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110 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (III)

Lucas’s shoulders stiffen, and he turns to look at the

healer with a frown. “Still no answers?” he asks, his voice rough with disuse.

Vanessa sighs, her expression sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Alpha. We’re doing everything we can.”

Lucas nods curtly and turns back to Ava, his brow furrowed in thought. Vanessa catches my eye over his shoulder and gives me a subtle shake of her head.

At first, I’m confused. But then it hits me–she must be trying to tell me that Ava isn’t pregnant. A wave of relief washes over me, followed immediately by a pang of guilt. I shouldn’t be happy about this, not when Ava is still lying there unresponsive.

But at least it’s one less thing to worry about. One less complication in an already tangled web.

I slump back in my chair, suddenly exhausted. It’s been a long day, and the emotional roller coaster has taken. its toll. I close my eyes, just for a moment, and let the steady rhythm of Ava’s heartbeat lull me into a light

doze.

110 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (1)

I’m not sure how much time passes before I’m startled awake by a soft knock at the door. Vanessa pokes her head in, her expression apologetic.

“Sorry to disturb you,” she says, keeping her voice low. “But I thought you might want to know–Kellan just arrived with Ava’s dog.”

I sit up straighter, blinking the sleep from my eyes.

“Selene’s here?”

Vanessa nods. “He’s got her out in the waiting room. I can bring her in, if you’d like.”

I glance over at Lucas, gauging his reaction. He’s still staring at Ava, but I can see the tension in his jaw, the way his hands clench and unclench around her hand.

But he’s not protesting.

“I think it would be good for her,” I say, since he seems content with letting me make the decision.

Vanessa steps aside as Kellan enters the room, a scrawny silver husky trailing behind him on a leash. For a moment, I’m not sure if it’s really Selene–she looks thinner than I remember from pictures, her fur matted and dull. But then she catches sight of Ava

luing in the hoonital had and late out a high–nitshadProperty of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

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110 Lisa Ava’s Absence (1)

whine that breaks my heart.

Before anyone can react, Selene lunges forward, nearly yanking the leash out of Kellan’s grip. She scrambles

onto the bed, her paws slipping on the crisp white sheets as she tries to get closer to Ava. Lucas starts to rise from his chair, his hand outstretched to shoo the dog away, but I’m faster.

“Wait,” I say, grabbing his wrist. His skin is hot beneath my fingers, and I can feel the tension thrumming through him like a live wire. “I think… I think it might be good for her. To have Selene close.” I can’t admit why, but I can at least try to make it happen.

Lucas turns to me, his eyes flashing with something dark and dangerous. A growl rumbles low in his throat, and I feel my heart stutter in my chest. Oh God. What have I done? The look on his face… it’s like he’s barely holding himself back from tearing me apart.

But I can’t back down now. Not when Ava needs me.

I swallow hard, my grip tightening on his wrist even as my hand trembles. “Please,” I whisper, my voice

cracking. “Just let her stay.”

For a moment Lear

I

110 Lisa: Ava’s Absence (II)

me, his jaw clenched so tightly I’m afraid he might

crack a tooth. Then, slowly, he raises his free hand, and I brace myself for the blow.

But it never comes.

Instead, there’s a sharp snap of teeth, and I realize that Selene has risen to her feet on the bed. She’s standing over Ava’s unconscious form, her hackles raised and her lips pulled back in a snarl. And she’s not just protecting Ava–she’s protecting me too, her body angled slightly to the side to put herself between me and Lucas.

The room falls silent, the tension so thick I can barely breathe. Lucas and Selene stare each other down, husky to wolf. And Selene’s not losing.

I can feel the muscles in Lucas’s arm bunch beneath my fingers, and for a second, I’m sure he’s going to lunge for the dog.

But then, miraculously, he takes a step back. His eyes never leave Selene’s, but he lowers his hand, his fingers uncurling from the fist he’d been making.

“Fine,” he grits out, his voice tight with barely

contained rage. “The dog can stay. For now.”

My knees almost buckle with relief, but I manage to keep standing, walking to the other side of the bed to get away from Lucas.

But Selene doesn’t move. She stays right where she is, her body curved protectively around Ava’s still form. And when she finally lowers her head to rest it on Ava’s chest, I swear I see something flicker in her icy blue

eyes.

“Good girl,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “You stay with her, okay? She needs you.”

Selene’s ear twitches in my direction, but she doesn’t lift her head. It’s like she’s telling me she knows.

Rage simmers around Lucas, but he sits down and holds onto Ava’s hand again, as if he didn’t just cause a

ruckus.

This fated mates shit is for the birds. I thought it was kind of hot before; now, I want to take Ava and run far from this place.

Possessive alphas sound hot in theory, but in real life, they’re a mess.

I sink back into my chair, my legs suddenly feeling like

ially I’m avhausted nhuginally and amationally drained

227 feb in Atense (0)

from the events of the past few hours. But I know I can’t leave Ava’s side. Not now. Not when she needs.

me most.

So I settle in for the long haul, my eyes fixed on the rise and fall of Ava’s chest beneath Selene’s watchful gaze. And I pray to whatever gods might be listening that my best friend will wake up soon.

Because I don’t know what I’ll do if she doesn’t.

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