Tangled

91 Ava Clearing the Air (0)

91 Ava: Clearing the Air (I)

All my thoughts circle into some sort of insane melodrama right out of Selene’s favorite TV show, and I slap my hands against my face, rubbing hard against my cheeks, as though I can push the tears right back into my eyes.

“Sorry,” I say, as Lucas rests a worried hand against my back, stroking me like you would pet a puppy. It’s cute.

He doesn’t seem to know what to do with me, while

I’m just grateful that he’s trying.

Once I’m sure my tears are gone, I smile up at him. “I’m just frazzled.”

“You’ve been through a lot. Did I upset you when I took -the phone call?”

“No!” The word bursts from me in horror. Does he

think I’m that kind of person, who gets upset when he has to do important things instead of watching me sit in a hospital bed? “Not at all.”

He blows out a breath in what I’m sure is massive relief. No one wants a mate that high maintenance. “Are you upset that I have to leave?”

DE

91 Ava: Clearing the Air (1)

I cringe. “It isn’t that.” I just came to some insane levels of assumptions. “Why… do you have to go?”

“Ah.” Now he looks uncomfortable, and takes a seat on my bed, grabbing my hand.

Oh, God. This can’t be good.

“Once we were safe, Kellan–my beta–led a force of my men into the heart of the Blackwood pack.” I must not look devastated enough, because he clarifies, “In

an act of war.”

input from me, I nod to show that I’m following.

Alpha Renard escaped, but

I nod again.

he says, as if

care what happens to them.” Too bad

in critical condition due to the wolfsbane I injected her with.”

Ava: Clearing the Air (1)

right now. Like sadness, anxiety, worry,

there’s a huge demon of vengeance in my soul that is

psychopath. He’s treating me so carefully as he tells me all these things, and not a

reaches for my hand, sliding his rough fingers between mine. He must think I need comfort, and I’m not sure how to break

lot of work to be done. We are working on disavowing every wolf from the Blackwood Pack and integrating them into ours, or letting them go as rogues. I’ll be back every few days. Right now, another alpha is

him. “But before you go, I have to tell you S~ᴇaʀᴄh the (ꜰind)ɴʘvel.nᴇt website on

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the Air

something.”

The “other alpha” must be Clayton; that’s why he called. Maybe Clayton doesn’t

I am yet, but they’ll figure it out soon. I have to head this off before

minutes. There’s a flight tonight that

I need. I just need you to

face is admirably calm with my words. “Whatever you have to tell me,

seem odd, but I don’t have time to worry about them. “When I was taken from Cedarwood, it wasn’t

his fingers going slack against mine, and his brows come together in thought. “No? Then who…?”

in Cedarwood who

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the Air (1)

heat without a

and I freeze.

know about

meet mine, unwavering. “At the Gala, I’d been under the impression you were working with your family–with the alpha of

why he looked at me with

long time. to get someone into the pack to get the information, but I heard that you were wolfless

over

contrition.

kept my head out of my ass, I would have brought you back with me that night. You would have been safe. I was so focused on how I felt about your alpha that I didn’t stop to