Tangled

167

167

167 Ava: Mom's Stronger?

"Mom?" I ask in disbelief.

It can't be. How can Mom be stronger than the pack beta?

In another pack, your mother would have been a strong Luna candidate.

Wow.

I'd always known Mom had a strong presence, but I would have never guessed-never, in a million years, ever-that her wolf is stronger than Dad's.

I wonder how that worked out. Did Mom force her wolf to submit?

It is likely that the alpha did.

"Alpha Renard?"

Correct. An alpha's bond can force submission in any wolf, and change dynamics as he wishes.

I'd heard about things like that, of course. I knew we all had to submit, and I knew he had the power to force submission-but I don't think I've ever heard of him forcing wolves to submit to other wolves. It happens.

"Wow." Despite my visit with Mom yesterday, I feel a little sorry for

her.

A woman like her? With a strong wolf? She must have felt so stifled in this pack.

17:38

152 Ava Mom's Strompra?

Your mother is strong in wolf, but weak in human, she explains. Not all souls are well matched.

"You said she would be a strong Lupa candidate. Why can't strong female wolves be alphas?"

They can be. They used to be. Selene sounds frustrated. But today's wolves don't recognize it. An alpha today would have been King in

my era.

My mind jiggles. A Lycan King.

Wait a second.

"Sister Miriam called you-"

I was Queen, in

open. "Wait, you were

sitting straight with her head

without offending her. Because I'm so what? Selene tilts her head, those ice-blue eyes staring deep into my soul. In her dog form, it's adorable. But that mental voice of hers is almost purring with danger. "Um. You

teeth in a silent snarl.

Discerning

try to

continues to bare

the

to the

a

That's crazy talk.

vague idea forms

my half-packed suitcase tucking them

to tell Vanessa about me,

trying to keep you

to th I have no interest in spreading

be shared. It

into the suitcase, n I do so. "I don't know, Selene. What Vanessa

and kind. 1 One of my few allies in Westwood; me

tror firend will

avoyut you Ava hist

like Lacas dore now that he

the Butcher without really seeing them, I

Tell her Don't tell her Keep secrets. But

I should want to tell her my

always

guess that's a

shifter or for my past. And

supportive."

about you, Ava. She deserves to know the truth, and we could use

nod slowly, my decision made. "Okay. We'll tell

be afraid to buck Lucas' rules if she agrees with me. The caveat being that she needs

movements are more purposeful when I resume packing as my idea roots into my brain with insistence. "We'll talk to her when we get back from the

sounds startled. Vanessa isn't

what I mean.

An idea?

to get some information out