Tangled

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171

171 Avar Trusting Vanessa

sa saws up before dinner, with a bag full of doctor stuff and @puu milar ny that tells me I'm got dong anything until she gets

she needs.

bel suffer through the blood pressure, my blood being drawn and Taken away by one of my new stone-faced bodyguards, of which there are at least 6, and a lot of questions she asks me every single day My answers haven't changed, but she still asks them.

I watch intently as Vanessa packs up her medical supplies, my mind churning with the weight of the secrets I'm keeping. With the balt- baked plans inside my head. With my desperate need to save Lisa from whatever fate the Mad Prince has planned.

1 wet my lips, trying to find the right words.

Vanessa, how do you feel about keeping secrets from your mate?" The question slips out before I can stop it.

She pauses, a knowing smile playing on her lips, her eyes twinkling.

Trouble in paradise already with the overbearing Alpha?"

I glance toward the bedroom door "Can the bodyguards hear

verything we say in here?"

She looks amused, "No. Your prior Alpha had this room. soundproofed

I take her hands

171 Ava: Trusting Vanessa

it is stuff Lucas knows, and some are things I haven't told him yet. But I need to know

on."

tightening on my hands. "Ava, I'm loyal to the Westwood pack and to my Alpha." She pauses, conflict. flickering in her eyes.

"It doesn't endanger Westwood.

hands in reassurance. "I can't give you a straight answer without knowing what it is. My answer stands. But I am here for

response, torn between the need to unburden myself and the fear of betrayal. Selene's voice echoes

Selene reminds me gently. You need

"Selene isn't a

one of bewilderment. Her brows knit together, creasing her

that possible?" she asks slowly, her eyes flickering between me and Selene,

171 Ava Trusting Vanessa

"Honestly, I've yet to get a straight answer out of her. It's impossible. She drinks

about her"

Vanessa's eyes. "Oh. That's good, at least." But I

she can talk to my mother's wolf. I want to try. The real problem is that we have to force her to renounce her pack in order to keep Selene's ex "That might kill her," the healer says automatically, glancing again. toward Selene. "And only an alpha can force a switch in pack allegiance. Even then, it's only a temporary measure. She can always bond with "But they would need to

I suppose, is unlikely to happen." Vanessa frowns. "Let me think this through for a moment. There has to be a

in th Settling onto the bed beside Selene, I run my fingers through her soft fur, focusing on the sensation

mind.

Selene to pull the wolf's presence out if the human host is unconscious?" Vanessa asks suddenly, her gaze intense

at Selene, who tilts her head, considering the question. It might be possible, she admits, her voice echoing in my mind. But there are too many variables to say for certain. "Selene says it might be possible, but there are too many variables to know for sure," I relay to Vanessa, watching as she

nods, her expression thoughtful. "And what about your

off guard, and I find myself at a loss for words. Loyalty is a complex thing, especially