Tangled

48 Ava: No Great Destiny

48 Ava: No Great Destiny

Selene’s warm, furry body is a balm to my soul as we cuddle in on the sofa, a random show playing in the background. My eyes drift to the new phone sitting on the nightstand.

Is it safe to use? Could Clayton or someone else have hacked into it, using it as a way to track my every move? A shiver runs down my spine at the thought.

Selene stirs beside me, her head lifting as she blinks in the dimness. Her piercing blue eyes find mine, and I feel the gentle brush of her consciousness against my

own.

You’re being paranoid again, she murmurs, her mental voice a soft caress against my frazzled thoughts.

“Can you blame me?” My voice comes out in a whisper “After everything that’s happened, I don’t want to take any risks that could turn my life upside down again. I just don’t know how far I can trust Clayton.”

I know, pup. Selene nuzzles my cheek with affection. But driving yourself mad with worry isn’t the answer either. We’ll be cautious, but we can’t live in fear.

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48 Ava: No Great Destiny

I swallow hard, wishing I could just turn off the constant stream of anxious thoughts whirring through my brain. “I just finally felt like I had a handle on things. And now…”

Now everything has been ripped away from me once

more.

It isn’t over, Selene points out, ever the voice of reason. Hugging her as she crawls into my lap, I sigh.

“I feel like something’s going to happen,” I admit, reaching up to touch the necklace that’s once again around my neck. Selene nudges it with her nose.

Everything will be okay. Don’t be so quick to assume the worst of that alpha.

Rubbing her ears helps calm down the anxiety

fluttering in my belly, and Selene rolls over in bliss at the attention. We’ve missed each other terribly this past week.

“It just worries me. All this stuff, the care he’s taking–it makes me feel like he’s decided I’m his mate, and he’s just waiting for me to accept it and follow along like a good little she–wolf.” Her fur is soft against my cheek as I rub my head against hers. “I don’t want that

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Ava: No Great

kind of life.”

I know.

snuggle even closer to Selene’s warmth, taking what comfort I can get. “What about my heat.

bed with him might give him even more ideas about our relationship. But if I’m not anywhere near

nearby…

a stranger

tinged with a seriousness that immediately puts me on

is her eventual

fingers touch the crystal pendant again, its comforting weight reassuring me of

my lap, stretching out

The necklace acts

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long as you’re wearing it, you should maintain

rolling the information over in my mind. “Why did I go into heat as

chance. The ring acts as a shield for your power. Others can’t sense it, and it will keep you

that I’m not supposed to use?

Yes.

trace the simple silver band on my other hand, marveling at the magic it seems to contain. So much about my

I don’t wear them?” I ask cautiously, almost afraid of the answer.

month, each one stronger than the last, until you find someone strong enough to claim you. And your power will eventually consume

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Ava: No Great Destiny

to

before;

Clayton isn’t strong enough to

have no answer

“Lucas?”

your fated, but that doesn’t mean the claiming will succeed.

and I have to fight the urge to touch them. “I won’t take them off again,” I vow, my voice trembling. “I can’t go through that kind of

Selene licks my cheek.comfortingly. We’ll figure this

alone in this.

ring, I try to think through

a lie. We’re all cursed, and wolf shifters actually

souls

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