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

washes over me and I take her hands in

171 Ava: Trusting Vanessa

my throat. "I have secrets, Vanessa. Secrets that I want. to share with you. Most of it is stuff Lucas knows, and some

on."

I'm loyal to the Westwood pack and to my Alpha." She pauses, conflict. flickering in her eyes. "But I'm also loyal to my

Westwood. But Lucas won't

my hands in reassurance. "I can't give you a straight answer without knowing what it is.

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

option right now, Selene reminds me gently.

"Selene isn't

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

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

171 Ava Trusting Vanessa

to get a straight answer out of her. It's impossible.

about her"

is clear in Vanessa's eyes. "Oh. That's good, at least." But I can see the wheels turning in her head as she thinks things

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

happen." Vanessa frowns. "Let me think this through for a moment. There has to be a better way." It would be good if

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 beneath my touch. It's a small comfort amidst the chaos swirling in

mind.

wolf's presence out if the human host is unconscious?" Vanessa asks suddenly, her

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

thoughtful. "And what about your mother's

find myself at a loss for words. Loyalty is a complex