing away

a starving man at a feast,

is silk under my fingers as I smooth her hair away from her face. My thumb brushes her cheek, reveling in

eyes are as deep and dark as the ocean

Willing.

Waiting.

with desire. With

what I need

lips are so damn sweet. So soft. The moment they touch mine, something in me ignites. This kiss is a brand, searing into

spend a lifetime just kissing her. Exploring every contour of her mouth. Tasting her.

her curves. Exploring what's mine to claim. Ava arches

tightening around me. For the moment when we're so tangled up that I don't know where

be. Here, in this bed,

the rest of the world falls away, leaving only

the bed to creak. I burn to feel

slide under my shirt, nails scraping lightly against my back. Everything in me tightens

naked when you still have your clothes on?" Her whisper against my lips has me

needed to regain your energy." But I'm no fool; it takes two seconds to

and heated, has that primal part of me racing to

"I'm energized."

yank her toward me. Ava's fingers dig into my shoulders, her lips opening

Mine.