Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
Lisa shakes her head quickly. “No, no. You need to focus on your mate.” She gestures to the golden wolf still pressed against my side. “This is way more important.”
Rubbing the wolf’s soft ears, I ask, “What have you been up to? Setting in here okay? How about the gnomes? Are they doing okay, too?” I need to be more present in pack life and learn about everything. I’ve spent all my time in this cottage.
Thankfully, the excuse of being newly mated means no one expects to see me around much for the next week or so.
Lisa gives a thoughtful hum. “The Grand Sage is working on a new communications device. He’s still designing it. He thinks he might be able to make, like, a magical smartwatch.”
“Oh?” This is news to me. “That’s fascinating. Does he think he can do it?”
“He does, but says there’s a lot of things to work through. He wants to go to a local human city so we can buy a few watches to work on.”
Kellan’s voice cuts in, his tone a mix of surprise and concern. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.”
Lisa has the grace to look a bit sheepish. “We haven’t brought it up to you yet. It’s all very preliminary.”
A flicker of worry ignites in my chest. I turn to Kellan, searching his face for any sign of how he feels about this. “How safe would it be to do something like that? Going so far out right now.”
He frowns, taking a moment to think. “It’s probably safe, but I can’t guarantee it. Nothing’s certain these days. Still, Sister Miriam mentioned that it’s been quiet.”
I can see the wheels turning in his head as he considers the possibilities. After a moment, he adds, “I could bring along a few wolves for extra protection.”
Relief washes over me. “That’s a great idea.”
Lisa leans against me with a dramatic sigh. “More guards, right?” But her tone is playful, not grumpy.
It’s crazy to think we were both once so angry and frustrated to have guards shadowing our every move. Life can change so quickly.
he wants to insist on going with her. The thought of Lisa venturing out into the human world, even with protection, sends a tendril of fear curling through my gut.
But the Luna can’t just go out on a whim so I can buy a bunch of watches. At this point, something like that is a mission, not an errand. It has to be planned out to keep everyone safe.
I swallow hard, pushing down the urge to be overprotective. “Be careful, okay?”
She punches my shoulder lightly. “I’m always-“
Lucas’ wolf growls, his hackles bristling.
Selene snaps at him, and he flattens to the ground with a whimper.
Lisa snorts. “Never thought I’d see the day a husky can overpower a wolf”
I can’t help but chuckle at Lisa’s comment. It’s truethe sight of Selene dominating Lucas’s wolf form is amusing.
Kellan clears his throat, drawing my attention. “Luna, I’d like to request permission to accompany Lisa and the gnomes into the city for their shopping trip.”
His formal tone catches me off guard. It takes me a moment to remember that as Luna, I have the authority to grant or deny such requests. Yet another massive change.
“Of course,” I say, trying to sound confident. “That’s probably for the best.”
As soon as the words leave my mouth, a wave of anxiety washes over me. Kellan is Lucas’ right hand man, the beta of the pack. He’s been taking care of everything in Lucas’ place. Am I going to be able to handle anything that comes up?
Trial by fire, I guess.
His expression softens. Maybe the panic is written on my face. “Don’t worry, Luna. Vester and Vanessa will be here to help. They’re more than capable of handling things in my absence. And me, Selene points out. But let’s hope nothing happens. I’m ready for a lazy day.
Honestly? Me, too. My body’s exhausted. My heart’s exhausted. Every cell in my body and being wants a beach vacation with no stress, no worries, and no war.
It’s weird to think that a beach vacation like that might not happen for years. Not out of poverty, but because of the state of the world.
“Holy shit,” Vanessa breathes, her eyes wide. “Is that-?”
I nod, unable to keep the smile off my face despite the gravity of the situation. It’s her first time seeing my mate’s new wolf form. “Yep, that’s Lucas.”
Vester takes in the sight of the massive golden wolf sprawled across my living room floor. “How… when did this happen?”
“A couple hours ago,” I say, running my fingers through Lucas’ thick fur. He leans into my touch, a low rumble of contentment vibrating through his chest. “The short version is that we finally tried to unlock his memories, and… well, this was the result. I’m not sure why he looks different now. Maybe Sister Miriam will know. Selene? Do you?”
Hmm, is her nonresponse.
Vanessa takes a tentative step forward, her healer’s instincts clearly kicking in. “Is he okay? I mean, physically and mentally?”
A slight shrug. “Physically, he seems fine. Maybe even better than before. But mentally…” I trail off, glancing at Selene for support.
He’s disoriented, Selene supplies. The wolf is in control right now, but he’s not feral. Just confused. Waiting for Lucas.
I relay this information to Vanessa and Vester, watching as they exchange worried glances.
“Can he shift back?” Vester asks, the surprise on his face now faded back to his usual stoic expression.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. Probably not. His wolf is the one in control right now. Lucas is still healing.”
Vanessa kneels beside Lucas, her hand hovering just above his fur. “May I?” she asks, looking to me for permission.
He lifts his head, surprisingly not growling or upset in any way. Then again, he was only irritated with Lisa; maybe it’s the lack of pack bond that bothered him.
I nod, and Vanessa gently places her hands on Lucas’ wolf body, checking him over with deft, professional movements. “He’s much larger than before, but I’m not sensing any issues in his joints. It’s hard to tell without a full checkup, but I’d say he might be stronger than before.”
I turn to Selene. “You know, it’s really weird to keep calling him ‘Lucas’ wolf’ or just ‘the wolf.’ Doesn’t he have a name?”
Selene’s ears flatten against her head, and I can feel her reluctance through our bond. He did, once. But that was a long time ago.
“Come on,” I prod gently. “What was it?”
Selene huffs, clearly uncomfortable. In our past life, when we were… closer, I called him Aurum.
Ava: His flame
The moment the name leaves my lips, the wolf’s ears perk up. His golden eyes lock onto mine.
“Aurum,” I repeat, more confidently this time. The wolfAurumlets out a soft whine and nuzzles my hand.
“It seems like that name holds some significance, Vester observes.
“It’s from his past life, apparently. The one he shared with Selene.”
Vanessa’s eyebrows shoot up. “Past life? Ava, what exactly happened when you tried to unlock his memories?”
“Oh, no. That’s not from… No.” Pressing a hand to my forehead, all the tidbits of information in my head take a minute to reorganize. I can’t remember who knows what anymore. “Selene has memories of her past life, and she and Aurum were mates then.”
“But how is this possible?” Vanessa steps away from LucasAurumnow that her examination is over, taking a chair at the table. “How can someone remember their past life?”
Glancing at Selene and how her ears don’t even perk up for this conversation, I realize she has no interest in clarifying things. Even to our friend.
So I hedge. “It’s just part of what makes her so special.”
“Aurum,” Vester muses, standing beside his wife as he leans against the dining table, his arms crossed over his broad chest. “That’s Latin for gold, isn’t it? Seems pretty appropriate, considering his new color.”
Is it? I’m not familiar with Latin. They stopped teaching it in school in my parents’ generation, from what I heard.
Glancing at Aurum and his gorgeous golden fur, I point my thoughts to Selene. Is this what he looked like in your past life?
Yes, she says shortly.
Why didn’t you tell me?
But she goes stubbornly silent, leaving me frustrated and answerless.
“But why would his shifted form change?” Vanessa wonders. “I don’t know how the pack is going to feel about this,”
“They’ll all be able to sense he’s Alpha,” Vester says, reaching out to brush some hair from her face. “Don’t be too worried. Can’t you feel it? How strong he’s become?”
“Of course I can, but-” The healer motions in Aurum’s direction, sounding frustrated. “He’s still not present in the pack bond. I tried greeting him when we walked in. Silence.”