Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 125

125 Ava: Negotiating the Invitation

125 Ava: Negotiating the Invit tion

The ominous text halts me in place, and Lisa peers over my shoulder.

“A candle?” she asks, confused.

Oh, right–I haven’t spoken to her yet about my revelation of Sister Miriam’s words at our parting. Only

Selene knows.

Catching Lisa’s eye, I give a quick shake of my head and slide the phone into my pocket. Kellan’s in the distance, walking toward us.

Lisa, as quick–thinking as ever, grabs onto my arm again and returns to her ruminations about the party. By the time the beta’s near us, his face is

thunderclouds and lightning.

“No way,” he announces, before Lisa can even say anything.

Undeterred, Lisa stands straight, toe–to–toe with him in a way I see far too often. These two will never get along. “I’m not asking, Beta Ashbourne. I’m informing you. Friday will be busy. We’re going to a party.”

125 Ava: Negotiating the Invitation.

“Absolutely not.”

“Stop treating us like prisoners!”

“You aren’t prisoners,” he refutes immediately. “We’re doing our best to keep you safe. A party? That’s not safe.”

“That’s not safe,” she mimics, rolling her eyes. “So, what, we’re going to be stuck in my apartment forever? We can’t live at all? Can’t do anything? Because to me, it sounds like you’re saying Westwood is a bunch of weak–ass wolves who can’t protect two little girls in their own territory.”

She’s a spitfire, Selene approves, back in my head again. Her marathon must be over.

Every word is, of course, calculated to sting at the beta’s pride. Kellan’s jaw sets in a way that I see far too often these days, and he gives up arguing with Lisa to turn to me, instead. “With the situation at

Blackwood…”

“I agree with Lisa,” Interrupting him before he can continue is the best way. While I’m doing better at standing up for myself, I’m not great at arguing when they bring up good points, like how unnecessary a

13:43

125 Ava: Negotiating the Invitation

party might be compared to my life.

It’s not that I disagree. It’s just that I can’t live like this forever, and things need to change.

“You can’t hide me away forever. It’s worse than being home. At least I used to have a job and some freedom there.”

Kellan’s flinch and agonized look bring that familiar feel of guilt to my stomach.

Don’t, Selene says, her voice in my mind soft and soothing. You are not wrong in the words you speak. Do not walk them back. It’s okay to feel the way you do. 

If she were with me, I would pet her and hug her with gratitude. But she’s not, so I settle for sending her my intense feelings of love and appreciation through our bond.

Kellan groans, running a hand down his face. “Lucas is going to kill me,” he mutters under his breath, but I catch it anyway.

Exasperation floods through me. “He has no reason to.”

13.43 –

125 Ava: Negotiating the Invitation

“You’re the alpha’s mate,” Kellan sighs.

That familiar phrase grates against my nerves like sandpaper. “I’m not his mate, Kellan. How many times do I have to say it?”

He looks at me, exasperated. “Denial only goes so far,

Ava.”

Still, that frustrating inability to see me as anything other than my supposed rank. The one they’ve already decided on, despite my own feelings not being clear. I clench my jaw, standing my ground. “No. I’m sick of this. I’m sick of constantly being thought of as his mate instead of being treated like a person. My name is Ava. Not ‘Lucas’s mate. I’m more than just an accessory to

Good, Selene says in my mind, her presence a comforting warmth. Stand up for yourself.