Tangled

Chapter 25

26 Lucas: Watching

Chapter 26: Lucas: Watching

LUCAS

Her scent dances around me. Every breath I take fills my lungs with the sweet, honey and vanilla notes that have haunted my dreams since that fateful night at the Lunar Gala. Ava. Just the thought of her name sends a shiver down my spine.

For weeks, I’ve been watching her from the shadows, unable to resist the pull of her presence. The need to be near her has consumed me, driving me to break into her apartment just to bask in the lingering traces of her essence. I’m a desperate man, lost in the throes of an obsession I can’t explain nor control.

As I stand before her now, my wolf howls with

unbridled joy inside my head, reveling in her proximity. Part of me had hoped that the fact she didn’t run when she realized I’d found her meant something more. An acknowledgement of the connection that binds us

together.

But as her gaze meets mine, devoid of any emotion, I

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20 Lucas: Watching

feel the weight of disappointment settle heavily in my chest. She regards me with the same polite

indifference she would show any other customer, and the realization stings like a slap to the face.

Leaning over the counter, I can’t help but ask, “How have you been? Are you okay?” The words tumble out, laced with concern and a hint of desperation that I can’t quite mask.

For a fleeting moment, I see her falter, a crack in her impassive facade. But it’s gone as quickly as it appeared, and she meets my gaze with a cool

detachment that cuts deeper than any blade.

“I’m sorry, sir, but I need you to order or step aside for

the other customers.”

moment in the garden never happened, as if the

the bond that ties us together. But the words stick in my throat as I

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26 Lucas: Watching

is nod mutely

connection floods through me. My wolf yips and whines. My mate, he howls, and I can only apologize to

that our mate isn’t in

sway of her hips as she leans over to grab a mug, the

wolf snarls within me, hackles raised as he watches the exchange, bristling at the familiarity between them. That asshole

reserved for

rip him away from her is overwhelming, my fists clenching at my sides

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26 Lucas: Watching

nose breaking beneath my knuckles. It would

put him in his place and

myself to remain still, my nails digging crescents into my palms as I wrestle with the animalistic impulses raging within me. I can’t afford to do anything that might

with a laugh, basking in the warmth of Ava’s attention. Every fiber of my being screams at me to intervene, to stake my claim and remind her of the bond we share, no matter how tenuous it might seem at the moment.

not even for a fleeting second. It’s as if I’m invisible to her, a ghost haunting the periphery of

hours of staring at the woman I want more than anything, an older woman approaches me with

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26 Lucas: Watching

a way

lifetime spent laughing. “Good morning,” she greets me cheerfully.

smile in return. “No,

move to leave, her gaze drifting over to where Ava is chatting with the dickhead behind the counter. There’s a knowing look in her eyes as she regards me, one

my seat.

tone casual but laced with a hint of protectiveness.

running a hand through my hair as I contemplate how to respond. Part of me wants to deny any knowledge of her, knowing she’s probably told these people nothing. But there’s something about the woman’s gentle demeanor that compels me

honest.

I’ve done something terrible to her, and I’m

but she doesn’t press me

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26 Lucas: Watching

across from me and settles into it, her expression one of patient understanding.

mistake,” she says sagely. “That’s more than a lot of

bark out a humorless laugh, shaking my head ruefully. “Trust me, it was more than just a mistake. I…” I trail off,

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