Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 160 Ava: Eyes Wide Open

It smells like him, Selene grumbles, her wet nose twitching as she sniffs around the plush rug in the center of

Lucas' bedroom. Everywhere.

I glance up from where I'm unpacking my suitcase, one eyebrow arched. "Well, it's his room. What did you

expect?"

She huffs, her tail swishing in annoyance. | expected not to be assaulted by the scent of alpha male posturing

every t| breathe. Her mental words are sour, but without the bite they used to have when she spoke of

Lucas.

A laugh escapesdespite the heaviness still lingering in my chest from the earlier confrontation with Margot.

"Posturing? Really? It's just his scent."

Yes, really. She flops down on the rug, her chin resting on her paws. It's like he's marking his territory. Letting

everyone know this is his space.

"Is it really posturing when he just sleeps in here?"

Yes.

I roll my eyes, turning back to my suitcase. She's reaching for reasons to complain, but knowing that her

grumbling doesn't have the fierce hatred of before helps a lot. "He's the alpha. Isn't that kind of his job?"

There's a difference between being an alpha and being obnoxious about it.

Her complaints continue as | move about the room, hanging up clothes and arranging my toiletries in the en-

suite bathroom.

It's a beautiful space, all dark wood and rich fabrics, with a massive king-sized bed dominating the center. It's all

masculine without a single feminine touch, which somehow pleases me.

The thought of sleeping here, surrounded by Lucas' scent, makessmile—even if my wolf hates it.

But Selene's complaints nag at me, pullingout of my reverie. | pause, a shirt dangling from my fingers, and

turn to face her.

"Okay, what's your deal with Lucas? | thought you were over your issues with him now that we're together."

She sighs, a heavy sound that seems to deflate her entire body. It's not that simple, Ava.

"Then explain it to me." | drop the shirt on the bed and move to sit beside her, my fingers sinking into her thick

fur. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're just being stubborn."

I'm not being stubborn. She's still grouchy, but there's less heat in her voice now. I'm being cautious.

"Cautious of what? Lucas has proven himself tand tagain. He's been there for me, for us, through

everything."

He's a good man, Selene admits. Grudgingly.

My lips twitch. My wolf ctowith all the wise demeanor and cryptic words of ssage, but at times like

this, she's just a sassy friend in my head.

"But...?"

Her tail thumps against the ground. Once. Twice.

Another day, Ava. I'll explain it another day.

Her mental voice is so defeated that | don't argue, just pet her head and ears. "Promise that it's not the same

kind of ‘another day' where you don't say anything until I'm kidnapped, rescued, and then go into a coma for

three weeks?"

It wouldn't have been that long if you hadn't gotten yourself kidnapped again in the first place, Selene grumbles,

though it's obvious she doesn't mean what she says.

"If you had rescuedquicker, it wouldn't have been that long either." Teasing her a little to get her out of her

little funk, 1 add, "Besides, | didn't get kidnapped by the vampire this time." My heart sinks as I think that over,

my heart sinking. Maybe if | had been, Lisa wouldn't be alone and we could be on our way home. Together.

A lot of confidence for someone who hasn't finished training with Jericho.

"Hush."

Moving to the window, I glance over at the pack lands spread out before me. The small city feels stagnant, a far

cry from the bustling modernity of Westwood.

It's like stepping back in tby a few decades.

Women scurry through the streets, their heads down and shoulders hunched. They move with a sense of

urgency, as if they're afraid to linger too long in any one place. It's a stark contrast to the men who strut about,

with no worries or cares.

It's a sickening display of the gender dynamics that have always been present in the Blackwood pack, but which

I've never truly seen for what they are.

I've heard about gender dynamics. I'd even seen the difference when | attended school in White Peak, or worked

there. But | always felt, deep down, that the difference was because wolf shifters are different.

Now?

After experiencing the relative equality and freedom of Aspen and Westwood?

It's glaringly obvious, disturbingto my core. This is not because we're shifters; it's because of our alpha.

You okay? Selene's voice echoes in my mind, her concern palpable.

| don't answer right away, my eyes still fixed on the scene below. A female | recognize hurries across the street,

her arms laden with bags. She has a few young pups, if | remember her right.

Her mate steps into her path, forcing her to stop short. He says something, his posture aggressive, and the

female shrinks back. Even from this distance, | can see the fear in her body language.

It isn't until an unfamiliar male strides over, breaking up their confrontation, that | realize my shoulders are tense

and drawn up, my fingers gripping the windowsill with all my strength.

The male—a Westwood wolf, I'm pretty sure—saved her for the moment. But when she gets home, her mate will

deal with her then.

I'm not sure what their conflict is, but | can suspect. She's probably defected without him.

| see why the Blackwood situation has taken so much of Lucas' time. It's impossible to walk away from here;

there's always something brewing. Even something as simple as domestic relations in a single home.

"No," | say finally, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not okay."

Talk to me.

| tear my gaze away from the window, turning to face Selene. She's sitting up now, her blue eyes fixed on me

with an intensity that would be unnerving if | didn't know her so well.

"I don't like what | see."

What do you see?

| hesitate, trying to find the right words. "Inequality. Oppression. Fear. The women here have no power. Just like

——

It doesn't makefeel any more benevolent toward Margot, but it does makewonder about the other

females in the pack, and the lives they lead in the shadows.

It is hard to notice what is normal around you, Selene says, her tone matter-of-fact.

"I know. And that's what scares me. How much more do | have to unlearn? How can | be a Luna when | don't

know something this basic?"

You can be a Luna, because you know in your heart right from wrong. She steps next to me, nudging against my

thigh with her furry head. You will have others to guide you. You won't be alone.

Still. It's terrifying.

"But | should have known better. | should have questioned it. | should have—"

Stop. Selene's voice is firm, cutting through my spiral of self-recrimination. You can't change the past, Ava. All

you can do is move forward. And you are. You're not that scared little girl anymore.

I rub her ears, trying to believe her words. But they ring hollow in my aching heart.

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