Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 83

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Chapter 83 Ava: Dr. Ellison's Disregard

| brace myself as the rude doctor turns his attention fully on me. His eyes are cold, assessing, and | feel stripped

bare under his clinical gaze.

"Ava Grey," he says, no longer even pretending to look at my chart. His tone is cold. He's a frigid man of ice, and

| want to take a pickaxe to chip him into tiny little ice pieces that | throw into the toilet.

| straighten my back as best | can around the pain, lifting my chin as high as it can go with the bandages and

pain. | refuse to be looked down on by sasshole with a superiority complex.

| had that enough from my own pack!

His lip curls into a slight sneer. "Let's get one thing straight—you're getting far more care and attention than you

deserve, but you're stable, and you'll be on your way to recovery soon enough. You can thankfor that later."

| shoot Vanessa an incredulous glance, and she rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

Yeah. That's what | thought.

He's just taking the credit for all the work she's put in. | can remember, now, her soft voice just before I lost

consciousness. She was in the car with me, wasn't she? Where was this guy? Probably at home, drinking some

wine and browsing ssort of medical journal.

He looks at Vanessa too, but his face is full of disdain. "Honestly, | don't know why we're wasting resources on a

Blackwood mutt."

The insult stings, but | force myself to keep my expression neutral. | won't give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

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Turning back to me, he levelswith a scrutinizing stare. "Tell me, are you a shifter or a human? Your scent

varies too much forto be certain."

| hate having to tell him anything, but he is the doctor providing care, so | answer. Reluctantly, and only with the

partial truth. "I'm unable to shift."

His lip curls in a sneer of disgust, and he shakes his head. "Figures. A human pet. One of the Blackwood Alpha's

play toys, | bet."

"That's enough, Dr. Ellison," Vanessa interjects, professional despite the ice lining her words. "I won't have you

speaking to my patient that way."

He waves a dismissive hand at her. "Save your fake niceties for someone who cares, Vanessa. This one isn't

worth the effort. Miss Grey, you'll be just fine. Antibiotics, pain meds. That's all you need.

Broth if you're hungry. Now, if you'll excuse me, | have an actual job to do."

Anger flushes Vanessa's cheeks bright red as Dr. Ellison walks away. Her hands are clenched into fists at her

sides. If life was a cartoon, steam would be coming out of her ears.

It warms my heart with a feeling that's a little ticklish and uncomfortable, like a wool blanket. Comfortable and

cozy, until the itch begins.

Vanessa takes a deep breath before turning to face me, an apologetic look on her face.

"Ava, I'm so sorry. His behavior was completely unacceptable. I'm going to report him to Alpha Lucas

immediately. | can guarantee you that kind of disrespect and cruelty won't be tolerated."

My heart sinks at the thought of causing any more trouble or conflict. I've already put Lucas and his pack

through so much just by existing. The last thing | want is to be a burden or a source of .

Reaching out, | grab Vanessa's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Please, don't report him on my account. | don't

want to cause any more friction or problems."

Vanessa's brow furrows, and she looks atwith a mixture of confusion and concern. "Ava, why wouldn't you

want to stand up for yourself? You have Alpha Lucas on your side now. He'll make sure you're treated with the

respect you deserve."

Her words catchoff guard, and | find myself at a loss for how to respond. It's true that Lucas risked

everything to rescuefrom the Blackwood Pack, but aside from feeling immense gratitude, I'm not sure how

I'm supposed to feel about him.

Does him savingreally change the dynamic between us? He made it clear at the Lunar Gala that he wanted

nothing to do with me. And even if he's had a change of heart, I'm still just me. An outcast in my own pack. A

shifter who can't shift.

It feels like a lifetago now that he was trying to reconnect within Cedarwood. | hadn't been ready for

that then, either. Full of suspicion, which seems to be my default.

The logic of my own reasoning rings false now. It makes no sense at all. Lucas went to incredible lengths to get

Surely that has to mean something.

It isn't that his rejection should be erased, but—

He's been apologizing since he foundin Cedarwood.

Is it okay to take his change of heart at face value?

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Not necessarily to accept it all and walk into this connection without a second thought, but to give him a chance

at starting over?

And yet my paranoia simmers beneath it all, questioning why he would change. Why, for someone like me?

After a lifetof being treated like a burden, like a source of embarrassment and shame, it's hard to shake

those deeply ingrained feelings of unworthiness.

I look up at Vanessa, searching for the right words to explain the tangled mess of emotions swirling inside me. "I

don't know," | admit, my voice barely above a whisper.

Vanessa's worry is present in her knitted brows and pursed lips. "I'll suggest therapy along with your physical

injuries. I'm sure there's a lot you aren't telling me. Having no ability to shift in a pack like Blackwood must have

been..." Her voice trails off. "Well, we have sgreat therapists. No one like Dr.

Ellison, and I'm sure he won't be here much longer once Alpha Lucas hears about this."

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Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

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