Tangled

111 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (IV)

LISA

Three fucking weeks.

No matter how many times I count, it’s been three fucking weeks.

The calendar on my wall mocks me, today’s date staring me in the face from any particular point of my

kitchen.

Selene whines when I nearly step on her paw for the third time this morning. “Sorry, girl. Give me a second, and we’ll go see her.”

I’m drenched in sweat. Jericho hasn’t blinked a single eyelash over Ava being in the hospital, and we’ve all settled into a new kind of normal.

It’s not normal at all, but it’s life now. At least until Ava

wakes up again.

I’m stronger. Fastér, though nothing compared to these shifters who surround me. I’m learning some basic self–defense, and Selene has helped with the hands–on training to evade and defend against wolf

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111 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (IV)

attacks.

I have bruises and wounds everywhere, and a few of them have even gotten infected, but Healer Vanessa is a godsend who always has some magical cream on her somewhere. Antibacterial, antifungal, prevents scarring, and smells divine. I have no idea why they

in the human

keep up with the demand. For all I know, it probably reduces wrinkles, too. Shifters age well, though, so who knows. Maybe they don’t

Selene’s reproachful blue eyes

reminder of just how tense I’ve been. I want to scream. I want to cry. I want to punch

here. He’s not as scary as Lucas, but just high enough in

vigilant mate at the hospital. I get it, I do. Lucas

Ava’s Absence

and Kellan has every responsibility to keep things running smoothly. But fuck if I don’t feel like

the same boat. She hasn’t seen her mate, some high–up shifter in the pack called Vester, in two weeks, not since he left for the Blackwood territory to keep things running there. I can’t even imagine

that feels too soft against my skin. Everything in

I miss Ava.

connected, a

the world around her.

whispered in the halls, see them in

Lisa: Ava’s

unconscious in a Westwood hospital. It’s a political nightmare, even I

is rallying behind Westwood, but Jericho says there’s a lot of movement in the shadows. He’s been training

their mamas,” he told me yesterday, his scarred face grim. “And you’re her best friend. That

tail thumping against the floor. She’s been my constant companion these past

make our way down to the hospital, the route so familiar now I could walk it in my sleep. The guards nod at me as I pass, their eyes scanning the hallway for any potential threats. They ignore the guard following me

do the pick ups and drop offs, giving me a

but I’m always

Always.

his usual spot by Ava’s bedside, his hand clasped tightly around hers. He looks up as I

though I already know

head. “Nothing yet.

back

seat on the other side of the

peaceful, so still. Like she’s just sleeping, and any moment now she’ll wake up and start cracking jokes

hasn’t for three fucking weeks.

up on the bed, curling up at Ava’s feet. She’s been doing that more and more lately,

my eyes for a moment. I’m