Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
that I’ve been unable to reach Lucas for three days.
ty
Knowing that they’re fighting over there, not knowing the full us on edge.
Have you made any progress” Vanessa changes the subject to sit bed beside me, where I’m surrounded by five papers with ent rapes written on them. Unlike the magic book I’m still kicking myself over for leaving in my room at the lodge, these nes don’t disappear, and Vanessa and Marcus are able to see
“No. Nothing” Frustrated, I grab the different papers, looking them over again and again. There’s nothing that happens when I touch them: no tingle or buzz within my fingertips. I can’t feel anything.
It’s just a paper.
Magister Orion, grumbling about red tape, gave me these five papers and told me to find the elements within me that correspond to them. With such vague instructions, it’s no surprise I’ve had no success.
No matter how I try to commune with a single element within me, nothing happens.
“Try meditation,” Marcus advises, grimacing at the papers before me. “It helps with fighting. Learning to center, to focus only on what matters. Maybe you’re too in tune with the world around you
Giving him a dubious lookit’s not like I haven’t tried that beforel grab the one that means fire, close my eyes, and focus deep within.
SVR XS. FIR
I let out a slow breath as I center myself. The sounds and scents of the world fade away, leaving only the sensation of my own body, its thudding heartbeat vibrating through my chest, and the pulsing core of magic within me. It’s there, bright and tantalizing, just out of reach.
Focusing on that core, that energy that warms me from within, I imagine myself reaching out to touch it. Nothing happens. I try to visualize tugging at it, like pulling on a string, but it remains stubbornly distant. Knocking on it in my mind yields no response either.
Frustration bubbles up inside me. How am I supposed to access this power if nothing works? Taking another deep breath, I force myself to relax. Maybe I’m trying too hard.
In the silence of my meditation, my thoughts drift to the rune for fire sitting on the paper in front of me. Fire, Destructive, passionate, lifegiving. I think about its propertieshow it consumes, how it transforms, how it burns.
Burning.
A memory surfaces, unbidden. Not a memory of this life, but of another. A dream? A vision? Whatever it was, it feels as real as anything I’ve experienced.
Pain. Searing, scorching pain that raged through every fiber of my being. I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t see. There was nothing but the allconsuming agony of flesh melting from bone.
My breath catches in my throat as the phantom sensations wash over me. I want to pull away from the memory, to escape the torment, but something holds me there. This is important. This matters.
In that other life, that other death, I was nothing. Only pain. No name, no self, just pure sensation. And in that moment of complete dissolution, something else emerged. Something primal and powerful.
I focus on that feeling, on the memory of being unmade by fire. The bright core of magic within me pulses in response, as if recognizing a kindred spirit. For the first time, I feel a connection to that power.
It’s not about reaching or grasping or forcing. It’s about becoming. About letting go of who I think I am and embracing something deeper, more elemental.
My mind opens to fire and the magic surges forward, no longer held back by my attempts to control it. It flows through me, around me, filling every part of my being with warmth and light.
My eyes snap open. The paper with the fire rune is floating an inch above the bed, glowing with an inner light. As I watch, stunned, it bursts into flame, consumed in seconds and leaving nothing but a faint wisp of smoke.
“Holy shit,” I whisper, staring at the empty space where the paper used to be.
Vanessa jumps up from beside me, her eyes wide. “Ava? What just happened? Did you do it?”
It’s a silly question. We all know.
But I can’t blame her for asking, because hell, I’m thinking the same thing. Was that me? Did I do that?
I look at her, then at Marcus who’s rushed over from his position by the window. A giddy laugh bubbles up from my chest. “I did it. I actually did it!”
The elation is shortlived as the reality of what just occurred sinks in. I destroyed one of the runes Magister Orion gave me. More importantly, I accessed my magic for the first time on purpose- and I have no idea how to control it.
“We should probably tell Magister Orion,” I say, my limbs shaking, as if using that tiny amount of power sucked the life from my body.
“I’ll get the Magister,” Marcus offers. “You focus on the those other ones. Try not to flood the room or something”
“I can swim,” Vanessa says. “I can probably keep her afloat until you get here.”
Their faith in me is so touching. “I’m not going to flood the room, guys.”
“Did you know you were going to set a paper on fire before you did it?” Marcus looks stern, but there’s a slight twinkle in his eyes, and a little quirk to his smile, that tells me he’s becoming more comfortable around me.
At least he’s not trying to escape the general vicinity of magic, after being in the Fae Ward for a few days. He’s getting used to its existence around him, though he admits that it feels itchy. Vanessa doesn’t seem to have the same problem.
Selene, on the other hand…..
I’m not sneezing, but all I can smell is refuse. She sounds sour in my head. There’s an alley with garbage cans. I guess no one wants to ward their trash.
As Marcus leaves to fetch Magister Orion, my heart clenches in sympathy for my wolf. I wish there was a way to make you more comfortable.
It’s fine, Selene replies, though her mental voice sounds strained. I’d rather be here than leave you alone.
Vanessa settles on the bed, her fingers tracing the edges of the rune papers scattered across the covers. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with concern. “How are you holding up, Ava?”
Falling onto my back, I throw my arm over my eyes, blocking out the lights. Every one of my feelings presses down on me, shoving me deeper into the mattress. “Honestly? I feel like I’m missing something huge. Like there’s this… I don’t know, this looming disaster just waiting to happen, and I can’t see it coming.”
Vanessa nods, her expression thoughtful. “Well, we know Lisa’s been relocated. That’s good news, right? And Lucas is an experienced alpha. He’s handled tough situations before.”
“I know, I know.” I squeeze my arm harder against my face, against the sudden spring of tears in my eyes. “But I can’t shake this feeling that I should be doing more. It feels like I’m hiding while everyone else is out there facing real danger.”
Vanessa holds up one of the rune papers. It crinkles in the air, tickling my ear as I lower my arm to peer in her direction. “Maybe working on your powers is the best help you can be right now. Think about itif you can master this, you’ll be able to protect the pack in ways no one else can.”
I want to agree with her. I really do. But that prickling feeling of unease won’t leave me alone. Pulling out my phone, my fingers hover over Lucas’s number. I’ve left him twelve messages since yesterday. “I should call him, just to check in.”
The phone rings, once, twice, three times. No answer. I try again, my heart rate picking up with each unanswered ring. Nothing.
“He’s probably just busy.” Vanessa savs, but I can hear the slight uncertainty in her voice.
I switch to Kellan’s number, hoping he’ll at least be able to give me an update. But his phone goes straight to voicemail,
“Dammit,” I mutter, tossing my phone onto the bed. I look at
Vanessa, suddenly feeling very small and very scared. “How do you handle this? The stress, the not knowing?”
Vanessa’s eyes soften, and she reaches out to squeeze my hand.
“It’s hard,” she admits. “There’s no easy way to deal with it. The amount of times I’ve been left at the hospital while Vester’s out on a mission is not small.”
“And what did you do?”
She shakes her head. “You focus on what needs to be done. There’s always a patient who needs something, or more wounded coming in. There are things that you need to do, and you do them. Worrying yourself into an anxiety spiral won’t help. Right now, I’m focused on you.”
Grabbing her hand back, I squeeze hard. “Thank you. For being with me. For sacrificing for me.” If Lucas being unreachable is hard for menewly mated and spending more time away from him than with himI can only imagine how hard it is for a couple mated as long as Vanessa and Vester. 2
“Does it hurt, to be away from him? Here, in your chest?” I rub mine, where there’s an ache I’ve become familiar with. It was there the moment I ran from the Lunar Gala, and only recently dissipated since accepting my mating bond with Lucas.
It’s back now, and driving me crazy.
a (ne of Bat
A soft smile spreads across her face, her eyes taking on a distant look. “Always,” she says quietly. “When he’s not near, it’s like… like I’m missing an arm or a leg. Missing a lung. I can’t breathe a full breathe, and I can’t walk at full strength. You don’t realize how much you rely on someone until they’re not there.”
Her words hit me hard. There were so many times I just got busy, too distracted thinking and doing to even remember to call Lucas. It seems stupid that I ever got that complacent before, when now my entire day revolves around my phone, sending out regular calls in case he finally answers.
He can’t call me; only I can reach him. It’s been an eyeopening experience. Once I accepted him into my life, as my partner, and the responsibilities of the position it brings, I thought I was finally ready. Finally stepping up.
But now I realize I still was complacent, knowing he was there to hold us up. He’s always been the glue of our relationship, and I’ve been like a flighty hummingbird, flitting from one place to the next.
with our
Without him being the one to text me, to call me, distance, I realize how much I relied on him. On his presence to steady us, to keep our relationship going.
Now, I’m desperate to know he’s safe, and finally understanding how he felt.
It doesn’t feel good at all.