All my thoughts circle into so sort of insane lodrama right out of Selene's favorite TV show, and I slap my hands against my face, rubbing hard against my cheeks, as though I can push the tears right back into my eyes.
"Sorry," I say, as Lucas rests a worried hand against my back, stroking like you would pet a puppy. It's cute. He doesn't seem to know what to do with , while I'm just grateful that he's trying.
Once I'm sure my tears are gone, I smile up at him. "I'm just frazzled."
"You've been through a lot. Did I upset you when I took the phone call?"
"No!" The word bursts from in horror. Does he think I'm that kind of person, who gets upset when he has to do important things instead of watching sit in a hospital bed? "Not at all."
He blows out a breath in what I'm sure is massive relief. No one wants a mate that high maintenance. "Are you upset that I have to leave?"
I cringe. "It isn't that." I just ca to so insane levels of assumptions. "Why… do you have to go?"
"Ah." Now he looks uncomfortable, and takes a seat on my bed, grabbing my hand.
Oh, God. This can't be good.
"Once we were safe, Kellan—my beta—led a force of my n into the heart of the Blackwood pack." I must not look devastated enough, because he clarifies, "In an act of war."
Since he seems to want so sort of input from , I nod to show that I'm following.
"Unfortunately, in the chaos, your family and Alpha Renard escaped, but the territory is under our control."
I nod again.
"We took over your pack," he says, as if I'm not understanding.
"I heard you." I tilt my head. "I don't care what happens to them." Too bad all the important people escaped.
"Your mother is in the hospital. She's in critical condition due to the wolfsbane I injected her with."
I think I'm probably supposed to feel a lot of things right now. Like sadness, anxiety, worry, or other emotions that would be applicable to a good daughter.
Instead, there's a huge demon of vengeance in my soul that is happy at his words.
"Oh," I say, because I don't want to show my possible future mate that I'm a raging psychopath. He's treating so carefully as he tells all these things, and not a single one has fazed.
Lucas reaches for my hand, sliding his rough fingers between mine. He must think I need comfort, and I'm not sure how to break it to him.
"I have to go because there's a lot of work to be done. We are working on disavowing every wolf from the Blackwood Pack and integrating them into ours, or letting them go as rogues. I'll be back every few days. Right now, another alpha is helping keep things in control over there, but I can't just let other people do my work for , even if I want to stay here."
He looks agonized, and I don't resist the urge to reach out and rub the lines on his brow. "You'll do great," I assure him. "But before you go, I have to tell you sothing."
My stomach twists. The "other alpha" must be Clayton; that's why he called. Maybe Clayton doesn't realize who I am yet, but they'll figure it out soon. I have to head this off before he goes.
Lucas checks his watch. "I only have a few minutes. There's a flight tonight that I have to make."
"A few minutes is all I need. I just need you to promise to listen without getting too upset."
His hand tenses, but his face is admirably calm with my words. "Whatever you have to tell , don't worry, Ava. I won't think less of you."
His words seem odd, but I don't have ti to worry about them. "When I was taken from Cedarwood, it wasn't by my family."
Surprise has his fingers going slack against mine, and his brows co together in thought. "No? Then who…?"
I take a deep breath. "There were so rogues in Cedarwood who caught my scent. I was going into heat—"
"How can you go into heat without a wolf?" Lucas asks, and I freeze.
"How do you know about that?"
His eyes et mine, unwavering. "At the Gala, I'd been under the impression you were working with your family—with the alpha of your pack."
So that's why he looked at with such intense hatred.
"After the Gala, I looked into you. It took us a long ti to get soone into the pack to get the information, but I heard that you were wolfless and not treated well because of it."
There's regret all over his face, and his thumb rubs over the back of my hand, over and over, in silent contrition.
"I'm so sorry, Ava. If I had just kept my head out of my ass, I would have brought you back with that night. You would have been safe. I was so focused on how I felt about your alpha that I didn't stop to think that I should have trusted in my fated mate."
I look down, guilt stabbing into with even more fervor.
"The past is the past," I murmur, shoving aside mories of the deep pain that ached in my chest every day for months.
"Yes," he agrees, with such relief that tears co to my eyes. I hope he's as fervent about this once I get the words out.
"So… I was going into heat, and so rogues found . They kidnapped off the street, calling an oga."
Lucas leans forward, taking in a deep whiff of my scent with a frown. "Oga? A true oga? You've never slled like one. In fact, aside from slling like all the wolves you surround yourself with, you never slled much like a shifter at all… Sothing I should have recognized earlier."
I shrug. "Apparently, I sll like one when I'm in heat."
He nods, accepting this without comnt. Being wolfless ans nothing makes sense. "How did you get away?"
"I was in the car with them, and the local pack ran us off the road. I had a few injuries and was brought to their pack hospital."
"Wait, the local pack—Aspen?" He stiffens, suspicion finally dawning.
I squeeze his hand. "They had no idea who I was. I only gave them my first na. But, I went into a severe heat. It was affecting everyone around ."
He doesn't withdraw his hand, but it goes slack, his face expressionless and he begins to truly process my words. His eyes go for my neck, but everything is covered beneath bandages.
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