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.”

as if our shared moment in the garden never happened, as if the connection

protest, to demand that she acknowledges the bond that ties us together. But the

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All I can do is nod mutely and order something random off

spark of our connection floods through me. My wolf yips and whines. My mate, he howls,

that our mate isn’t in our arms, after

she makes is fluid, almost hypnotic, drawing my gaze. The gentle sway of her hips as she leans over to grab a mug, the way her delicate fingers curl around it–it’s all I can do to tear my

her coworker approaches her, an easy grin plastered across his face. My wolf snarls within me, hackles raised as he watches the exchange, bristling at the familiarity between them. That asshole leans in, whispering something that makes Ava’s lips quirk

for

and rip him away from her is overwhelming, my fists clenching

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nose breaking beneath my knuckles. It would be so easy,

place and remind

to do anything that might jeopardize what little chance I have of winning her over. One wrong move, one slip of control, and I could lose her

Every fiber of my being screams at me

eyes never turn towards me, not even for a fleeting second. It’s as if I’m invisible to her, a ghost haunting the periphery of her world, unable to break through the barrier she’s erected

more than anything, an older woman approaches me with a warm smile, her eyes crinkling at

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26 Lucas: Watching

a way

a lifetime spent laughing. “Good morning,” she greets

her a polite smile in return. “No,

behind the counter. There’s a knowing look in her eyes as she regards

my seat.

Ava, don’t you?” she asks, her tone casual but

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

honest.

“But I’m afraid I’ve done something

but she doesn’t

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from me and settles into it, her expression one of

she says sagely. “That’s more than

head ruefully. “Trust me, it was more than just a mistake. I…” I trail off, swallowing hard as the memories of that

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