Tangled

18 Lucas: Realization (1)

18 Lucas: Realization (I)

LUCAS

The frost of winter thaws, giving way to the brisk air of spring. The days drag on, each moment blurring into the next as my frustration builds. Weeks have passed since that fateful night at the Lunar Gala, and still, the

Blackwood Pack’s intentions remain shrouded in

mystery, even with summer peeking around the corner. My wolf paces restlessly within me, yearning for answers, for action, for her.

My obsession grows.

I slam my fist on the desk, the impact reverberating through the room. Kellan, ever the loyal beta, barely flinches. He knows better than to disturb me when I’m

like this, consumed by the need to unravel the web of

secrets that surrounds us.

A missive arrived last week from Alpha Blackwood, a terse notification that his beta’s daughter, Jessa Grey, would be attending the local university here in Granite City. The balls on that asshole, sending her into our territory without so much as a proper request for

14:42

17

18 Lucas: Realization (1)

permission. It’s an unspoken rule among our kind, a courtesy extended to the ruling pack when an outsider plans to stay within their domain.

I can’t help but wonder if this is another ploy, another move in the twisted game that Blackwood seems intent on playing. Jessa’s presence here, so close to the heart of our pack, sets my teeth on edge. What secrets does she carry? What lies will she spin to further her alpha’s agenda?

My thoughts drift naturally to her, the girl who haunts my every waking moment. Ava. The memory of her scent, her touch, the way she surrendered to me in the garden–it’s seared into my very being. And yet, my hatred grows by the day.

length of my office like a caged beast. The cool air brought

need answers.

moment she sets foot in Granite City. I want to know her every

14:43 –

2/T

Realization

Kellan nods, his expression grim. He understands the gravity of the situation, the weight that rests upon

Ava. On the garden. On that scent that I can never forget and how there was something different about it

some kind of pheromone enhancer?” I muse aloud, my eyes focused on something beyond the walls of this room. “A

Lucas. When I met Ava that night, I

manipulation.”

in the garden, knowing I

14:

317

Lucas Realization

don’t you see? Lure me in, make me believe there’s a connection, and then use that to gain a foothold

her relationship with her family seemed strained. The way they interacted, the tension between them, wasn’t faked. It didn’t

united front.”

be even more desperate to prove herself, to earn his approval. Sacrificing herself, using her body as a tool to further

widen. “I hadn’t considered

the (F)indNƟvᴇl.ɴet website on

used in such a

prepared for anything,” I growl, my voice low and dangerous. “The Blackwood

14:43 )

47

Lucas: Realization (1)

I won’t let them destroy everything

behind you, Lucas. We’ll keep a close eye on Jessa, and if we

mess with

turn to face the window, my gaze sweeping over the city that is mine to protect. The Blackwood Pack may be able to hold their secrets, but they have

matter the cost.

***

I blink, trying to clear the fog of sleep from my

out, my

swings open, revealing one of my deltas, Ryder Thorn. He enters the room, his posture stiff and his expression guarded. I

14:43