Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
I must have bitten my tongue.
Shit. They usually wait until I’m home to corner me. Fucking with me on the road so blatantly is new.
My hands shake as I peer out the cracked windshield.
The road ahead is empty. No sign of whatever ran in front of my car.
There’s about zero percent chance it’s anyone other than a Blackwood wolf.
I swallow hard, my heart pounding against my ribs. I need to get home.
At least that way, even if I’m beaten to within an inch of my life, Mom and Dad will call a healer when it gets too bad. They’ve done it before.
Probably because they don’t want to lose their livein maid, but I like to think it’s because they care at least a little bit.
I need to get out of here. Now. Before they come back.
I reach for the keys, still dangling from the ignition. Pain lances through my right wrist and I hiss, cradling it to my chest. Must have sprained it in the crash. Fuck.
Gritting my teeth, I use my left hand to turn the key. The engine sputters and dies. I try again. And again. Each time, I’m met with that same pathetic whine.
“No no no, come on…” Desperation bleeds into my voice. “Please…”
I glance in the rearview mirror, half expecting glowing eyes to materialize out of the darkness. My breathing turns ragged, panic squeezing my lungs.
I’m a sitting duck out here. A rabbit cowering in the open, just waiting for the wolves’ jaws to close around me.
The snap of a branch breaking has me flinching, a whimper escaping my throat. I turn slowly, dread churning in my gut as I peer out the driver’s side window.
That’s when I see them. Two pinpricks of eerie yellow light, hovering at the edge of the trees.
Watching me.
The eyes stalk me from the shadows, unblinking. Unwavering.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
My hands tremble as I turn the key again. The engine sputters, coughs. Please. Please start. I can’t die here. Not like this.
Another turn. A whine. A sputter.
The wolf steps out from the tree line, massive and menacing. Its fur blends with the night, a specter of death and torment.
I can’t make out any distinguishing features in the darkness. No way to know which of my abusers has come for me tonight.
The engine roars to life. Thank God.
I slam my foot on the accelerator, tires screeching against pavement as I peel off down the road. My heart hammers against my ribs, blood rushing in my ears.
In the rearview mirror, I can see the wolf chasing me.
Keeping pace with my car as I navigate the winding roads.
He howls, a promise of pain.
It’s all a familiar, sick game. I hate it. I never know when it’s coming; when someone’s bored enough to begin.
It never ends well though. Not for me.
The streets of my neighborhood come into view. Mom and Dad won’t save me, even if I’m being slaughtered in the front yardbut if I can make it inside, that’s a different story.
No one disrespects the beta’s home.
I whip into an awful parallel parking job, the car jerking to a stop. My hands shake as I fumble for my keys, dropping them twice before I manage to grab them.
I just need to get inside.
Throwing open the car door, I stagger out on trembling legs. The keys jangle in my grip as I stumble towards the front door.
Almost there. Almost-
Keeping pace with my car as I navigate the winding roads.
He howls, a promise of pain.
It’s all a familiar, sick game. I hate it. I never know when it’s coming; when someone’s bored enough to begin.
It never ends well though. Not for me.
The streets of my neighborhood come into view. Mom and Dad won’t save me, even if I’m being slaughtered in the front yardbut if I can make it inside, that’s a different story.
No one disrespects the beta’s home.
I whip into an awful parallel parking job, the car jerking to a stop. My hands shake as I fumble for my keys, dropping them twice before I manage to grab them.
I just need to get inside.
Throwing open the car door, I stagger out on trembling legs. The keys jangle in my grip as I stumble towards the front door.
Almost there. Almost-
I can smell wet fur. And rage.
I spin around, keys clenched between white knuckles. My heart stops.
The wolf stands mere feet away, lips curled back in a snarl. Saliva drips from daggerlike fangs. His russet fur tells me everything I need to know about his identity.
Todd.
He loves to torment me and always has.
But he just watches as I grab the door from behind my back, turn, and rush inside.
Tonight is a reprieve; I’ll take it.
Locking the door behind me, I take a moment to lament the damage to my car. I have no idea how much it will cost to repair my cracked windshield; it’ll eat into the savings I’ve been painstakingly gathering.
Damn it.
“Ava. Come here.”/
Ugh. Straightening my shoulders, I walk toward my parents, worried butterflies floating around in my stomach.
Dad, of course, says nothing about the wolf outside. He doesn’t give a shit. He knows exactly what they do to me; as long as it isn’t in his eyesight, where he has to deal with it, he won’t say a word.
Dad is seated in his favorite armchair, his expression stoic as always. Mom stands behind him, her disapproving stare leveled overmy shoulder. I can’t remember the last time we had eye contact outside of being dressed down.
I bow my head as I enter the room, focusing my gaze on his muddy boots.
I don’t bother greeting him with words. All he wants to see is my submission. Words are a waste of time coming from the lowest ranking member of our pack.
None of them say a word as I cradle my wrist; they’re blind to any injuries or illness I suffer.
He clears his throat. “You will be attending the Lunar Gala this year. I trust you have enough money from your… job to be properly dressed for the occasion. Be grateful that our Alpha allowed you such a luxury.”
My hands tingle with shock, and cold breezes straight through my limbs, shoving past all that anxiety to settle straight into my brain. What?
My heart skips a beat, thuds a little harder, and then skips another. The Lunar Gala. I’ve missed out on it for the past two years.
The gala is a big deal, encompassing the Northwestern Territories. Unmated wolves from all over will be there, hoping to find their fated mates.
Technically, the gala is a way to unwind after the Northwestern Council meets and talks all their pack politicsbut in reality, the Lunar Gala is more of a matchmaking ball. Alliances are made when highranking shifters mate into other packs, and new blood is brought in.