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

me and I take her hands in

171 Ava: Trusting Vanessa

want. to share with you. Most of it is stuff

on."

loyal to the Westwood pack and to my Alpha." She pauses, conflict. flickering in her eyes. "But I'm also loyal to my Luna. I can't

won't," I assure her, my interruption swift. "It doesn't endanger Westwood. But Lucas won't

me, caution on her face, even as she squeezes my hands in reassurance. "I can't give you a straight answer without knowing what it is. My

to unburden myself and the fear of

Selene reminds me gently. You

take a deep breath. "Selene isn't a

of bewilderment. Her brows knit together, creasing her forehead as she processes

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

171 Ava Trusting Vanessa

out of her. It's impossible. She drinks secrets for

about her"

least." But I

she can ask for more clarity on things, I rush, "Selene thinks 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

is unlikely to happen." Vanessa frowns. "Let me think this through for a moment. There has to be a better way."

watch as Vanessa paces around the room, her brow furrowed in concentration. She mutters under her breath, occasionally shaking her head as if dismissing ideas that don't quite fit. The sight of her deep in th Settling onto the bed beside Selene, I run my fingers through her soft fur, focusing on the sensation of her head and ears

mind.

out if the human host is unconscious?" Vanessa asks suddenly,

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

thoughtful. "And what about your mother's

at a loss for words. Loyalty is a complex thing, especially when it comes to