Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 340 Ava: Reunited Mates

A shimmer in the air draws my attention back to Aurum. His massive form begins to shrink and change, fur giving way to skin, until Lucas stands before me in his human form.

I don't remember deciding to move, but suddenly I'm running towards him. We collide in a tangle of limbs, holding each other so tightly it's hard to breathe. But I don't care. He's here, he's back, and nothing else matters.

"You're back," I whisper into his chest, my voice thick with emotion. "God, Lucas, you're really back."

His arms tighten around me, and I feel his lips press against the top of my head. "Thanks to you," he murmurs. "You took care of everyone. Thank you, Ava."

I pull back slightly, looking up into his face. His eyes are the same, filled with warmth and love, but there's something else there now—a depth, a wildness that wasn't there before. It's breathtaking and a little terrifying.

My gaze drifts back to the bodies laid out nearby, and a wave of guilt washes over me. "I couldn't save them all," I say, my voice barely audible. "I tried, but I—"

Lucas cuts me off, pulling me back into his embrace. "You did everything you could," he says firmly. "More than anyone could have expected. You protected our pack, Ava. You led them when I couldn't."

Kellan and Vester approach, also covered in blood, with a bleak look on their faces.

I know they need to speak with him, to update him on everything that's happened. And I have somewhere I need to be, too.

This isn't the time for our reunion.

He's Alpha.

I'm Luna.

We have jobs to do.

back from Lucas's embrace. "They need you. I should help with the

eyes lingering on me for a moment before he turns to his beta and delta. As they begin to speak in low, urgent tones, I slip away, heading

body stained with blood and dirt. She moves

herself at all, running straight to

tight with stress. "Luna," she says, her voice clipped. "Good, we need all the help we can get. The evacuees are on their way back,

I want to yell at her to take care of herself first, but I get

* * *

patient to another, my hands shaking but determined. I've lost track of time, the hours blending into a haze of bandages,

gauze over here!" someone

nearly colliding with a familiar face. It's the human receptionist from my first day at Wolf's Landing,

Luna," she says, her tone respectful as she hands me a stack of gauze pads.

in her demeanor catches me off guard, but there's no time to dwell on it. "Thanks.

that's a

ebb. The return of the evacuees helped. All

with the gentler scent of herbal tea, a little pick me up for all of us as we dash from

take a moment to breathe.

under the watchful eyes of the doctors, I find myself at a loss. My body aches, my mind reels from the night's events,

spot Vanessa leaning against a wall, looking as exhausted as I feel. Without a word, we both slide down to sit on the floor, our backs against the cool surface. Two young she-wolves move around us, mopping up the blood-stained floor in

there, watching the slow, methodical movements of the mops. The quiet is

No chatter.

No screams.

No sobbing.

Ava," Vanessa says after a

watched you work for hours. What you did to keep people alive... that's