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.”

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

your family and Alpha Renard escaped, but the territory

I nod again.

your pack,” he says, as if I’m

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

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

Ava: Clearing the Air

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

huge demon of vengeance in my soul

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 these things, and not a single

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

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 now, another alpha is helping

him. “But before you

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Clearing the Air

something.”

The “other alpha” must be Clayton; that’s why he

they’ll figure it out soon. I have

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

few minutes is all I need. I just need you to promise to listen without getting too

my words. “Whatever you have to tell

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

against mine, and his brows come together in

deep breath. “There were some rogues in Cedarwood who caught my scent. I was going

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Ava: Clearing the

can you go into heat without a wolf?”

and I freeze.

do you know about

under the impression you were working with your family–with the alpha of your pack.”

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

a long time. to get someone into the pack to get the information, but I heard

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

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 think that I should have trusted in my fated mate.”