Tangled

64 Ava: Homecoming (VI)

Hot water scalds my hands as I scrub dishes in mindless monotony. Anger. Fear. Despair. They all churn together in a toxic mix that threatens to drown

1. me.

I have to stay strong, stay focused. Alpha Renard has

made his intentions clear.

The plates clatter against each other as I rinse them, the sound almost therapeutic in its familiarity. This is what my life has been reduced to–cleaning up after my family, tiptoeing around their expectations, their rules, their control. A mere shadow in my own home.

Muted voices drift in from the other room, and it’s

impossible not to overhear the tense exchange between Phoenix and my father.

“…even more reports of rogues crossing the border,” Phoenix growls, his voice laced with anger. “We can’t let them encroach on our territory.”

My father’s response is quieter, but no less stern. “Have you confirmed the sightings? This has to be done carefully, or else the Council can intervene.”

64 Ava: Homecoming (VI)

“We can’t afford to be complacent,” Phoenix snaps.

What does the Council have to do with rogues? Every pack has the right to deal with rogues as they wish. My confusion has me straining my ears to hear more.

“Easy, son.” My father’s tone is placating, but there’s an undercurrent of steel beneath it. “Just handle this

discreetly. As long as we’re only touching the rogues, no one can do anything. They’re just learning from our game. As long as there’s no evidence, the Council can’t

touch us.”

“That means the Council can’t touch them, either,” Phoenix growls.

“All in due time. We just have to wait a little longer, and everything will be set.”

“It would have been better if Jessa had managed to stay there.”

“She didn’t, so there’s little point in worrying about it.”

scoffs, and I can practically see

“Westwood sent her back as a challenge. Lucas is getting

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Homecoming (VI)

the mention of that name,

golden eyes and searing touches flooding my senses.

get word to

It’s possible.

treated me. But are his apologies enough

way, it’s better than relying

now,” my father rumbles. “We

about the Aspen Pack? You don’t think they’re involved in this somehow? Isn’t it odd that Ava

hear my father’s response, my hands stilling in the soapy water. They

that why they suddenly began looking for me? To use me

along

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Homecoming (VI)

keep Ava with us. She’s our card to neutralize Aspen. Once she’s mated to

knot forms in my stomach. There are too many eyes between Blackwood and Westwood to ever

More, they’re

Council’s approval. Because Ava is our pack, we can argue that Aspen kidnapped her. It’s easy enough to neutralize them as a threat. So keep your focus

***

lounging on the couch the next morning when I venture downstairs. The house is eerily quiet, devoid of the usual bustle of my family’s presence. It’s unsettling, especially considering the

tapping away at the screen with a single–minded focus. I hesitate, unsure

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64 Ava:

a respectful distance. “Hey, Jess,” I venture, my voice sounding

doesn’t respond immediately, and for a moment, I wonder if she even heard me. But then, with a sigh, she lowers her phone and turns to face me, her blue eyes. assessing. “Fine,” she says, her tone clipped. “What do you

be free of this suffocating house, this oppressive

Not when I don’t know what she’s thinking.

guess. It’s been a while since we’ve had a

I can practically see the

as she tries to decipher

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Homecoming (VI))

to talk to me?” she asks, her voice

as strained as it feels. “I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye,