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 my

Selene, my mouth hanging open. "Wait,

says primly, sitting

end it 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 know.

teeth in a silent snarl. I am not finicky. Vampires are finicky

finicky. Discerning. Yes. Discerning

to keep

to bare her

the reprieve,

to

has a strong

That's crazy talk.

idea forms in

half-packed suitcase tucking them inside,

tell Vanessa about me, cutting through

trying to keep you a secret."

th I have no

shared.

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

been so warm and kind. 1 One of my few

firend will

and avoyut you

like Lacas dore now that he

really seeing them, I pick

her Don't tell her Keep

I should want to tell her

always so

that's a weakness of

being a shifter or for my past. And Lucas... was angry at first, but he's been nothing

supportive."

Ava. She deserves to

my decision

rules if she agrees with me. The caveat being that she needs to agree with me,

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

hospital? She sounds startled. Vanessa isn't

what I mean. I have

An idea?

idea to get some information out of