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.”

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

in the chaos, your family and Alpha Renard escaped, but the territory

I nod again.

says, as if

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

critical condition due to the wolfsbane

Clearing the Air

to feel a lot of things right now. Like sadness, anxiety, worry, or other emotions that would be applicable

demon of vengeance in my

I say, because I don’t want to show my possible future mate that I’m a raging psychopath. He’s treating me so carefully as he tells me all

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

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 helping me keep things in control over there, but I can’t just

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

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Ava: Clearing the Air (1)

something.”

alpha” must be Clayton; that’s why

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

have a few minutes. There’s a flight

just need you to promise to

face is admirably calm with my words. “Whatever you have

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

his fingers going slack against mine, and his brows come together in

a deep breath. “There were some rogues in Cedarwood who caught my scent.

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Ava: Clearing the Air (1)

can you go into heat

and I freeze.

know

unwavering. “At the Gala, I’d been under the impression you were working with your

that’s why he looked at me with such

looked into you. It took us a long time. to get someone into the pack to get the

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

contrition.

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 think that I should have trusted in my