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?

by portal, I think. They don't have access here, Lucas. Sister Miriam promised. Even Sister Miriam can't come here." I settle onto the edge of the bed, the plush comforter dipping beneath my weight. "Vanessa

keep you there forever?" The suspicion in his words is both legitimate and something that makes little giggles bubble in the back

"No, Actually-"

voice quality changes as he pulls away from the phone to tell someone to enter. I try to listen in, but

hospital and wounded, which has ice forming into an anxious ball

back. There's been an uproar in the Council." Exhaustion roughens his tone, grim and heavy. The ball

broken only by the static crackle of his

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

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allowing the takeover of the Blackwood pack.

lost a few people, and others are

legs turn to jelly. Sliding onto the bed, I whisper,

means war is here,

words hit like a punch. War. The weight of it steals my breath, leaves me reeling. "What do

there than here, now. Blackwood is under our control, but only because they haven't attacked there yet. Our

my throat, fierce and unyielding. "Westwood is my pack too, Lucas. I want to fight. I'm part of

sounds as though he's tiptoeing around the truth he wants to say. "It might be a blessing in disguise that you're there. It was the last place I wanted you to be,

11

you'd be a liability to any of my teams.

than I thought it would. Biting my lip,

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Ava: War is Here

public opinion isn't on

snaps shut. 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

real

can't keep

dealing with

way. But

voice cracks a little.