Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 297 Ava: Marked

There's something different in his kiss, in the way his fingers dig into my skin. Every stroke of my hands has his

eyes half-closed, a low groaning rumble spilling from his throat.

The power I hold with my touch leavesfascinated, even as a heat deep within urgesto lie back and let

him claim me.

Exploring the velvet heat of him is thrilling, but he yanks my hands off his cock and flipsover, trapping me

beneath the weight of his body.

"Stop," he growls against my ear. "Or this'll be over before it even starts."

My laughter is breathless and quickly turns into a moan as his lips trail kisses down my back. There's a fire

building inside me, spreading through my veins like a drug. I'm so sensitive to his touch, the pleasure is almost

painful.

| want to claw my skin off. To meld into his body until we're one. | want him to kiss everywhere at once. He

doesn't have enough hands for the desire exploding through me, the wetness pooling between my legs.

His hands grip my hips, fingers digging in hard, probably leaving bruises. | shove my ass back, wanting contact.

Wanting him inside.

| can't handle any more teasing.

His whisper is hot and dark against my ear. "You like this, don't you? Knowing how much | want you?"

My throat is dry, and | can barely think straight as the bond between us pulses with need. "Yes," | rasp out.

"Please, Lucas."

The side of my neck is on fire, wanting his attention. Wanting his kisses, the warmth of his tongue, his teeth.

Desperate to be marked.

A low curse escapes his lips, and then his hand is around my throat, leaving my heart fluttering in my chest. The

strength in his fingers is a thrill, as if my life is in his hands.

His knee pries my legs apart as he yanks my hips further back, his cock nudging against my entrance. "Mine," he

grits out.

"Yours," | whisper, arching my head back and thrusting my neck further into his grasp. His fingers tighten for a

moment, makingshudder beneath his grasp.

"Mine," he growls again, and | whimper as he thrusts into me, fillingwith a harsh, primal need that matches

my own.

| can't think beyond raw, blazing pleasure, like fire raging beneath my skin. The way he holds onto my throat, the

way his other hand digs into the tender skin of my hips—it makesache for his mark. His bite.

For the pain and pleasure.

I need it.

| want to be his in every sense of the word. | want him to dominate me—to take what's his. | can't speak, | can

barely breathe as our bodies merge and my desire burns hotter than ever before.

I love the possessive way he holds me, the way he growls against my neck as our bodies find a brutal rhythm.

His thrusts are hungry and desperate, just like mine. He fills me, stretches me, sears every inch of my body with

his need.

| can feel his teeth graze my neck again, a promise of what's to come. "Ava," he grunts, his voice raw, and |

know he's struggling to hold back. "I need—fuck, | need to—"

| can barely hear him through the blood pounding in my ears, through the exhilarating joy of the bond that's

screaming for him to mark me. "Please, Lucas. Please. Take me. Makeyours."

His body tenses above me, every muscle strained as his control snaps. With a low, guttural snarl, his teeth sink

into my neck, claimingas his mate.

It's blinding—the pleasure and pain merge into something indescribable. | can feel his teeth dragging across my

flesh, the searing fire of his mark, the way it burns.

My back arches off the bed, my body trembling, every nerve screaming, and it feels like I'm flying apart. His

ntears from my throat as the world shatters and reforms around us. I'm drowning in sensation, in the bond

that's crying out for completion.

In our bond, finally whole.

It's not just lust and desire anymore—it's a deep, unbreakable link. Our souls are intertwined, and I can feel him

as surely as | feel myself. The emptiness in my head shatters as the warmth of his presence intrudes.

And something else. The faint sense of something missing finally returning. A voice | don't recognize, but

unmistakable in its source.

His wolf surges forward with a deep growl, and | can feel his golden eyes in my head as Lucas slams into me

again, pleasure coming now from both mind and body.

Mate, his wolf rumbles, and | cry out.

| can't even think as he pushesfurther and further, the primal need taking over as the pieces of our bond

settle into place. It's like the world explodes around us, my back arching as | cry out his name.

| don't even realize tears cover my face until he spinsaround, wrapping holdingtight as | sob into his

chest.

Everything is just... too much.

My mind and heart are too full.

Lucas strokes my hair, soft whispers | can't quite decipher pouring out of him. | can feel our combined presence

still reeling from what just happened, a whole new depth added to our bond as | breathe in his warmth.

| feel so exposed and vulnerable, but | don't want him to let go. | need his touch, his scent, his closeness.

His wolf is right there too, warm in my mind, nuzzling against us both. | can feel his adoration and love, and it

sends another burst of warmth through me.

Mine, his wolf says, his voice deep and rumbling. My mate.

A new presence in my mind finally completes that last bit of us, soothing the overstimulation of this new bond,

sliding in with a curious atmosphere.

Ava? Selene's voice has my heart flipping with joy. | see you've finalized the bond.

Lucas goes stiff. "That voice—is that your wolf?"

"Selene. Yes."

Glad | didn't get here a few moments ago, Selene mutters. That would have been awkward.

A laugh bubbles up in my chest. Are you almost here?

Almost. Soon. She sounds annoyed, and | can distinctly sense Lucas' wolf trying to get her attention.

The presence is fading, and | smile at Lucas. His wolf isn't gone. The relief | feel is overwhelming.

"I wonder where mine is," Lucas says, making the smile freeze on my face.

"Where your what is?"

"My wolf."

He shifts to sit against the head of the bed, pullingmore comfortably into his lap as he strokes my hair.

"You can't hear him?" He was just talking in my head, though. | heard him. He was there.

"No. He's gone."

"But—" | try reaching in my head, but his wolf's presence has faded. Selene, can you sense him?

Of course. He won't stop botheringnow. She sounds resigned.

Lucas can't hear him.

So I'm hearing.

"Can you still hear Selene?"

He shakes his head. "No. It was just for a moment. Everything's quiet again in my head."

I'll be there soon, Ava. Just make sure you're both dressed when | get there.