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.”

of input from me,

Alpha Renard escaped,

I nod again.

your pack,” he says, as

care what happens to them.” Too bad

in the hospital. She’s in critical condition due to the wolfsbane I injected

Clearing the

supposed to feel a lot of things right now. Like sadness, anxiety, worry, or other

of vengeance in my

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

must think I need comfort, and I’m not sure how to break it to him.

the Blackwood Pack and integrating them into ours, or letting them go as rogues. I’ll be back every

and rub the lines on his brow. “You’ll do great,” I assure him. “But before you go, I have

317

the

something.”

Clayton; that’s why he called. Maybe Clayton doesn’t

they’ll figure it out soon. I have

few minutes. There’s a flight tonight that

I need. I just need you to promise to listen without getting too upset.”

his face is admirably calm with my words. “Whatever you have to tell me, don’t worry, Ava. I won’t think less of you.”

them. “When I was taken from Cedarwood, it wasn’t by my family.”

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

some rogues in Cedarwood who caught my scent.

417

Ava: Clearing the

can you go into heat

and I freeze.

know about that?”

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

that’s why he looked at me with such intense hatred.

pack to get the information, but I heard that you were wolfless and not treated well because of

and his thumb rubs over the back of

contrition.

had just 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