Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 298 Ava: His Wolf

Sister Miriam doesn't accompany Selene—thank God, because while I convinced Lucas to get dressed, the room smells like sex and pheromones.

The heat beneath my skin has dissipated, though. I'm not sure if that's normal, or if there's worse to come. Either way, with my neck marked by Lucas, at least I'm no longer a danger to the other shifters. My pheromones should only affect my mate now.

The relief from that knowledge has my shoulders so much lighter; I hadn't realized how stressed the thought of heat made me all this time.

Seeing Selene's silver husky form slip through the door, my heart is full near to bursting. Her presence in my mind is great, but her physical presence eases something inside of me.

Selene's lost a little weight. The pristine white of her fur is dulled with what seems to be flecks of dried mud. But her bright blue eyes are sparkling with joy as she bounds forward, vaulting into the bed to roll and wiggle her body against the both of us.

It's my first time seeing her give Lucas affection, but he doesn't seem surprised at all, even lifting his hand to rub her ears and give her a sweet little hug.

What happened between them when I was gone?

He's not so bad when you get to know him.

Selene's nonchalant words has my eyes narrowing. Not so bad? Get to know him?

"Who are you, and what did you do with my wolf?"

Don't be impertinent. Selene snorts in my direction, wiggling further into Lucas' lap and headbutting him until he scratches behind her ears. He gives good ear scratches. You should ask for some.

Yeah, I'll get right on that.

Well, I suppose you have other things you'd prefer he scratch.

"Selene!"

She sneezes in my direction, tail thumping as Lucas rubs across her fur with vigorous affection, looking for all the world like the queen of huskies accepting the attention that's her due.

"When did you guys start getting along so well?" Not sure if I'm jealous or not, I watch Lucas with a distinctly sulky feeling. I want them to get along—I do—but Selene's my wolf, isn't she?

"Did we not get along well before?" Lucas seems surprised as Selene licks his hand, flicking her ear at me.

"She hated you."

"Well, she likes me now."

The distinctly smug feeling emanating from Selene feels almost like a challenge.

him alive for

until she's half off

between a wolf and her

He's my

Our mate.

"Still mine, though."

bares her teeth

arm around my back, stroking my hip in a familiar manner that has my heart filling

whose mate you

that one. "Aren't I your

"Exactly."

head around to stare at him with cold blue eyes, her tail

And mine.

complete one-eighty on your reaction to him." Reaching out to pet Selene, I'm not offended when she gives my hand a pretend snap before nuzzling into

I changed my mind.

High praise, indeed.

she says suddenly, changing the subject. He's

putting aside our childish banter for a moment. "Is that why Lucas can't

has some sort of barrier in his mind. It's blocked out

How? How do

the bond between us— and she sounds oddly disgusted at that, considering how affectionate she now is with Lucas —makes it

head. I need to tackle

you a long time ago what your problem with Lucas is. I think

Ugh.

like a teenager being told to do their

I do not.

"You do, kind of."

head on Lucas' knee. I don't

can sense the lie

credit, stays

wolf is a presence familiar to me, Selene finally admits, sounding as if I'm dragging the words out of her.

and retains some of those memories. How long has it been since she's talked about it? Since the massacre, when Vanessa woke me up to

didn't have all the memories she thought she did. And she hadn't

didn't seem very important at the time. There was always something else to think about or focus on. My

sensing that she's thinking things

not my first time being mated to that wolf, Selene admits, sounding

heart constricts at the thought of

was another time.