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.”

devoid of any warmth or recognition. It’s as if our shared moment in the garden never happened, as if the connection that ignited between us

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

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she turned and ran. All I can do is nod mutely and order something random

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

fault that our mate isn’t

Ava as 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

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

reserved for me

him away from her is overwhelming, my fists clenching at

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26 Lucas: Watching

of his nose breaking beneath my knuckles. It

in his place and remind him that Ava is

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 over. One wrong move, one

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 her of the bond we share, no matter how tenuous it might seem at the

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

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

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26 Lucas: Watching

a way

morning,” she greets me cheerfully. “Can I

a polite smile in return. “No, thank you.

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

my seat.

you?” she asks, her tone

wants to deny any knowledge of her, knowing she’s

honest.

“But I’m afraid I’ve done something terrible to

but she doesn’t press me for

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from me and settles into it, her expression one of

the first step is recognizing that you’ve made a mistake,” she says

bark 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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