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?”

13.27 C

17

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

upset with you, Ava. I don’t want to leave with you thinking that this changes anything on my end.”

a soft kiss against my knuckles that has my belly fluttering. “I know that you 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

his voice, his words are calm and

Ava Clearing the Air

I nod.

of the stress ease from my body.

isn’t angry with

to punch Clayton for touching what’s mine, though.”

“I wasn’t–he didn’t-”

joke, Ava.”

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

him in doubt.

again.

Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in

to give me

I nod, again.

I know that we’re both pushed together by this bond, but I want more than that. I want you,

37

Ava: Clearing the

bond between us. I want there to be

and no regrets.”

longing straight through

I’m going to run around like a feral wolf, snarling about how some other guy touched my mate. I’m the one who lost the right

all the anger.

a string. I

toward me, toward us, just because I took you out of that place. I want more than obligation toward our fate, Ava. I want

feel warmth flushing into my cheeks as he presses another kiss against my fingers,

13.27

the Air (II)

words are sweet, but his actions

that’s far from innocent.

“Lucas-”

His tongue darts out to taste my skin, and his groan sends quivers straight into the very core of me. I shift beneath the blanket, wondering how

my skin, pressing kiss after kiss into my palm. “But if I want to keep that promise, I’m going to

my other hand, gently touching his ‘disheveled hair. “Don’t go

wolf is here, straining for control. Lucas nips at my wrist,