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?”

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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.”

he seems to want some sort of input from me, I nod to

family and Alpha Renard escaped, but the territory

I nod again.

says, as if

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

in critical condition due to the wolfsbane

Ava: Clearing the

I’m probably supposed to feel a lot of things right now. Like sadness,

my soul that is happy at

treating me so carefully as he tells me all these things, and not

mine. He must think I need comfort, and I’m not sure

rogues. I’ll be back every few days. Right now, another alpha is helping me keep things in control

and I don’t resist the urge to reach out and rub the lines on his brow. “You’ll do great,” I assure 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.”

stomach twists. The “other alpha” must be Clayton; that’s why he called. Maybe

out soon. I have to head this off before he goes.

only have a few minutes. There’s a flight tonight

need you to promise

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.”

about them. “When I was taken from Cedarwood, it wasn’t

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

in Cedarwood who caught my scent. I was going

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Ava: Clearing the

go into heat without a wolf?” Lucas asks,

and I freeze.

do you know about that?”

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

that’s why he looked at

a long time. to get someone into the pack to get

his face, and his thumb rubs over the back of my

contrition.

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 I should have trusted in