Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“Of course, I agree readily. “I appreciate your diligence.”
He nods, then steps outside, closing the door behind him with at soft click.
I abandon my unpacking, leaving the rest for later. Right now, Selene needs me.
Settling beside her, the mattress dips under my weight, sliding her furry body against my leg. She doesn’t move away, which I take as a good sign.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.
Selene sighs, a sound that echoes through our bond. Too many memories are missing, she confesses. Or they’re murky, unclear. But I know they were o
I frown, trying to understand. She’d mentioned her missing memories before, but I didn’t follow uptoo busy in my own head, in my own revelations.
“I don’t really get it,” I admit, reaching out to stroke her fur. She leans into my touch, and I feel a flicker of comfort through our bond. “How can memories
I was allowed to keep them, Selene explains, her voice distant, as if she’s lost in thought. In exchange for certain vows.
Vows? What kind of vows could a wolf make? And to whom?
Questions swirl in my mind, but I don’t voice them all. Not yet.
Selene is opening up, and I don’t want to overwhelm her with my curiosity.
“What kind of vows?” I ask instead, keeping my tone gentle, encouraging.
Selene shifts, her fur brushing against my hand. I can’t remember, she admits, frustration lacing her voice. That’s the problem. I know I made them, but I
Well, that makes things harder. “That must be really unsettling,” I murmur. “To know you’ve forgotten something so important.”
It is, Selene agrees. As though there’s a hole in my mind. A blank space where those memories should be.
“Do you have any idea what caused it?” I ask, trying to be helpful. “Did something happen to make the memories disappear?”
Selene is silent for a long moment, and I worry that I’ve pushed too far. But then she speaks, her voice barely a whisper in my mind.
I think it has something to do with you, she admits. With our bond. Me? Our bond? How could I have anything to do with Selene’s missing memories?
“What do you mean?” I ask, trying to keep the surprise out of my voice. “Did I do something?”
No. If anything, I did. Her frustration is palpable through the link, so stifling that I almost pound at my chest to get rid of the heaviness there. Only it isn’t m
I remember flashes of my past life. I remember being given a choice, and meeting your soul. I remember choosing to come here. And I remember swearing vows in return for my memories. Until I met with you, I rem
“So you knew everything… until we came together?”
Yes..
“How can you remember knowing, but not remember what you know?”
I don’t know.
It’s like going in eircles. No wonder she’s been so quiet. “You were always very cryptic from the beginning, so it doesn’t feel very different to me.”
Her ears perk up at that. Some things are not for you to know, at least not yet.
“Why?”
It is the natural order. I am outside of that order, and so is the knowledge I possess. Otherwise, the balance of this world can fall.
As much sense as that makes, it’s just… frustrating. “Are you saying you knew the horrible things that would happen ahead of time?”
Of course not. Her tail flicks against the comforter. I am not allknowing.
Rubbing Selene’s head, my own spins when trying to understand the things she’s saying.
Honestly, it’s no wonder she’s been so subdued.
There are things that clash within me, she says, resting her head on her paws.
“Like what?”
Her eyes roll in my direction. Like my past as Lycan Queen. remember that I ruled, but I don’t remember how. I fear I will not be able to guide you along as a Luna as well as I once thought I would.
“Does it matter? We can learn together.” Trying to soothe her worries, I run both my hands down her spine, giving her a little dog massage. She seems to enjoy it, because she nuzzles a little deeper into the bed, str
I want to help you, but it’s fuzzy. I hate it.
There’s a little worry in my head, like this is some portent of some future danger. But how? It’s a few missing memories. When you’re a soul from the pas
I don’t know. I’ve never done it before.
She sounds miserable, so I rub a little harder. “You’ll be okay. I don’t need you to be overly wise. I just need you to be you. We can figure out all the growing pains as we go.”
Selene’s tail wags a little as she flops onto her back, paws flailing in the air. A soft whine escapes her throat, her eyes pleading with me to rub her belly. I
For all her wisdom and cryptic warnings, and the soul of a Lycan within, she’s still a dog where it matters.
A little to the left, she instructs, her e echoing in my mind. No, no, back to the right. Ah, perfect.
My fingers find the spot she’s indicating, and I scratch it vigorously. Her hind leg starts thumping against the bed in a steady rhythm, a sign of pure canin
A sharp knock at the door interrupts our bonding moment. Three precise raps, followed by the creak of the door as it inches open.
The bodyguard pokes his head in, just as promised, his eyes scanning the interior with a practiced efficiency.
“Doing okay in here, ma’am?” he asks, his voice gruff but not unkind.
Feeling a little sheepish, I give him a nod in response. “Yes, everything’s fine. Just giving Selene a belly rub.”
The guard’s expression remains stoic, but I swear I catch a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. “Very good, ma’am. I’ll be right outside if you need anything. Ten more minutes.”
He starts to withdraw, but I call out to him. “Wait, what’s your name? I’m sorry, I should have asked earlier.”
He pauses, raising one weathered brow, surprised by the question. “It’s Marcus, ma’am. Marcus Finley
“Thank you, Marcus. I appreciate you.”
His posture remains ramrod straight as he gives me a curt nod in response. “Just doing my job, ma’am. With that, he closes the door, leaving me alone w
Suddenly self conscious about sitting on the bed playing with my dog, I stand up and stretch. Selene rolls back onto her stomach, her head cocked to the side as she w
You don’t have to be embarrassed, shys. It’s good for you to relax sometimes.
“I know,” I sigh. “But I should finish unpacking. We might be here for a while.”
There’s no rush. Didn’t you say Vanessa wouldn’t be here until dinnertime? Let’s just watch TV instead.
Selene perks up at the idea of her shows. She hasn’t watched them much since the party.
We haven’t had much time to breathe since then, and I’ve spent most of my time pacing around, wondering how to save Lisa.
At this point, it’s very obvious it won’t be happening anytime soon. I’ve been avoiding thinking about it too closely, clinging to Sister Miriam’s words that s he’s looking for.
Outside of marching my weak ass to the vampire’s city and demanding her return, there’s not much I can do without a lot of help. And all that help requires time for them to figure things out. So I’m doing my best to leave Lisa in Lucas’ capable hands, trusting him
The more trouble I get into, the more time will be wasted when he drops everything to rush to my side.
“Let me put everything away, and you can watch something while I order dinner. Jericho said he wanted to talk to us about a few things anyway.”
It’s just about you starting your traini again. I heard him talking to the guards about you being softeran roomtemperature butter, and fatter too.
Fatter?!