Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
I’ll be free soon. It’s a mantra I repeat to myself as I cower before the disapproval of the people who are supposed to love me the most.
Mom grabs my chin, forcing me to look left, then right, before giving a slight nod. “At least you no longer look homeless. For Moon’s sake, Ava, you should know how to take care of yourself. How do you think this makes me look, like I’ve taught you nothing? You couldn’t even bring a pair of earrings?”
I refrain from reminding her that she hasn’t taught me anything since the day I turned twelve, and I don’t own a single piece of jewelry. Well, no, there’s one… but somehow, I don’t think the friendship bracelet I made myself when I was thirteen would pass her muster.
Jessa moves on to my makeup, her hands rough as she applies foundation and blush to my skin. I try to stay still, but my nerves are getting the best of me.
“Stop fidgeting,” Mom snaps, her hand coming down hard on my shoulder. “You’re going to ruin everything. Jessa, honey, that shade will make her look sallow. We don’t need her to look ill. Imagine what rumors that would create. As if our pack doesn’t have doctors and hospitals.”
I take a shaky breath and force myself to relax, letting Jessa work her magic. When she’s finished, I hardly recognize the girl staring back at me in the mirror. My skin is flawless, my eyes smoky and alluring, my lips a deep, sultry red.
“There,” Jessa says, stepping back to admire her handiwork. “At least now you don’t look like a complete disaster.”
Mom just sighs. Again. How many has that been in the past hour? Probably at least ten. “It will have to do.”
I stand up, smoothing my hands over the fabric of my dress. My heart is pounding in my chest, and I feel like I might be sick. But I know I have to do this. I have to play the part of the perfect daughter, the obedient wolf, just for one more night.
And then, I’ll be free.
I enter the ballroom later that evening, standing alone behind my family. Dad and Mom lead, and Phoenix escorts Jessa, leaving me to follow, feeling like the ugly duckling in a sea of swans. It doesn’t help that Mom and Jessa are dripping in sparkling jewelry while I haven’t the slightest bit of glittery rocks to my name.
Despite the comparison I can’t help but feel in my bones, the grandeur and opulence of the Lunar Gala take my breath away. Crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a warm glow over the room. The floors are polished marble, and the walls are adorned with intricate tapestries and paintings.
My head swivels more than a weathervane as I look around, my heart pounding in my chest. All I want is to find a quiet corner to hide away, to escape the scrutiny of the other guests. But before I can make my move, my father grabs me by the arm.
“Ava, come along,” he says, his grip tight on my elbow as he steers me towards a welldressed, older man. I think he is a beta from one of the packs, but my heartbeat in my ears makes it hard to focus on any words.
I force a smile, shaking his hand and mumbling a greeting. Then there’s another person. And another. Their names and faces blur in my mind as my father introduces me to more people, each one more forgettable than the last.
A kind of mild, buzzing panic fills my head as I wonder if I will be given any freedom at all. I can feel the walls closing in on me, the air thick with the scent of perfume and the sound of forced laughter.
As we make our way through the crowd, I catch sight of a striking face, studying all of us with unfamiliar intent. He’s old, older even than Alpha Renard, I think, but he has a youthful fluidity to his movements.
My father approaches him with some reserve. “Alpha Steele.”
“Beta Grey,” he responds, his rich voice surprisingly cold.
Dad seems more tense than normal. “This is Phoenix, our alpha heir. Jessa, my daughter. She’s here in search of a fated connection, as it hasn’t coalesced in our pack.”
“A pleasure,” Alpha Steele says, but I notice that he doesn’t extend his hand. Phoenix stiffens, but no one says anything about it.
Dad turns to me, once again gripping my arm, hard enough to bruise as he shot me a hard look, as if to demand I remain on good behavior.
“And this is Ava, my youngest daughter.”
“Pleasure to meet you, Alpha Steele.” I recognize his name now, as the alpha of the Silvermoon Pack. Dad’s over out toward me and I struggle to find something no else to say. “Um, this is all quite beautiful. I’m impressed.”
The older alpha’s eyes linger on me, particularly on the crescent scar beneath my left ear, and I feel a flush creep up my neck. He smiles then, holding my gaze with his own. “Thank you. I am quite happy to meet the mysterious youngest daughter of our esteemed Beta Grey. We’ve been waiting for you to step into the sociopolitical sphere, as it were, of the Northwestern Territories.”
Dad’s glare is hot enough to set my hair on fire. Instead, my neck flushes as anxiety has me tripping over my tongue. “Oh, no, I’m not… I mean, I never had much interest in this sort of thing,” I say, wanting to kick myself for sounding so inexperienced. Then again, what else could possibly be expected of me? My parents have never helped me gain any exposure outside of our pack.
“Please, call me Xavier. My Silvermoon Pack takes pride in hosting the Lunar Gala this year. We are all excited to see the elusive Blackstone Pack here, though. It is quite the coup, as my mate likes to tell me. How are you enjoying it?”
“It’s all quite grand.” I can’t really say much else, considering that Dad’s been dragging me here, there, and everywhere. All I’ve managed to do is shake hands with people I don’t even know. “I’m glad to be here,” I tack on, awkward as ever, trying my best to return his smile.
A little thought jiggles in my brain. He doesn’t seem to like Dad, or Phoenix, or hold the Blackstone Pack in high esteem. Maybe he would be willing to help? But- no, that’s a silly thought. No alpha would shield a defective wolf from another pack.
Alpha Xavier raises his glass toward me, then turns back to Dad. “What a lovely daughter you have, Beta Grey,” he says, his voice deep and filled with some emotion I can’t quite grasp. “She is truly a beauty.”
My father accepts the compliment with obvious reluctance, his grip tightening on my arm. I can feel the tension radiating off of him, and I know he’s not happy with the alpha’s attention.
A handsome young man approaches our group, and I can feel my father’s grip tighten on my arm once more.
“Beta Ashbourne,” Dad says, his tone cold and dismissive. The contrast to his earlier respect for Alpha Xavier is stark,
Jessa steps forward, a vision in her midnight blue gown and wavy platinum blonde hair, a coy smile on her lips. “Hello, Beta. I am Jessa Grey, of the Blackstone Pack. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The man bows slightly, his eyes flickering to me briefly before settling on Jessa. “Kellan Ashbourne, beta of the Westwood Pack. The pleasure is mine.”
I expect him to engage with Jessa, but to my surprise, he turns to me. His hand reaches out, and I extend my own without thinking. He bows over it, his lips nearly brushing my skin, and I feel a shiver run down my spine as our eyes meet. He seems to be scrutinizing me as some sort of curious mystery, and I don’t think I like it.
“And who might you be?” he asks, his voice smooth as silk.
Before I can answer, my father pulls me away, his grip bordering on painful. “This is Ava, my youngest daughter,” he says, his tone clipped. “Ava, why don’t you go mingle with some people your own age?”
It’s a clear dismissal, and I jump at the chance to escape. I nod, mumbling a quick goodbye to Kellan and the others before slipping away into the crowd.
As I navigate the ballroom, I try to act normal, but my mind is reeling. Why had Alpha Xavier and Beta Ashbourne seemed so interested in me? And why was my father so quick to send me away, after dragging me around so much?
I risk a glance back over my shoulder and find Beta Ashbourne watching me, his gaze intense and curious. A foreboding shiver makes its way down my spine, and I wonder what Dad’s real reason is for me attending this gala. Are rumors of his defective daughter causing issues with the other packs? It’s the only thing that makes sense.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. I need to focus on my plan, on finding a way out of this life. I can’t let myself get distracted by the plots humming under the surface of this grand event.
I spend the rest of the evening trying to avoid my family and the curious stares of the other guests. I can feel eyes on me, watching my every move. It’s an intense sensation, like a physical touch, and it makes my belly quiver with unease. I look around frequently, trying to find the source of the gaze, but I never catch anyone in the act. At first, I suspect Beta Ashbourne, yet every time I check, he is always in conversation with someone. I really don’t think it’s him. But who is it?
As the night wears on, anxiety coiled in my belly forces me to find an exit. I need to get out of here, to escape before it’s too late. I slip away from the ballroom, making my way towards the dimly lit garden. The cool night air is a relief after the stuffy atmosphere inside, and I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
There are some couples out here, and noises I never heard before. Still, I’m not innocent enough to not know what they mean, so I avoid them all with embarrassment bright in my cheeks.
I pull out my phone, bringing up the rideshare app. My finger hovers over the button, ready to summon a car to take me to the Moonlight Terrace Hotel. I repeat the name in my mind, a mantra to keep me focused on my goal. I just need to grab my bag, and I’ll be home free. Or, well, homeless. In a good way.
Just as I’m about to press the button, a hand grabs my arm, yanking me back. I let out a yelp of surprise as I’m spun around, coming face to face with a stranger who seems intent to embrace me like a lover. He’s tall and broad, with dark hair and piercing eyes that seem to see right through me. His suit feels more luxurious than anything I’ve ever felt, sliding like silk against my skin.
Something deep inside of me stirs with something unfamiliar. But, like those noises I recognized without ever having heard before, I know what it is.
Desire.
Holy shit.
Could this be?
“Where do you think you’re going, little wolf?” he asks, his voice a low growl that sends shivers down my spine.
I open my mouth to respond, but no words come out. I’m frozen in place, my heart pounding in my chest as I stare up at him. His grip on my arm is tight, almost nainful and I know I’m trapped… torn between a desire to run and a desire to wrap myself around him until he can’t breathe without me.
Please add Tangled in Moonlight to your library so you don’t miss future releases! This also helps me in the Cupids Quill competition!
LUCAS
I stare down at my phone, reading Kellan’s texts with a furrowed brow, tapping my foot against the seat in front of me. I have yet to enter the ballroom, because I don’t like dealing with this kind of shit. The annual fated mate hunt, where barely legal women throw themselves at you in hopes of finding that mystical connection. Fuck that.
[KELLAN: The Blackwood wolves are here, just as we suspected. There are definitely two daughters. The rumors might be true. I’m going in.]
[KELLAN: Keep an eye on the younger daughter. Something’s off about her relationship with her family. Grey just about threw her away when I came up, and he’s trying to get the older one in my pants.]
I’m surprised. It would make more sense if they had aimed for me, as the alpha, but to send Jessa Grey into
Kellan’s arms…
Unless they wanted another daughter. If Grey didn’t want Kellan anywhere near the other one, perhaps it was because he had another target in mind.
If both his daughters were mated to the alpha and beta of my packyeah, I can see the appeal, if I was a twoheaded snake like Grey. He would probably be running my pack within the year, if I were stupid enough to let something like that happen.
He must really think less of me and Kellan for being so young, as if we can only think with our dicks.
Unfortunately for him, I’ve never been tempted to dip mine into poison.
I slip my phone into my pocket and slide out of the car, throwing my halfsmoked cigarette to the ground and crushing it beneath my heel. Smoke wafts out of the car door before I slam it shut, nodding at the shifters stationed by the entrance to the building.
Stepping into the ballroom, I keep to the shadows, avoiding the gazes of the other attendees. The last thing I need is to be accosted by some desperate shewolf looking for a quick lay or a mating bond. I have more important things to focus on, like figuring out what the Blackwoods are up to.
My eyes scan the room, searching for any sign of