Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“Look deep within yourself, Ava,” Selena murmurs, her voice seeming to echo from the very rocks around us. “Embrace the magic that is your birthright. It’s been locked away for far too long, and the earth begs for its return.”
I take a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting the tranquility of this place wash over me. And as I do, I feel a stirring deep within my soul, a spark of something vast and powerful. Something I’ve never been able to access before.
It grows, expanding outward until it fills every fiber of my being, until I am one with the magic that surrounds me.
When I open my eyes again, the world has changed. The colors are brighter, more vibrant. The air hums with a tangible energy, and I can feel the life force of every living thing around me. And at the center of it all, I sense the pulsing core of my own magic, a wellspring of power that has always been there, waiting to be tapped.
It’s tinylittle more than a spark.
And when I glance within the water, my reflection is no longer blazing with light. It’s just me, with the faintest glow in my chest.
Selena squeezes my hand, her smile radiant. “Welcome home, child.”
“What am I supposed to do with this power? Why am I so special?”
Selena’s expression grows serious. That is for you to discover, Ava. Your path is your own to walk. But know that you are not alone. There are others like you, others who will guide and support you on your journey.”
“Sonot the chosen one with the entire world on her shoulders?”
Even her laugh is musical. “No. Just a new beginning, returning what was lost.”
She steps back, releasing my hand. “Trust in yourself, Ava Grey. Trust in the magic that flows through you.”
With those final words, Selena fades, her form growing translucent until she vanishes entirely. And as she does, the world around me starts to shimmer and dissolve, the colors blurring together until everything is consumed by a blinding white light.
I feel myself falling again, tumbling through that endless nothing once again.
Ava?
Ava!
Selene’s mental shout has me shaking my head, startled. I’m back, and it’s like I was never gone.
Ava, are you listening?
“Sorry. What is it?”
Selene stands in front of me, her ears twitching. You were here, but our bond was silent. Like you were far away.
“Ah.” Clearing my throat, which is parched now that I’ve returned, I blink until I adjust to the darkness of my room, compared to the brightness of that magical place I was in just moments ago.
“Selene, what does the Moon Goddess look like?”
Why do you ask? Selene’s head tilts, her icy eyes studying me with an intensity that would be unnerving if I wasn’t so used to it by now.
I glance at Marcus, who stands sentinel by the door, before focusing my thoughts inward. It’s so much harder to think this way, and I wonder if it will ever feel completely natural. I think I met her. The Moon Goddess.
Selene’s confusion ripples through our bond. She was never here,
Ava.
I know. We were somewhere else.
You never left the room. Selene’s voice in my mind is tinged with concern, her mental words hesitant.
I think my consciousness did. It was like my spirit traveled to this magical place. I struggle to find the words to describe the ethereal experience. Even my body felt real there.
Selene’s worry intensifies, a cold thread winding through my thoughts. Will it happen again?
I don’t know. Absently stroking the pages of the book in my lap, I think back, trying to focus on the details. Yet the memories are already fading, vivid pictures blurring in my mind’s eye. There was a woman there. She called herself Selena. She spoke to me about my magic, about embracing it.
I don’t know what the Moon Goddess looks like. I can’t remember, Selene admits. Though, they say she appears differently to everyone who sees her. Some even see her as a wolf. She pauses. think I saw her as a wolf.
Nodding, I look down at the book again, my gaze drawn to the strange runic text that dances across the pages. Each symbol seems to breathe with a life of its own, pulsing in a mesmerizing rhythm.
What are you doing? Selene’s question breaks through my fascination.
“Looking at the text. Trying to figure out how I’m supposed to learn to read it.” My finger traces the graceful lines of a particularly intricate rune.
Ava, there is no text. Selene’s voice is slow, cautious.
I blink, my finger stilling on the page. “What do you mean? It’s right here. Can’t you see it?”
Selene’s ears flatten to her skull. The pages are blank, Ava.
Confusion swirls through me as I stare at the book, at the undéniable presence of the runic words.
“Marcus, can you come here for a second?”
The older wolf shifter approaches with caution, boots heavy, each thud a countdown to the answer I know he’s going to give. “Yes, ma’am?”
I point to the open book. “Can you see anything?”
Marcus leans over, his brows knitting together as he studies the pages. “Nothing.”
A chill skitters down my spine as I look between Marcus and Selene. How is it possible that I can see these cryptic words so clearly while they perceive only emptiness?
Ava, what does this mean? Selene’s question echoes my own racing thoughts.
I don’t know. Resting a hand on a page, I can feel the warmth and tingling against my palm. I think it has something to do with what happened earlier.
Selene noses at my hand, offering silent comfort. We’ll figure it out. That’s what we’re always saying.
We’ll figure it out together.
We’ll get through it together.
We’ll do it together.
But somehow, we’re never together for the things that matter.
My heart twists at the thought of Selene being somehow separate from my magic. Why can’t she see what I can? Why can’t she feel what I can?
I hope it isn’t some sort of terrible omen for the future.
It isn’t, Selene insists.
I can’t tear my eyes away from the graceful lines dancing across the pages, each stroke imbued with a meaning that hovers just beyond my grasp. It’s like trying to remember a dreamthe harder I focus, the more it slips away, leaving only a tantalizing impression, of something profound and powerful.
The runes almost seem fluid, as if they shift and change in my peripheral vision, then breathe in static form as I focus on them. They flow across the pages with a simple, elemental beauty. Like water. Ink spilled from an artist’s brush. Each symbol is a masterpiece, a work of art that speaks to my soul even as my mind- struggles to comprehend.
I’ve never seen anything like this before. The runes are alien, yet somehow familiar. They tug at something deep inside me, at that core of glowing warmth within my chest. It’s as if they’re whispering secrets, ancient knowledge long forgotten by the world.
Only, I can’t hear them.
Ava, what do you see? Selene’s voice is a distant echo, a whisper in the back of my mind.
Beauty, I breathe, my fingers trembling as they hover over the pages. Mystery. Magic.
I can feel Selene’s frustration, her longing to share in this experience. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to project. the images into her mind. It’s like there’s a wall between us, a barrier that keeps this magic separate from our bond.
I’m sorry, I whisper, my heart aching at the distance between us. I don’t know how to show you.
Selene presses her nose against my leg, offering silent comfort even as I sense her unease. It’s okay, Ava. We’ll figure it out.
As I stare at the pages, I feel the familiar tingling sensation in my fingertips, a warmth that spreads up my arms and into my chest. It’s like the book is calling to me, urging me to delve deeper into its secrets.
And then, to my amazement, the runes begin to move in a way that I can observe.
They swirl and dance, rearranging themselves into new patterns, new shapes. I watch, transfixed, as they slowly coalesce into something recognizable.
Letters.