Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“Yes, I suppose that would be the best word for them.” Acarus grimaces. “They are inexorable. Already dead and unable to die again.”
Yet another blow to my already shaky worldview.
Zombies.
Real ones.
Not the
Not the kinds in movies.
My arms wrap around my waist instinctively, as if I could somehow shield myself from this nightmare. A violent shudder runs through my body, and I can’t stop the trembling that follows.
Beside me, Vanessa lets out a soft cry. The sound is filled with disbelief and fear, mirroring the emotions churning inside me.
That’s right; she knows these people. Not only that, I’m sure she was part of the care team for the ones who passed in the hospital.
This must be even harder for her.
My thoughts race. All this time, I’d believed the attacks were centered around me, driven by the Mad Prince’s desire for my power. It had been a heavy burden, but at least it had made a twisted kind of sense. Now, that fragile understanding crumbles away
“I thought…” My voice comes out as a whisper, barely audible even to my own ears. I clear my throat and try again. “I thought all of this was because of me. Because the Mad Prince wanted my power.”
Acarus’s golden eyes meet mine, a flicker of sympathy passing through them. “While your situation did play a part, I’m afraid the Mad Prince’s desires are likely to have been a happy coincidence in the grand scheme of things.”
Another shudder wracks my body, more violent than before. “Happy?” The word tastes bitter on my tongue. “There’s nothing happy about this.”
Acarus’s expression shifts, a look of genuine remorse crossing his face. “I apologize sincerely for my poor choice of words,” he says, his brow furrowing slightly. “I don’t spend much time around mortals. Sometimes my phrasing can be… insensitive.”
The idea that my involvement is just a tiny part of some larger, more terrifying picture…
If I’m not the main target, then what exactly are we dealing with?
“These… zombies, I force myself to say the word, hating how it makes my skin crawl. “How widespread are they? And how… how do they work?”
Acarus looks thoughtful. “We haven’t heard of any other werewolf corpses stolen before burial, so it seems they are centered here. We saw most of them at Westwood, and a few during the Blackwood attacks, before Renard regained his power.
He sighs, his shoulders sagging slightly. “As for how they work, we’re still trying to understand that ourselves. They seem to retain some of their shifter abilities, but they lack any semblance of consciousness or selfcontrol. They attack indiscriminately, and they’re incredibly difficult to put down for long”
My stomach churns at the thought. I’ve seen enough horror movies to have a vivid imagination of what these creatures might look like, but the reality is probably far worse than anything Hollywood could dream up.
“Is there any way to… cure them?” Vanessa asks, her voice trembling slightly. I can see the healer in her desperately searching for a solution, even in the face of this unnatural affliction.
Acarus shakes his head slowly. “Not that we’ve discovered so far. The best we can do is contain them and prevent more from being created.”
Rubbing my arms as briskly as I can manage, I ask the question we’re all thinking. Or at least, I assume they’re thinking what I am.
“What about all the dead during the attack? Where are their bodies?”
Marcus and Vanessa stiffen beside me, so fast that I’m honestly surprised I don’t hear their spines crack.
Acarus glances away. “It was all the survivors could do to bring along the injured.”
Shit.
By the looks on everyone’s faces, they’re thinking the exact thing I am.
“So, we won’t only be fighting the enemy. We’ll be fighting our friends. Family. Lovers.”
My voice is flat and distant, the words feeling like they’re coming from thousands of miles away.
“It is possible,” Acarus murmurs, rubbing his eyebrow as he sighs. “Without knowing how they do it, how long it takes, what it involves…”
But my ears aren’t listening. I’m thinking back to Sister Miriam and how she popped into my room out of nowhere to give me cryptic warnings.
“Sister Miriam knew what they were doing.
Acarus hesitates. “In a sense, yes.”
I pin him with a hard stare. “She knew what they were doing and never told us.”
Marcus and Vanessa’s gazes go dark; Sister Miriam has been a solid ally of recent times, but her nonanswers have not endeared her to the wolves.
The man claiming to be Sister Miriam’s son holds up his hands. “Don’t look at me like that. I do not have power over the knowledge my mother divulges, or doesn’t.”
Marcus scowls, and Acarus sighs. “Understand, my mother is full of knowledge. Some relevant. Some not. Things that never came to pass. Things that did. Most with clairvoyance go mad, living half in this world and half in another. Whatever information my mother deigns to share is a gift. It is not fair to put the weight of your world on her shoulders, don’t you think? If she does it for youthen who next? How many more times must she go through several possibilities, never knowing which will come to pass?
When he puts it like that…
I shift uncomfortably, realizing that I’ve shredded my last piece of bread into little more than crumbs. “Where is she now?”
“She and your dogwolf are with your alpha. From what I understand, the wolf won’t leave his side.”
Selene? Not leave Lucas’ side?
That’s beyond unexpected, going straight up the ladder to bizarre and out of character.
“Do you know how close I need to be to gain contact with Selene again?” I ask, throwing the question to any of them to answer.
Acarus shakes his head. “I am no expert on Lycan bonds.”
Marcus looks thoughtful. “A bond between lowranking members of the pack to their alpha is about fifteen miles. A delta can reach Lucas over thirty miles away. Kellan and Lucas have been known to communicate at fifty miles, though it requires a great deal of concentration. Mos missions are created with these general guidelines of distance in mind. Of course, these are
This is the first time I’ve heard it broken down in such a way. “What about mated pairs?”
Vanessa clears her throat. “It depends on the bond between them and their individual strength. Vester can only reach me about forty miles apart, but I can reach him from as far as one hundred. He can’t respond, but he can receive.”
“Can you reach-“
“No.” She cuts me off gently, sadness in her eyes.
Of course. She needs to see her mate, too.
So, farther than a hundred miles away. I think back to the times Selene and I have been apart. “I feel like my range with Selene is much shorter.”
“It’s a new bond. No matter how close you are with your wolf, it takes time until you can think ast one. You and Selene have been at odds, haven’t you?”
“No.” I frown. “Not at odds, but she’s been quieter lately, and I question her more than I used to.”
“Growing pains,” Marcus says out of nowhere. “Happens to all of us.”
As we fall silent, Acarus clears his throat. “Now, as far as traveling to meet your alliesthe journey to your pack is safer in these rural areas, Acarus says, his voice calm and reassuring. “There’s little established wolf presence here, so there has been no war.”
My heart leaps in joy, but Vanessa’s brow furrows in confusion.
“Wait,” she interjects. “If there’s no wolf presence, how is Lucas being treated in a hospital?”
It’s a valid question, one I hadn’t even thought to ask. My mind had been so focused on the possibility of seeing Lucas that I’d overlooked the logistics.
Acarus nods, acknowledging Vanessa’s point. “He’s in a small hospital run by supernaturals with no affiliations. They’re registered supernaturals, to be clear
Marcus frowns, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “There are no supernatural communities on the far border.”
But Acarus doesn’t seem fazed by Marcus’s doubt. “These are registered supernaturals who have chosen to integrate with human society. They’re not part of established communities in the traditional sense, though they abide by the laws of the land.”
But if there are supernaturals in this place, how can it be safe?
Acarus glances at me, seeming to understanding my unspoken question. “While human cities those with established pack presences. The have been attacked, they are all major cities o country is still safe, for now”
For now. For how long, though?
Marcus grunts. “Do you have a map?”