Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
It isn’t until Kellan and Jericho leave that the tension in the room. dissipates.
Lucas sits beside me, petting Selene with absentminded strokes of his hand, oblivious to how her hackles raise at his touch.
Watching him process the events of tonight, the long arguments between the three men, I can see his exhaustion in the wrinkles around the corners of h in his mind.
The old Jericho is wise, Selene muses, her voice echoing through my mind. Lucas never took advantage of the resource right in front of him. He should
The dynamic between the three of them is odd. Jericho seems. command respect from both the pack and Lucas himself, yet at times, he’s dismissed as nothing more than an old wolf. Kellan se
Selene’s curiosity mirrors my own.
to
It should all be set aside in order to work together against the enemy. Someone like Jericho should have been leading tonight. It is. odd, his place in the
Lucas lets out a heavy sigh and reaches for me, pulling me into his lap and resting his chin atop my head. The warmth of his embrace envelops me, a momentary respite from the chaos of the night.
“Were you scared?” he asks softly, his breath tickling my ear. “When
Sister Miriam came?”
I hesitate, searching for the right words. “I was worried,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper. “But I truly believe that Sister Miriam doesn’t mean us
Lucas tenses, his arms tightening around me.
“She has a plan, though,” I continue, choosing my words carefully. “And I’m not sure if it’s a plan we should support. I don’t know what it means for our p
“Everything’s falling apart,” Lucas mutters, his voice laced with. frustration. “My authority and strength is undermined with these attacks on our land.”
Twisting in his lap, I meet his gaze with a reassuring smile. “You’re doing great, Lucas. But maybe… Just maybe, you should listen to the people around
I don’t want to say Jericho’s name out loud, feeling like those waters are too deep for me to dip my toes into.
A flicker of amusement dances in his eyes, a brief respite from the gravity of our situation. “You just want to run headfirst into danger again, don’t you?”
Selene sneezes.
Shaking my head, my expression turns serious. “No, Lucas. I don’t want to go into danger. I’m starting to understand the immense responsibility you hold
The words tumble out of me, a confession long overdue, as I lower my gaze to his chest.
He’s still shirtless from his shifting, but our fated bond is quiet, content to let the gravity of the moment reign. It’s a relief to be close to him without desire
Or is it because I’ve finally accepted the bond in its entirety? My place within the pack? The responsibilities of Luna?
“I’m sorry, Lucas. I’m sorry for my demands and for holding myself apart from the pack. As your mate, know I fall short. I haven’t been the partner you ne centered and shortsighted.”
Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I refuse to cry.
I don’t want him to respond out of guilt for my emotions; I want him to hear my apology. Not shrug it off because he just wants me to be happy.
Lúcas cups my face, his calloused hands gentle against my skin. “Ava,” he whispers, his voice filled with understanding and love.. “You’re not falling sho
“No.” I push his hands from his face as gently as I can manage, though I thread our fingers together. No sense in having him think I’m pushing away or d I was too desperate and self absorbed to see anything except what was in front of me. All I cared about was not being hurt again, or losing the independence I’d fought so hard for. T
Lucas rests his forehead against mine, his breath fanning across. my face. “I don’t want you to worry about these things, Ava.”.
I shake my head, determined to make him understand. “You have to stop treating me like glass, Lucas. I need to shoulder the responsibilities of the pack with you, or else we’ll never progress Dast where we are. And you’re right: I shouldn’t just run off and summen Sieter Muriam without telling you.” My lips quirk, and so do his. A moment of humor shared in this distressing day.
I know you want to keep me safe. But that doesn’t mean that sitting in my room and being protected is the only other option for my life”
A sigh escapes his lips, and he nods slowly. “I’ll try.”
“I don’t want to be brought into the pack until they’ve accepted me as Lama, either, I continue, my voice firm despite the racing of my heart. “I need to sh same person I was before. I don’t want them to feel I’m a choice that’s been shoved down their throats.”
Lucas opens his mouth to protest, but I cover it with my hand, silencing him. “I already know how they feel about me, Lucas. I have a lot of growing to do
He kisses my hand, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Okay.”
He’s not really okayI can see how little he likes that idea. Becoming pack is one step closer to completing our mating bond, and I’m pushing that off.
But I hope he understands that it isn’t him I’m avoiding.
This time, when I enter my pack, I want to do so with my head high, knowing I belong.
Knowing that they’ll have my back, and I’ll have theirs.
LISA
Eternity is a bitch.
That’s the conclusion I’ve come to after being locked in this room.
Living forever, with nothing ever changing? That’s enough to drive anyone crazy. No wonder that asshole vampire is the way he is.
Sometimes, I think I’ve been awake for days; other times, I think I’ve been asleep for longer. My meals don’t seem to come at any consistent time, and M
her.
Today, she’s cold, nearly throwing the tray in my direction.
Cold soup splatters. The strawberries look wilted. Still, no utensils. to make my life easier.
At this point, I’m used to the filth of living here, and even the disgrace of utilizing a waste bucket.
Still, compared to before…
It’s pretty good.
That crazy vampire hasn’t returned, and I’m never going to complain about his absence.
It’s as if Marisol can read my mind, because she suddenly says, sounding childish and petulant, “Master’s been searching for a friend for you.”
A wilted chunk of strawberry drops from my fingers, gathering dirt as it rolls across the stone floor. “A friend?”
My heart rate increases drastically as I think of Ava.
“A unicorn,” she sneers.
Unicorn?
Living as I am in a tiny stone room, chained to the floor with manacles that have my wrists rubbed raw and bleeding, with no clothes, by an insane vamp I probably shouldn’t be so skeptical at the idea of hunting down a unicorn.
But that very human side of me just stares, flabbergasted.
“A real unicorn?”
She rolls her eyes in a bratty way, and a part of me wonders if that’s how I look to my parents.
I miss them.
I try not to think about them too often.
“A Faeblessed human. Like yourself.” She points to the underside of her breast.
This is the most interesting conversation she’s ever offered, and I straighten, my food forgotten in my hunger for information. “Fae blessed…? What do you mean?”
Marisol sighs, before clomping her way over and grabbing my left breast, pulling it up and poking beneath it with one elegantly manicured finger. “There. blessed. It left its Mark.”
Yanking away from her, my entire body shudders in rejection at her touch. My skin crawls, though she clearly has no prurient
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