Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“And you work for them?”
“No! We resist. We don’t follow their rules.”
My eyes narrow. Considering the situation, it’s hard to believe she wouldn’t be part of this New Order. “And what are their rules?”
“Registration. Monitoring. Control.” She ticks them off like items on a grocery list. “Everyone has to be tagged. Everyone has to be tracked. Everyone has to follow their hierarchy.”
A government shadow organization, supernatural registration, hierarchical control—so, this New Order is definitely the strange supernaturals who’ve taken over the White House.
“Are you going to eat me now?” Pip’s voice wavers despite her attempt at bravado. Her chin tilts up, but her bottom lip trembles.
My hand drops from her throat. A deep sigh escapes me as the weight of her words settles into my bones. “Why were you heading to The Rejects if you’re not working with the New Order?”
Her eyes dart between me and my pack, lingering on each wolf before snapping away. Every time she looks at Vester, she flinches. The chains on her clothes jingle with each nervous shift.
“Are you—” She swallows hard. “Are you friends with the wolf who can’t walk?”
My muscles lock. The image of Jericho’s empty wheelchair flashes through my mind.
“Yes.”
Relief floods her features, followed by a spark of pride that straightens her spine. “I was going to help them evacuate.”
My eyes meet Vester’s. The same realization hits us both—this child has no idea Jericho and the others are already gone.
Vester murmurs, The button could be part of an emergency system. But why would Ryder’s scent follow it?
“Come here.” I grab Pip’s arm, gentler this time, and pull her toward the spot where we found the button. My boot sweeps away dead branches and snow until the device sits exposed. “This. Is this what makes the light turn green?”
Pip’s chains rattle as she leans forward, purple hair falling across her face. Her brows knit together, confusion replacing her earlier fear. “Why is it here?”
“What do you mean?”
“This is nowhere near The Rejects.” She crouches down, fingers hovering over the metal surface. “No wonder the coordinates were so off.”
“Coordinates?”
“Yeah. Every one is placed at a set coordinate. It helps with the transport spell. This one should have lead to The Rejects.”
“Don’t touch it,” I warn as her hand drifts closer to the device. “We don’t know what it does.”
“It’s just a beacon,” she explains, but pulls her hand away obediently.
A sigh escapes my lips. This child knows more than she realizes, but getting information from her is like pulling teeth. Beside me, Vester shifts back to human form with practiced ease.
Pip’s shriek pierces the air as she spins around, hands flying to cover her eyes. Her chains jingle with the sudden movement.
“Oh, Goddess and Immortals, oh Royal King, why are there naked people?”
Neither Vester nor I react to her dramatics. Humans are as prudish as she is. The delta grabs a pair of pants from our supply pack, the same one I used earlier, and pulls them on with efficient movements.
“Have you heard of a wolf named Ryder?” Vester’s voice carries authority despite having just shifted.
Pip keeps her hands firmly planted over her face, her shoulders hunched. “I don’t have clearance for names.” Her voice comes out muffled through her fingers. “Is everyone dressed now?”
The way she says it, like a scandalized old woman rather than the teenager she appears to be, almost makes me smile. Almost. But the mention of clearance levels catches my attention. It implies a strict hierarchical structure, one that even extends to their resistance movement.
“You can look now,” I say, though my mind races. “What do you mean by clearance levels?”
Her fingers part slightly, one purple eye peeking through to verify we’re decent before she drops her hands. The chains on her clothes settle with soft clinks.
“Everyone has levels. Even in the resistance. Information is compartmentalized.” She tugs at one of her chains nervously. “I just know what I need to know to do my job, but I’m a grunt, so it isn’t much. Are you still going to eat me?”
I sigh. “No.”
LUCAS
The fabric of my shirt slides over my skin as I dress, keeping an eye on our unexpected guest. Pip huddles against a tree, her small frame almost disappearing into the shadows. Her purple hair stands out against the white snow, making her look even more like a lost child than she already does.
“You mentioned clearance levels.” Vester’s tone stays gentle, but I catch the sharp edge underneath. “How many are there?”
Pip pulls her knees closer to her chest. “I can’t tell you that.”
“We’re on the same side here.” Vester crouches in front of her, maintaining a respectful distance. “Fighting against the New Order.”
“Maybe.” Her chains jingle as she shifts. “But that doesn’t mean I can share everything.”
My boots crunch in the snow as I approach them. “Loyalty is admirable, but it can get you killed if misplaced.”
“Better dead than a traitor.” Her voice carries conviction way beyond her years, even as it shakes. She seems to have realized we won’t kill her, but she isn’t certain of it, as her eyes dart between us and into the shadows, where my wolves have disappeared.
Vester glances at me, his expression grim. “At least tell us who you answer to.”
Pip’s face disappears behind her knees. “I don’t know.”
“You’re lying.”
Her head snaps up, eyes flashing. “I’m not. We don’t all know everything about everyone. It’s safer that way.”
“Safer for whom?”
“For everyone.” She tugs at one of her chains, wrapping it around her finger. “If someone gets caught, they can’t reveal what they don’t know.”
Smart. Dangerous, but smart. The resistance has clearly learned from past mistakes. I button up my shirt, considering our options. “The beacon you mentioned—“
“I didn’t mention it. You did.”
Her focus on semantics causes Aurum to grumble in my head. He’s still not convinced she’s an ally, insisting on coming out to frighten her.
It works for pups, he says, snapping at mental air.
She isn’t pack. We need her to trust us.
Deciding to give a little honesty, I kneel in front of her as Vester walks away to get dressed as well. We’ll both remain in human form to keep watch over her; the others have melted into the shadows, watching but silent, in hopes she’ll be less afraid.
I meet her eyes. “The Rejects has been attacked. There’s no one there anymore.”
The color drains from her face. “What?”
There’s no way I can give a child like her details. She’s young enough without those nightmares. “Everyone’s gone.”
Pip’s fingers tug at her bottom lip, her eyes distant as she processes the news. “N-No, that’s not possible. We were careful. So careful.”
She’s lying.
You think everyone’s lying, I tell Aurum.
Because they usually are.
He has a point. Still, something about the raw fear in her scent gives me pause.
She knows more than she’s saying. Aurum paces in my mind, his hackles raised. Look at her face.
I see it. She doesn’t look as devastated as she should, though she continues to pluck at her bottom lip, and her entire body still trembles.
Vester steps closer, his boots crunching in the snow. Do you trust her?
No. But I don’t think she’s dangerous.
You’re soft, Aurum growls. A child doesn’t mean innocent.
I know that, too, but…