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.”

want some sort of input from me, I nod to show that I’m

and Alpha Renard escaped, but the territory is under

I nod again.

over your pack,” he says, as if I’m

my head. “I don’t care what happens to them.” Too bad

condition due to the

Clearing the Air

think I’m probably supposed to feel a lot of things right now. Like sadness, anxiety, worry, or other emotions that would be applicable to a

demon of vengeance in my

I’m a raging psychopath. He’s treating me so carefully as he

sliding his rough fingers between mine. He must think I need comfort, and

a 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

do great,” I assure him. “But before you go,

317

Ava: Clearing the Air (1)

something.”

be Clayton; that’s why he

soon. I

his watch. “I only have a few minutes. There’s

few minutes is all I need. I just need you to promise to listen

hand tenses, but his face is admirably calm with my words. “Whatever you have to tell

worry about them. “When I was taken from Cedarwood, it

fingers going slack against mine, and his brows come together

in Cedarwood who caught my scent.

417

Clearing the

can you go into heat without

and I freeze.

you know about

I’d been under the impression you were working

looked at me with such intense hatred.

Gala, I looked into you. It took us a long time. to get someone into the pack to get the information, but I heard that you were wolfless and not treated well because of

face, and his thumb rubs over the back of

contrition.

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 think that