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.”

recognition. It’s as if our shared moment in the garden never happened, as if the connection that ignited between us was

acknowledges the bond that ties us together. But the words stick in my throat as I remember the look on her face

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she turned and ran. All I can do is

card, our fingertips brush together, and the spark of our connection floods through me. My wolf

our mate isn’t in our

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

twists in my gut as 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

for me

to storm over there and rip him away from her is overwhelming,

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imagine the satisfying crunch of his nose breaking beneath my knuckles.

put him in his place

I force 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 jeopardize what little chance I have of winning her

and I wait, and I seethe in silence as Carlos throws his head back 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

It’s as if I’m invisible to her, a ghost haunting the periphery

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

a polite smile in return.

the dickhead behind the counter. There’s a knowing look in her eyes as she regards me, one that

my seat.

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

deny any knowledge of her, knowing she’s probably

honest.

I know her,” I admit quietly. “But I’m afraid I’ve done something terrible to her, and I’m not

gray eyebrows rise, but she

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26 Lucas: Watching

she pulls out the chair across from me and settles into it,

she says sagely. “That’s more than a lot of people can manage.”

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

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