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

to protest, to demand that she acknowledges the bond that ties us together. But the words stick in my throat

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26 Lucas: Watching

I can do is nod mutely and order something random

through me. My wolf

mate isn’t in

she glides behind the counter. Every movement 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

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

for me alone.

and rip him away from her is overwhelming, my

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26 Lucas: Watching

of his nose breaking beneath my

place and

the animalistic impulses raging within me. I can’t afford to do anything that might jeopardize what little chance I have of winning her over. One wrong move, one slip of control,

attention. Every fiber of

to her, a ghost haunting the periphery

I want more than anything, an older woman approaches me with

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26 Lucas: Watching

a way

she greets

head, offering her a polite smile in return. “No, thank

her gaze drifting over to where Ava is chatting with the dickhead behind the counter. There’s a

my seat.

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

deny any knowledge of her, knowing she’s probably told these people nothing. But

honest.

quietly. “But I’m afraid I’ve done something terrible to her, and I’m

rise, but she

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26 Lucas: Watching

out the chair across from me and settles into

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

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

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