Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 44

44 Lucas: Shocking Return

44 Lucas: Shocking Return

LUCAS 

The highway flies by in a blur of white lines and

endless pine forests as I grip the steering wheel tightly with one hand, the other holding a cigarette I

shouldn’t be having. I quit smoking a long time ago, but the past forty–eight hours have been hell.

I didn’t get to see Ava for a couple days after flying out when I got the news that our scout was murdered, his body hanging between the Blackwood and Westwood territories. I don’t even know what Ava thought of my note taped to her dining table, explaining that I’d be back as soon as I could.

Is she grateful I’m not there? Or is she missing me?

My cell phone is pressed between my ear and shoulder while I shout into it in between puffs of the

cancer–causing burn stick I’ve been craving for the past twenty miles,

“I don’t give a flying fuck, Kellan,” I growl, cutting off his protest. “I’m not leaving Washington for the next three days, so don’t even fucking think about calling

14:58

44 Lucas: Shocking Return

me back there.”

“Lucas, come on. The Blackwoods-”

“Aren’t going to do anything first.” My jaw clenches as I take a sharp turn, tires screeching. “You know they’re trying to bait us into the first move. We have no proof the Blackwoods killed him. Until we do, we can’t do shit. And since we can’t do shit, I need to see Ava.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game, Alpha.” Kellan’s sigh crackles through the speaker. “If Blackwood finds out you’re sniffing around Grey’s daughter…”

“He’ll what? Start a war?” I let out a harsh laugh. “He won’t alienate his allies. He’s hoping they’ll help him when the war comes. He won’t take the first step.”

“It changes everything and you know it.”

I can practically hear Kellan’s disapproved frown. He’s been frustrated, saying my obsession with Ava keeps me too far from the pack and the issues going on

there.

He’s not wrong, but nothing is more important than

my mate.

I need to bring her home. Once I do that, everything

14:58

2/9

44 Lucas: Shocking Return

will fall into place.

“I’m going to make things right with her, Kell.” My voice softens as I picture Ava’s face, those wide blue eyes that so easily sucker–punch me with so many feelings. “I’m finally making progress. I’m going to fix this.”

“And if she doesn’t want you back?”

The question hangs heavy in the air, but I refuse to consider the possibility. Ava and I are meant to be together. I can feel it in my bones, in the way my wolf howls for her.

“She will,” I say firmly. “I’ll make her see.”

Kellan mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like “stubborn asshole,” but I choose to ignore it. He doesn’t have a fated mate connection. He doesn’t understand the pull between us, the raw, primal need that consumes me whenever

she’s near.

God, just the thought of seeing her again has me half–hard in my jeans. I shift uncomfortably, trying to adjust myself without taking my hands off the wheel. It’s been months since I last touched her, since I felt

14:58 •

3/9

44 Lucas: Shocking Return

her soft skin under my fingers and tasted her

sweetness on my tongue.

I want her beneath me, writhing and moaning as I claim every inch of her body. I want to bury myself inside her tight heat and make her scream my name until she forgets anyone else ever existed.

A low growl rumbles in my chest as I imagine it: Ava spread out on my bed, her blonde hair fanned across the pillow as I hover over her. I’d take my time with her, worshipping every curve and valley until she’s trembling with need. And when she’s right on the edge, begging for release, I’d finally give it to her, thrusting deep as I spill myself inside her.

Fuck. I’m fully hard now, my cock straining against the confines of my zipper. I press down on the gas pedal, urging the car to go faster. I need to get to Ava now, before I combust from the sheer force of my desire.

“I have to go,” I grunt into the phone, not waiting for Kellan’s response before I end the call and toss it onto the passenger seat.

The “Welcome to Cedarwood” sign flashes by in my peripheral vision, and I feel a sense of anticipation

14:58

44 Lucas: Shocking Return

building in my gut. I’m so close now, just a few more miles until I’m at Ava’s doorstep, ready to grovel at her feet if that’s what it takes.