Vanessa sighs, her hand warm and gentle against my back, rubbing in soothing circles. "Ava, understand that you can be wrong, even when you're right. Or right, even when you're wrong."
A laugh bubbles up, hysterical and wild. "That makes no sense."
"You chafe under his protection. You feel caged, right?"
A quick nod. Of course. That much is obvious.
"It's okay to feel that way. It's normal, even. But is Lucas wrong to keep your safety in consideration?"
Selene sighs, bumping her head against my legs, and I tug at one of her ears. "No, of course not."
"The party was a terrible misfortune. None of us expected a vampire attack on pack lands. For something like this to happen…" Her words trail off, and she glances away. "I don't even know how long it's been. We knew Blackwood was working with the Unregistered in some way, but to have this level of alliance is unheard of."
