Tangled

Unshift 274

Unshift 274

274 Ava: Give Us Both Time.

END SEASON FOUR!

"...and that's how we met," I finish, my heart racing as I watch Lucas's face for any sign of recognition. His brow furrows slightly, a look of concentration I've seen a hundred times before. But there's no spark of memory in his eyes, no sudden realization. 1

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"That's... quite a story," he says. His tone is polite, interested even, but it's clear the tale doesn't resonate with him on a deeper level. It might as well be a movie plot for all the personal connection he feels to it.

I swallow hard, trying to push down the disappointment threatening to choke me. "Yeah, it is," I agree, forcing a smile. "Not exactly a fairytale beginning, huh?"

Lucas chuckles, the sound achingly familiar yet somehow wrong. It lacks the warmth, the depth of feeling I'm used to hearing. "I guess not. But it sounds like we worked things out eventually."

"We did," I nod, my fingers twisting in the blanket covering his legs. I want so badly to reach out and touch him, to take his hand in mine. But I'm afraid of how he might react, this Lucas who doesn't know me. "It took some time, but we got there.

A heavy silence falls between us. I can feel Lucas studying me, his gaze intense in a way that's familiar and foreign all at once. There's curiosity there, maybe even a hint of attraction, but none of the bone- deep recognition I'm used to seeing.

"Can I ask you something?" I blurt out, unable to bear the tension any longer.

Lucas nods, his expression open. "Of course."

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the answer I'm afraid I already know. "Do you... can you feel our bond at all? Even a little?"

His face falls, genuine regret clouding his features. "I'm sorry, Ava. I wish I could say yes, but..." He trails off, shaking his head. "There's nothing"

My heart sinks, but I try not to let it show on my face. "That's okay," I lie, my voice barely above a whisper. "It'll come back. It has to."

wincing slightly as the movement jostles his injuries. When he speaks. again, there's a note of hesitation in his voice. "There is something I'm curious about, though." I perk up, hope fluttering in

He

his eyes narrowing slightly. "If we're mates, why don't I

mark there?"

hand flies to my

unmarked skin. "Oh, I breathe, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. "That's because... well,

do I explain the complexities of our relationship? The fears and insecurities that held me back, the external pressures that

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Give Us Both Time-END

seems impossible to condense it all into

inadequate the words sound. "We've both had our reasons for waiting. And then there just never seemed to be the right time, with everything that's been happening." Lucas nods slowly, processing this information. "I see, he says, though I can tell from the slight furrow in his brow that he doesn't, not

there," I add hastily, needing him to understand how far we'd come. "Before all this happened, we were

were?" There's a hint of something

eyes that makes my breath catch. "I'm sorry," he says quictly. "I can see how much this means to you. How much I mean to you. I wish I could

in my throat threatens to choke me. I blink rapidly, trying to hold back the tears that are suddenly burning behind my eyes. "It's

weight of Lucas's confusion and my disappointment. "So,

his face. "No one's sure. Nothing they run explains why I'm not healing at my normal

this doesn't add up. Alphas heal incredibly fast, even from

why Kellan's been on edge when he talks about his alpha's recovery. It isn't just

your

what feels like an eternity. His golden eyes, usually so warm and full of life, seem dull and distant. When he finally speaks, his voice is

gone?

reels as I try to process what he's just said. Gone?

mean, gone?" I ask, my voice trembling. "Like, you can't hear him? Or you can't

gone. As in not there.

my chair. "Your wolf is a part of you. It can't just disappear. Maybe it's just dormant. Or

from the trauma? Like