Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
The shriek that tears from Grimoire’s throat is almost comical. One moment he’s there, all righteous indignation and flashing silver eyes, and the next he’s gone. The heavy thud of his book form hitting the floor echoes in the sudden silence.
But Selene isn’t done. She pounces on the fallen magical tome, her teeth bared in a snarl as she clamps down on its spine. The growl rumbling from her chest is low and menacing, a sound I’ve rarely heard from her.
I bite my lip, trying desperately not to laugh. The sight of my fierce, dignified dogwolf gnawing on a book like an overgrown puppy with a chew toy is almost too much to bear. But I know I need to intervene before she does any real damage.
“Selene, come on,” I say, reaching for the book. “Let him go”
She growls again, her teeth still firmly embedded in Grimoire’s leather binding. I have to tug a bit before she finally releases him, leaving behind a few wet marks and indentations from her sharp canines.
As I cradle the slightly worseforwear Grimoire in my arms, I glance up to see Lucas watching me. His eyebrow is raised, a mix of amusement and confusion playing across his features. Right. He has no idea what just happened.
“Sorry,” I say, feeling a bit sheepish. “They were arguing. Selene… well, she took offense.”
Lucas nods slowly, his eyes darting between me, the book, and Selene. “I see,” he says, though his tone suggests he doesn’t really see at all.
Grimoire’s voice suddenly erupts in my mind, loud and indignant. That fleabitten mongrel! How dare she attack me? I am an ancient repository of magical knowledge, not a common chew toy!
I wince at the volume of his mental tirade. “Grimoire, calm down. She was just defending Lucas.”
Defending him? he scoffs. From what? Words? How painful they must be
Selene’s growl grows louder, her iceblue eyes fixed on the book in my hands. Apologize, she demands, her mental voice a low, dangerous rumble.
For a moment, there’s silence. I can almost feel Grimoire’s indignation warring with his self preservation instinct. Finally, he speaks, his mental voice noticeably subdued.
E.. apologice, he says grudgingly. Aly words were… perhaps… poorly chosen.
I have to stille another laugh at the reluctance in his tone. It’s clear he’s not used to backing down, but Selene’s fierce protectiveness has cowed even his considerable ego.
“There” I say, patting the book’s cover gently. “Was that so hard?”
Excruciating, Grimoire grumbles, but there’s less heat in his words now.
Lucas clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him. “So,” he says, a hint of amusement in his voice, “are we done for now?
His question brings me back to reality, “Oh. I don’t know-
It was an unpardonable oversight on my end, Grimoire says. We should try again. This time, that vicious monster needs to be a part of it.
The vicious monster in question snaps lazily at the air just centimeters away from him.
Selene, he hastily backtracks. Selene needs to be part of it.
“She does?” Somehow this makes sense, but-
Your mating bond involves your wolves. She is your access point to the pack bond. Such a simple thing I never should have overlooked.
I guess it’s good to know even a semiomnipotent magic book of ages can make stupid mistakes.. It’s even a little bit of a boost to my ego.
Idiot, Selene mutters.
Murderer, Grimoire responds. And if there’s a mental equivalent to him hiding behind me, I’m pretty sure that’s what’s happening right now. It’s hard to put it into words, but I can feel it. In my head.
This personality of Grimoire’s is odd and capricious. At times his ego is more vast than the sky, and at others he’s little better than a child. It’s hard to get a grasp on him.
n
“Okay, okay. Exasperated, I press my palms against my eyes, trying to stave off an incoming headache. “Can we please get to the important stuff, you two? I want to help Lucas, not deal with bickering bonds.”
Of course, Grimoire save find access to Lucas.
promptly. This time, enter through Selene’s mind. Through her, you will
“Wait. If I have to go through Selene, wouldn’t I have to go through Lucas’ wolf?”
It is possible. As long as you can get to either of them, you’ll have access to the mental barrier in place.
Love at World’s End-
Diving into my bond with Selene is like falling into warm clouds. It’s an odd feeling to enter a mental space, but she draws me in naturally, her expertise in this space far outstripping mind.
It’s as if my body is separate now, almost a distant memory.
I can’t feel the air on my skin. Can’t feel the ground I’m sitting on. Even the weight of Selene’s body against mine is gone.
There’s no smell here.
It isn’t even accurate to describe this place as darkness.
It’s justvoid.
This isn’t a place of physical senses, but something else. An energy of the mind, with its own ent that ebbs and flows.
As I sink deeper, initial comfort gives way to a maelstrom of emotions so intense, so raw, that I nearly lose myself in them. It’s as if I’m drowning in a sea of feelings that aren’t entirely my own. yet resonate within me on a primal level.
I want to rage at the fleeting memory of my mate rejecting our fate.
I want to cry as I die alone, the last of my pack.
I’m suffused in wonder as my eyes open to a new life.
Panic. Longing. Frustration. Love. They crash over me, intense and impossible to control, coming and going in such fleeting moments that I can’t hold my own.
As soon as I recognize a memory as not mine, it’s gone, replaced by another that drowns me in how real it feels.
Focus, Ava, Selene’s calm voice cuts through the chaos. Let me guide you. Focus on the bond between us. You’re drowning in my memories.
The bond between us has a sort of glow that doesn’t exist in the real world. Something I can see with my mind’s eye, despite there being nothing here.
She steers me through the tumultuous sea. Gradually, I begin to discern a pattern in the chaos, a rhythm that pulses with a familiar energy.
His wolf.
The moment I recognize it, his presence slams into me. Old memories mix with new. Selene’s fury mix with her mild exasperation. Her desire to tear out his throat has me raging, wanting-
Ava.
Her voice steadies me, buffers me from the memories. But this time, the frantic energy of his wolf engulfs me, a whirlwind of recognition, joy, and desperate frustration. He knows me. He sees me as his mate, his other half. But there’s an underlying current of anxiety, a maddening sense of incompleteness.
He’s half feral already.
Mate, the wolf whines. Here but not here. Why?
The anguish in that simple question breaks my heart. I want to reach out, to comfort him, but I don’t know how.
Selene yanks at my mind, dragging it with her as we go deeper.
Bloodlust rises, but it isn’t as intense now.
I’m buffering you, she says, her mental voice strained. The hope of being reunited has incited. sort of madness in him. Just focus on me. Push away what doesn’t belong to us.
I try to heed her advice, but it’s like navigating through a storm with my eyes closed. The wolf’s emotions buffet me from all sides, each one a vivid burst of sensation. His frustration at being separated from Lucas is so intense that it’s almost a physical ache, despite not having a body in this space.
And then, suddenly, I hit a wall.
It’s not a physical barriernothing is truly physical in this mental landscapebut it might as well be. One moment I’m swimming through a sea of emotions, and the next, I’m brought to an abrupt halt. It’s like trying to push through solid stone with my bare hands.
This is it, Grimoire’s voice echoes in my mind, startling me. I’d almost forgotten about him in the intensity of the experience. This is the barrier we need to break.
Gather your magic, Ava. Let it flow through you, through Selene, through the bond. All you need to do is weaken this place. Selene and his wolf will do the rest.
Is it strange to suddenly fixate on how his wolf has no name?