Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
When I glance at her side profile again, I can see the faintest smile curving her lips.
“People are noticing, Ava. You don’t need to be so apologetic that you lose sight of who you are. Making mistakeeven a terrible onedoesn’t mean that you lose the right to be yourself. Okay?”
On
Her words make sense, but it still seems wrong.
Thinking of myself too much is what got me into trouble in the first place, isn’t it?
But I tuck Vanessa’s words into the back of my mind, ready to think over them later.
For now, I’m trying to enjoy the peace. Trying not to think about things I should probably think about.
Then again, maybe I don’t need to.
She hasn’t mentioned Mom, or how I’m dealing with her death. Maybe it’s okay to just… ignore it for another day.
Deal with it tomorrow.
Picking up my cup from beside me on the bench, I take another sip of the now lukewarm hot chocolate.
Vanessa glances over. “Want me to heat that back up for you?”
Shaking my head, I offer a small smile. “No, it’s fine. I’ll be done with it soon.”
“Mm. It tastes best when it’s too hot to drink, but it’s impossible to enjoy it when it burns your tongue.
“Exactly.”
Just as I’m about to take another drink, a commotion erupts from the side of the garden. Three guards rush over, their postures tense and alert as they d
My heart nearly stops when I hear the familiar voice respond, “Oh, dear. Am I in the wrong place?”
. “Ma’am, can you explain how you entered pack lands without detection? And how you made it all the way to the alpha lodge?”
There’s suspicion thick in his voice, and I see Vanessa tense from the corner of my eye. Mrs. Elkins looks around at the hostile faces, bewilderment plain on her features.
“Ava, dear, are you in some sort of trouble?”
Glancing at my guards, all on alert and intent on saving me even from a little old woman, I sigh.
Their questions are imminently reasonable, and I’m wondering the same things. Not to mentionSelene’s hiding under the bench is beyond suspicious.
I can’t shake the feeling that I’m about to hear answers I’ll regret having heard.
No matter how I look at this situation, for an old woman to have accidentally stumbled onto me here, a thousand miles away, without knowing my true identity…
There’s something more going on.
Straightening my shoulders, I take a deep breath, ready to side with my bodyguards against the sweetest woman in the world.
“No, Mrs. Elkins. But we are going to need some answers.”
She hugs her parcel a little closer to her chest, looking over each of my bodyguards in turn, before nodding to herself. Her faded eyes crinkle at the corners as she offers them
I never expected to add my former boss being held up by a flock of bodyguards, a solid thousand miles from Cedarwood, to my list of fucked up shit that
So it takes a minute for me to process what I’m hearing.
“Mrs. Elkins?”
Selene flattens against the ground, her ears going back as she bellycrawls her way to my bench.
Her bizarre demeanor doesn’t even register in my head, because- well, frankly, she’s been weird as hell for the past several hours.
“Ava! My dear girl.”
Those familiar rheumy eyes and her welcoming smile have me so intensely, terribly homesick for Cedarwood that I have to blink like a maniac to keep th
Vanessa follows behind as I push my way through the bodyguards, who refuse to let me get too close.
“Calm down, boys. She’s a friend of our Luna.”
Vanessa’s at least forty years younger than any of these men, but they respond to her words anyway, letting me through their -human barricade.
I’ve got to figure out how to wield whatever flimsy authority I have. Even Vanessa gets people to listen to her. Granted, she’s a healer- no one wants to get on a healer’s bad side. Not even the alpha.
Reaching the old woman, I can see that she’s carrying a huge parcel, hugging it to her chest.
“Ava, my dear. Are you all right?”
Her hand shakes as she reaches for my face, as though reassuring herself I’m really alive.
“I’m fine.”
I grasp Mrs. Elkins’ hand in mine. It’s delicate and fragile, her paperthin skin soft against my palm. My mind is still working at wrapping itself around her being here, in the flesh, a thousand miles from home.
“How did you get here, Mrs. Elkins? I mean, not that I’m not happy to see you, but… how?”
She sighs, the sound weary and drawn out. “Oh, Ava, it’s a story for the ages. But that can wait.” Her eyes, sharp despite their age, sweep over me with a critical gleam. “You’ve lost weight, Ava. Have you been eating properly?”
I shake my head, a rueful smile tugging at my lips. “Actually, I’ve gained weight. Even though I look skinnier. Must be all the muscle I’ve put on during tra
Her brows knit together in concern. “And you’re here of your own will? These people…” She glances warily at the stoic bodyguards flanking us.
“No, no, Mrs. Elkins,” I assure her quickly. “None of these people are the ones who took me from Cedarwood. I promise.”
She frowns at the bodyguards, their impassive stares unwavering under her scrutiny. Vanessa mutters something about bull headed men before turning to Mrs. Elkins with a polite smile. “Why don’t we head inside? I’m sure you’ve had a long journey.”
The bodyguards tense, their postures shifting subtly to block the path. Vanessa’s eyes narrow, and she takes a moment, her gaze unfocused. Mind linking, I realize. Probably with Jericho.
“Jericho will be here shortly,” she explains to Mrs. Elkins, her tone apologetic. “But I’m afraid we can’t let you inside without approval from the head of security. Protocol, you understand.”
Mrs. Elkins titters, waving a hand. “Of course, of course. I understand completely.” She reaches into her pocket, pulling out a small ziplock bag. “Here, Ava. I brought you some of your favorite cookies. Homemad
My heart swells at the gesture, and I reach for the bag with a smile. “Thank you, Mrs. Elkins. You have no idea how much I’ve missed-“
Before my fingers can close around the bag, it’s snatched out of my hands.
you w
I whirl on the bodyguard in question. “What the hell? Give that back!”
He meets my glare with a stoic expression. “I’m sorry, Luna, but we’ll have to check these for safety before you can have them.”
“Safety?” I echo, disbelief coloring my tone. “Mrs. Elkins would never hurt me. She saved me in Cedarwood. She’s a genuinely good person.”
Another guard steps forward, professional and blankfaced as he addresses Mrs. Elkins’t run into anyone on my way here.
My brows knit together in confusion. If she didn’t walk through the pack lands, then how did she get here? There’s no way she could have made it to the
The bodyguards share my bewilderment, their postures tense and wary.
Vanessa steps forward, her voice gentle but firm. “Mrs. Elkins, I’m afraid we don’t understand. How did you get to the alpha lodge if not through the pack lands?”
Mrs. Elkins chuckles, the sound warm and familiar, and I feel a pang of homesickness so intense it steals my breath. “Oh, I came directly from Cedarwoo
Straight from Cedarwood? That’s impossible. Cedarwood is a thousand miles away. There’s no way she could have just appeared here, unless…
My thoughts are interrupted by Mrs. Elkins’ voice, soft and knowing. “Ava, dear.”
I meet her gaze, and there’s a glimmer in her eyes that I can’t quite place. Something ancient and wise, a secret knowledge that I’m not privy to.