Tangled

92 Ava Clearing the Air (1)

92 Ava: Clearing the Air (II)

My stomach churns, and I get through the rest of the words as quickly as I can. “My heat was uncontrollable, and I had sex with the alpha there. He took care of me and Phoenix kidnapped me when I was shopping with his sister. No, we aren’t mated, but we aren’t strangers, either.”

There.

It’s out.

I peek at Lucas to see his reaction, but he’s just sitting there, his eyes unfocused.

It’s obvious that he’s taking some time to process everything.

My eyes drop to our linked hands, and I wonder if I should pull away before he does.

“Huh,” he says, and squeezes my fingers.

Of all the responses I’d been expecting, that one isn’t on my list.

“Lucas?”

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92 Ava: Clearing the Air (II)

He smiles at me, a lopsided little one. “I’m going to need a little time to process all this. I don’t understand how you can go into heat without a wolf, for one. But I’m not angry, Ava.”

I narrow my eyes in suspicion. “That doesn’t seem right.”

to xx

He sighs. “I’m… disappointed. In the situation, in how I put you there. In the way things could have gone but didn’t, because of me. I’m angry at myself, and I have

not upset with you, Ava. I don’t want

haven’t chosen us yet. I know that there’s a lot more that you haven’t told me. I know that I fucked up. And I’m not going to do it again, not when you’re right here. I’ve already lost you twice. I’ll never let it happen again.

the roughness to his voice, his words

the

I nod.

finally feeling some of the stress ease from my body.

angry with

Clayton

“I wasn’t–he didn’t-”

a joke,

doesn’t really sound like he’s joking, so I

him in doubt.

again. “Ava. I fucked up,

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you willing to give me

I nod, again.

than that. I want you, heart and soul, with everything inside of you begging to be mine. I want to know that you would

37

the Air

us. I want

secrets, and no

quiver of longing straight through my body,

to run around like a feral wolf, snarling about how some other guy touched my mate. I’m the one who lost the right to call you that. I’m the one who pushed you into a situation where

all the anger.

nod as a tear escapes, feeling a little like a puppet on a string. I don’t

-chance to be angry with me. Don’t feel obligated toward me, toward us, just because I took you out of that place. I want more than obligation toward our fate, Ava.

another kiss against my fingers, before turning my

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Ava Clearing the

his actions are stirring

that’s far from innocent.

“Lucas-”

straight into the very core of me. I shift beneath the blanket, wondering

pressing kiss after kiss into my palm. “But if I want to keep that promise, I’m going to have to walk away from you right now. Fuck. My wolf is going insane. He doesn’t want to talk anymore. He’s been crazy about you since

my other hand, gently touching his

amber eyes. His wolf is here, straining for control. Lucas nips at my wrist, pulling back with a sigh, and I feel empty with the