Tangled

Unshift 226

Unshift 226

226 Ava: War is Here (1)

Magister Orion personally escorts us up the mysterious spiral staircase to two adjoining rooms, promising to begin my training in the morning. O

The moment the door closes behind him, I pull out my phone, unsurprised to see no new texts or phone calls. Sister Miriam did say only the occasional ones text would come through.

So I call Lucas.

He answers on the first ring.

"Are you okay?"

His question is more of a shouted demand for an answer, and I hold the phone several inches away from my ear, blinking at the force of his volume. "Yes. I'm fine. Did you get Kellan's messages?"

"Do you need help? When can you come home? Why won't our phone calls connect? Is everyone treating you okay? Are you in danger? Have you eaten?"

"No. Soon. I don't know. Yes. No. Not yet." My lips curve at the way his questions barrage my ear. "I miss you."

"I miss you too, Ave. So much." Lucas's voice softens, the rough edges smoothing into something tender that wraps around my heart. "I understand why you're there. I do. But I don't like it."

As if sensing the shift in conversation, Vanessa catches my eye, tilting her head toward the adjoining room. Marcus follows, the door clicking shut behind them, leaving me alone with Lucas's

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220 Ava. War is Here (1)

voice in my ear.

Questions pepper through the phone, rapid-fire, all with the same ultimate theme: Is the city safe? Can Alpha Renard or my family

find me?

here, Lucas. Sister Miriam promised. Even Sister Miriam can't come here." I settle onto the edge of the bed, the

Fae aren't going to keep you there forever?" The suspicion in his words is both legitimate

"No, Actually-"

quality changes as he pulls away from the phone to tell someone to enter. I try to listen in, but it's impossible to clarify the words coming out of whoever he's talking to. Only

has ice forming into

tone, grim and heavy. The ball of ice

only by the static crackle

of the other alphas separated from the Council. He's

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our bounds, abused our authority by allowing the takeover of the Blackwood pack.

efforts, timed perfectly. We lost a few people, and others are in

jelly. Sliding onto the bed,

war

it steals my breath, leaves

in the city. Stay safe. You're probably safer there than here, now. Blackwood is under our control, but only because they haven't attacked there yet. Our forces are too scattered, spread over too wide an area. We're working with the other

my throat, fierce and unyielding. "Westwood is my pack too,

though he's tiptoeing around the truth he wants to say. "It might be a blessing in disguise

11

enough. You've worked hard, but you'd be a

more than I thought it would. Biting

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Ava: War is

opinion isn't on your

That's right. Several wounded shifters have been recuperating there, and a few of them even died under the care of the nurses. I'm sure they would be less than thrilled to see me around. Blood pressures would spike just seeing my

my decisions weighs heavy on my shoulders. Too weak. Too self-centered. Too many bad decisions. And now my mate is fighting the real war brought to his door, and I'm being

keep

dealing

But Lucas,

voice cracks a little.