Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
The man who took the virginity that should have been saved for my mate.
Oh, fuck.
I’m dizzy with all the emotions and thoughts dashing through my head, back and forth without end.
What on earth could they be talking about for so long? Why isn’t Lucas back in here, raging?
No, waitmaybe it isn’t my Clayton.
No, not my Clayton. Aspen’s Clayton.
Maybe it’s some other Clayton.
Hell, the name Clayton doesn’t even sound real anymore, after repeating it so many times in a row. Maybe he doesn’t exist at all, and my time in
Washington was just a figment of my imagination.
Hah.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
GodI’m getting loopy. I’m starting to think ridiculous thoughts, all because of panic.
Breathe, Ava.
Breathe and prepare for the conversation.
Lucas will give you a chance to explain.
You’re not in Blackwood anymore.
Curling my knees to my chest, I hug them tightly and practice deep breathing, filling my lungs as best as I can. In through my nose, out through my mouth. Slow and steady. I close my eyes, trying to focus solely on the rhythm of my breath.
My heart’s rhythm is loud in my ears, almost headacheinducing, the pulsing whoosh so strong that I can feel it echoing through my entire body. The anxious thoughts continue. Clayton. Lucas. What they could be discussing. What Lucas will say or do when he finds out the truth. Magicians and Lycans. Selene.
In. Out. In. Out.
Spiraling into a panic attack isn’t an option. I’m a grown woman. I can handle a situation like this. Life. isn’t always going to be roses. It never was before, and it’s not going to be now.
B0 Ava: A Mild Overreaction
When Lucas returns, he’ll give me a chance to explain myself fully.
My breathing begins to even out as I concentrate on the simple act of inhaling and exhaling. The tension in my shoulders releases its grip.
In. Out. In. Out.
The sound of footsteps in the hallway brings anxiety flaring up inside of me, but I soothe its presence with a few more cycles of breathing as Lucas steps into the room, his phone no longer pressed to his ear. When he gets closer, I turn my head to peek at him through the hair that’s fallen over my shoulder.
He looks perturbed and thoughtful, which brings up my hope meter by a drastic amount.
“I’m so sorry to do this, Ava, but I’m going to have to leave,” he says, coming out of fucking nowhere with that one.
“Leave?” I ask, flummoxed. Why leave? We have a conversation that needs to be had.
He scratches at his hair with a groan. “So, I haven’t told you everything yet.”
Ava A Mild Overreaction My heart rate skyrockets.
Shit.
It never occurred to me that Lucas would have his own secrets.
Is it another girl?
Did he choose another mate?
Is there a real Luna in his pack?
Fuck. How could I ever think that he wouldn’t have chosen a mate himself? After everything that happened with Clayton, I should have assumed it would be the case.
I try to keep the tears out of my eyes, but by the blurring of my vision, I can tell it isn’t working well.
I pull off my glasses, setting them on the nightstand as I rub my eyes, trying to wipe away the tears before he notices.
“Wait aAva, are you crying?”
LUCAS
Only half my attention is on the information Clayton’s passing me. The rest of it is on the bandaged little shewolf just beyond the door. Her scent has been changing daily, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. It isn’t a bad change, but it’s different.
Add that to the way she blew up when my phone rang, and I’m starting to get a little worried that I haven’t been around for her during such a traumatic time. She’d been kidnapped, even if it was by her own family, and then viciously attacked after trying to run away. On top of it all, she has a mate that was stupid enough to reject her.
I’m sure she has no idea how much she can rely on me, and I can’t blame her for being so evasive with her affection. We’ve made progress, but I keep pushing my lucktouching her, kissing her forehead, sniffing around her when I think she doesn’t notice…
“Lucas? Are you still there?” Clayton’s voice cuts through my distracted haze.
“Yes, I’m here.” I pinch the bridge of my nose, halting my pacing in the hospital corridor. My obsession with Ava is becoming problematic, but my wolf is irritated that I took any focus from my brain onto anything else. If it was up to him, we’d be glued to her side until our mating mark was a year old on her neck.
“You need to focus,” Clayton admonishes, his words laced with an edge I rarely hear from him. “This situation demands our full attention.”
I nod, even though he can’t see me. He flew in to help manage the Blackwood Pack, and I ditched him to see Ava in the hospital. He deserves my full attention. Clayton’s too good of a friend for me to be distracted over my personal issues.
“You’re right. Go ahead.”
Clayton’s voice takes on a grim quality. “We’ve received reports of increased rogue activity in the area. It appears they may be mobilizing for an attack. Renard and the entire Grey family is still missing, along with a few other players from the pack. Our scouts are of the opinion that these rogues are working for Renard in some way, and might even be connected with the Unregistered. We’ve yet to locate any connections with either of them, but we aren’t done looking.”
A low growl rumbles in my chest. The mere mention of Renard and Ava’s shitty family ignites a simmering fury within me. After what they’ve done to her, I won’t rest until they’re all corpses.
“And Grace?”
“She’s still in the hospital. All treatment has been withdrawn, and they’re keeping an eye on her. So far, she’s stable, but still in a coma. If she doesn’t wake up soon, she’ll die of dehydration before the wolfsbane gets her.”
“Good.” I have no remorse over this. The bitch deserves that and more. I only wish she was awake for the pain.
“How are we dealing with the situation with the rogues?”
“For now, we’re trying to gather more intelligence,” Clayton responds, his tone even and measured. “But we need to be prepared to defend. The real problem, of course-“
“-is internal,” I finish for him, running a frazzled hand through my hair. “I know. We don’t know if we can trust them not to rise against us while we’re defending against anyone.”
“There are two schools of thought. Imprison everyone, or let the chips fall where they may. There are pros and cons to both.”
I growl in frustration. Yes, there are pros and cons to both, but only one of them ensures that our men are safe.
To me, everyone in the Blackwood Pack is worthless. The decision is easy.
“Imprison all of them. They should be grateful I didn’t raze them to the ground the first night. If anyone struggles, kill them.”
“Don’t you think that’s a little harsh?” Clayton suggests. “The Council might side with you on the evidence, but they aren’t going to approve of outright tyranny and murder.”
“It isn’t murder when you kill the enemy.”
“They’ve surrendered,” he points out, ever the voice of reason.
Fuck reason. I don’t care if they’re all dead.
But Ava might.
She’s soft, even with everything she’s been through.
I sigh. “I’ll fly out tomorrow. Between us, we might get a decent idea of who the real troublemakers are.” We both excel at interrogation.