Tangled

301 Ava: Let Selene Be Known?

All the necessary arrangements keep Vanessa and Kellan busy.

Someone manages to procure some sort of white, wispy dress that Lisa says will make me look like an angel, but I think looks more like something I'd wear on my honeymoon.

Definitely not something I should wear in public.

"Lucas won't like it, I predict, scowling at how much of my skin shows beneath the sheer fabric. "Hell, I don't like it."

Lisa squints. "I can see your bra. I wonder if we can source a sexy one."

"This isn't an ad for lingerie. I'm supposed to be presented as Luna, not as the Alpha's whore." Yanking off the flimsy excuse for a dress, my lip curls in distaste. "Who brought this over?" Lisa shrugs. "Some woman. I don't really know the pack well enough to say who A frown deepens on my face as I ball up the dress and shove it back into the bag it came in. "Well, whoever she is, she's got terrible taste."

We still have the small pile of clothes Kellan had scrounged up for me when I first arrived. They're not fancy, but they're practical and comfortable. More importantly, they cover my skin. 1 grab a pair of well-worn jeans and a simple t-shirt.

"Are you sure about this?" Lisa asks, poking at the meager selection of clothing. "I mean, it is kind of a big deal, you becoming Luna and all

I shake my head as I pull on the least distressed pair of jeans I can find. "It's not some grand coronation, Lisa. I don't need to look like a queen.

"Maybe we should ask one guard to find something else?" Lisa suggests, glancing towards the

door.

"No," I say firmly, tugging a t-shirt over my head. "This is fine. It's who I am, and if the pack can't accept that, then..." I trail off, not wanting to finish that thought. They have to accept it. It isn't really their choice. I'm their Alpha's mate. But what if choosing me as Luna spurs others into an alpha challenge?

What if, in trying to make it better, I make everything worse...?

Stop trying to borrow trouble before it finds you, Selene says, interrupting my doom-spiraling. Lisa, unaware of the thoughts that flashed through my head, just hums as she tosses a shirt back onto the tiny pile of clothes. "Okay. If you're sure."

I am sure. The thought of parading around in that gossamer nightmare makes my skin crawl. It's not just about the dress, really. It's about what it represents-like I'm a Luna made to breed little alpha puppies.

That's not who I am.

301 Ava. Let Selone Be Known?

Not who I want to be.

me a little off-kilter as I ponder my first speech to my people. It's usually made through the pack bond, but I've never been able to use one- leaving me

be yourself. You underestimate how much

obligated to love me because we're bonded. You're a biased

to. I choose

Hah.

at you for worrying again?" Lisa asks from where she's standing,

window.

and as much as she might deny the bond

to voice the fears that have been gnawing

if trying to

attention peeled off her mate, who's running around getting the

come on," Lisa says, crossing the room to sit beside me. "You're selling yourself short." "Am I though? Ultimately, I'm still an outsider. A Blackwood. Their enemy. And even if they're okay with that, it's about perception. What if the pack sees me as a liability? What if they think Lucas is weaker for choosing me? I'm trying to avoid him getting challenged, not bring them out of the

You've already decided on this. There's a mark on your neck-which looks hideous, by the way, and I still think

thoughtfully. Now that you're

Selene, who thumps her tail casually against the floor as she

1. me.

still in a

deceiving. I can

on?" Lisa asks. "What did

Lot

thinks I should introduce her to the pack. On the one hand, it would greatly diminish my liability as a wolfless defect

world

The situation is different.

have figured she would be on my side, rejecting the

you agree with

familiar enough with pack politics to have a real opinion, I

to declare myself, Selene

and Lisa jumps up to open it, probably thinking

pleasantly surprised to see Lucas and Vester. And, surprisingly, Dr.

behind all of

me on the couch, linking our hands

my question. "She's been running around to get an appropriate venue set up for tonight. Do I need to call her

I shift uncomfortably on my feet.