Tangled

263 Ava: The Compound

263 Ava: The Compound

My heart thumps hard, trying its best to knock my ribs out of place with excitement. "Is everyone okay?

What's going on?"

Vanessa's eyes unfocus as she communicates with her mate. Waiting is like being bitten by a squad of fire ants, each prickle against my skin beginning to burn as I squirm, impatient for answers.

"He doesn't want to give any answers until we see him, but he said things are stable." There's an uncertain waver in her voice, but I keep quiet as she speaks with Vester, feeling my own unease building.

Stable.

That could mean a lot of things, and they aren't all good.

Marcus stiffens beside me and I glance out the window, expecting to see something on the road.

Nothing.

"There's a few scouts nearby," he says after a long pause. "Vanessa, you sense them?"

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263 Ava: The Compound

"Three," she confirms. "I'm not familiar with them, but I recognize them."

"We're about ten minutes out. We'll run into a few

more waves of scouts, staggered so they can stay in contact." He glances at me. "Like a telephone relay."

"Ten minutes?!" Vanessa frowns. "Vester should have been able to reach me a long time ago."

"I should be able to reach the alpha," Marcus agrees. "But I can't."

"Something's wrong." The healer's look of relief is once again replaced by worry. "This isn't right."

"The area's safe, so just relax until we get there. Someone should be able to give us proper answers then."

I hope he's right.

***

"Shit. Hold on!"

The truck lurches violently, throwing me against the door as Marcus slams on the brakes. Gravel crunches under the tires, and I barely catch myself before my face meets the dashboard.

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263 Ava: The Compound

"Shit!" Vanessa curses, her body sliding across the seat.

My heart races as we careen onto a narrow road I hadn't even noticed. The sudden turn sends a jolt of adrenaline through my system, momentarily

distracting me from the constant itch of magic under my skin.

"Who the hell cut out the seatbelts?" I mutter, rubbing my elbow where it smacked against the door.

Marcus doesn't answer, squinting at the winding gravel path ahead. Trees press close on either side, branches scraping against the truck's exterior. It's a small forest here, much more densely wooded than the places we've passed on our drive.

After what seems like an eternity of bumps and swerves, the forest gives way to a clearing. My breath catches as I take in the sight before us. A cluster of cabins nestles against rolling hills, the structures weathered but sturdy. A creek meanders past, its gentle burble barely audible over the truck's engine.

But it's not the picturesque setting that captures my attention. It's the eerie stillness.

Where's the bustle of pack life? The children playing,

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263 Ava: The Compound

the daily routines that should animate a community? Instead, a group of wolves emerges to meet us, their expressions grim and their bodies bristling with

weapons.

This isn't the Westwood I know. This is a war camp.

The truck rolls to a stop, and I'm out the door before Marcus can fully engage the parking brake. My eyes scan the gathered faces, searching desperately for anyone familiar. Then I spot him, broad-shouldered and steady.

"Kellan!"

I rush towards him, questions tumbling from my lips. before I can even catch my breath. "Where's Lucas? Is he okay? What happened?"

Kellan's face, usually so composed, shows the strain of recent days. He holds up a hand, silencing my barrage of questions. "Ava, there's a lot we need to discuss before I can take you to him." My stomach drops. "But he's here, right?"

He's supposed to be in a hospital, but none of these cottages scream hospital to me. And unlike the Fae Ward. I doubt there's magic here that turns a cozy

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Ava: The Compound

cottage into a giant tower.

"He's here," Kellan confirms, but his tone does little to

reassure me. "And he's... stable. But things are

complicated."

I want to scream in frustration. Complicated doesn't begin to cover the chaos we've been through. I need to see Lucas, to touch him, to know he's really okay.

A movement behind Kellan catches my eye. Another wolf-it takes me a while to recognize Ryder, one of

Lucas' deltas-embraces Vanessa. The reunion of brother and sister would be touching if I weren't so focused on my own mate.

"Where's Vester?" I ask, noticing the absence of Vanessa's mate among the welcoming party.

Kellan's jaw tightens almost imperceptibly. "Come with me," he says, guiding me towards a small cabin set apart from the others. It looks more like a guard post than a home, and my unease grows with each step.

I glance back, seeing Marcus and Vanessa being led in a different direction by Ryder. The separation makes my skin prickle, and I scratch at my arms furiously in an attempt to get rid of the sensation.

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263 Ava, The Compound

They've been with me for so long. Being without them

is weird.

"Kellan, what's going on?" I demand as we approach the cabin's door. "Why all the secrecy?"

He pauses, his hand on the doorknob. "Ava, I need you to understand that everything we're doing is to protect the pack."

"Protect us from what?"

Kellan's eyes meet mine, and the weight of

responsibility in them is staggering. "From forces that want to tear us apart. Both from outside... and within."

He pushes open the door, revealing a spartan interior. A table dominates the small space, covered in maps. and documents. The walls are bare except for a few strategic diagrams and what looks like a duty roster.

"Welcome to the war room," Kellan says grimly.

I step inside, my eyes darting around the room, trying to make sense of the information before me. "You'reContent property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

scaring me, Kellan. What's wrong? Just come out and say it."

He touches a finger to his lips, closing the door and

263 Ava: The Compound

checking the windows. "Soundproof, as long as everything's closed," he explains.

The idea that we would need that kind of precaution in the middle of our own pack has ice blooming beneath my skin. "Kellan. Explain."

His expression softens. "He's been our rock through all of this, Ava. Leading us, strategizing, putting himself on the front lines to protect both our people and innocent humans caught in the crossfire." Pride swells in my chest, but it's quickly tempered by fear. "That's how he got hurt. Protecting humans. Right?"

Kellan nods. "There was an ambush. Lucas took on

multiple opponents to buy time for civilians to escape. By the time reinforcements arrived, he was barely standing."

My throat tightens, imagining Lucas bloodied and outnumbered. "But he's healing, right? Shifter healing should-"

"It's not that simple," Kellan interrupts. "And before we get into that, let me explain the situation. As you can see, Westwood has been taken. But it isn't just us. Your

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263 Ava: The Compound

father and Renard led an army into Blackwood and

took it over. Kellan barely escaped with five other shifters, out of everyone there. Even the woman of

Blackwood were decimated-the ones who defected under Lucas' protection."

My heart stumbles. I never thought they would hurt the people they'd once cared for.

Stupid, to ever think they were capable of such levels of humanity.

"That's terrible."

Kellan takes a deep breath, sitting on the edge of the table and crossing his arms. During the fight for Westwood, the enemy seemed to know our every move. Every time we would move noncombatants to a safe location, there was a breach. Even when we

ordered the humans to evacuate to safety, their escape routes were attacked."

My entire body stiffens. It sounds like he's saying...

No. It can't be.

But he's nodding at the look on my face. "That's right. Westwood has a traitor."

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