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

know that there’s a lot more that you haven’t told me.

are intense. Despite the roughness to his voice,

the

I nod.

some of the stress

angry with

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

“I wasn’t–he didn’t-”

a joke,

he doesn’t really sound like he’s

him in doubt.

fingers again. “Ava. I fucked

nod. Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the FɪndNøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels

give me a

I nod, again.

to happen overnight. I know that we’re both pushed together by this bond, but I want more than that. I want you, heart and

37

the Air

no bond between us. I want there

and no regrets.”

of longing straight through my body, and tears to

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

all the

little like a puppet on a string. I don’t know how else to respond except

toward us, just because I took

warmth flushing into my cheeks as he presses another kiss against my fingers, before turning my hand over to nuzzle his mouth against my

13.27

Clearing the Air

are sweet, but his actions are

that’s far from innocent.

“Lucas-”

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

to push you,” he murmurs against my skin, 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

reach out with my other hand, gently touching his ‘disheveled hair. “Don’t go yet.”

a yellow glint in his amber eyes. His wolf is here, straining for control. Lucas nips at my wrist, pulling back with a sigh, and