Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
But then I hear a familiar engine, and Todd freezes, his head tilting as he listens. Then he shoves it all into my mouth anyway, jerking in a frenzied kind of way as my lips split at the corners and I gag, my entire body heaving with the force of my rejection.
My mouth is full of something bitter and nasty in seconds, and he growls at me to swallow as he shoves his dick back into his jeans, just in time for the door to open.
My brother’s distant brown eyes take us all in, pausing on the groceries scattered all over the floor. He doesn’t seem to notice me on my knees in front of Todd, except for a slight lift of his upper lip in the faintest sneer. He nods to Tom in a curt motion.
“Mason.” I know he knows what happened, because his nostrils flare. He has to scent it in the air. But he does nothing.
Nothing.
Todd’s smiling, rolling his shoulders back even as he lowers his head in submission. “Alpha heir. Ava was just telling me you were coming home for dinner. I was just stopping by to check on her.” He speaks with an intimacy he shouldn’t be able to claim, and my belly rebels against it allhis words, the taste in my mouth, and everything I had just endured.
I dash to the bathroom, ignoring Todd’s laughter as it follows behind me. But the tears that come with my forceful retching aren’t for the assault. They’re not for my innocence. They’re not for the rules of this new, changed game.
No.
They’re for the brother who knows what he walked in on. The one who ignored it all. The one who doesn’t give a shit that his baby sister was just assaulted in her own home.
Fuck.
I can’t stay here. No matter what.
eas
The next three days pass in a haze as I endeavor to leave my room as little as possible. I spend the time trying to make a plan to escape; there’s no way in hell I’m staying here to become the pack’s omega whore. My brain skirts past everything that happened with Todd, deciding ignoring it all was much cheaper than therapy.
The walls of my room close in on me. My heart pounds in my chest, and I can’t stop the tears from falling. I try to distract myself with books, but every word seems to mock me, every page a reminder of my trapped existence. I’ve given up on my classes, becausewell, I’m not coming back. Obviously.
I conclude that my best bet is to run from the gala itself, while everyone is too distracted to notice I’m gone. I pack a bag with escape in mind, filling it with clothes, food, and the balance in my bank account, after withdrawing it all. I don’t know where I’ll go or what I’ll do, but I can’t stay here anymore.
I buy a burner phone and program Lisa’s number into it, but I’m not sure if it will be safe to text her when
I’m gone. Like a coward, I say nothing about my plans, and find myself premourning the loss of my best friend. If I tell her anything, she will be in danger, assuming my pack cares enough to hunt her down for information. It’s better to act like everything’s normal.
At dinner on the third day, I sit at the table, pushing food around my plate as my Dad drops the bomb. We’re going to the Silvermoon Pack’s territory for the gala.
It’s happening.
Composure is hard to keep when a million fire ants are crawling around inside your skin in a psychosomatic manifestation of anxiety, but somehow, I manage. Either that, or my family doesn’t care enough to notice anything off about me.
In two days, I can’t believe I’ll be surrounded by shifters looking for their fated mates, while I’m just trying to find a way out.
Dad clears his throat and I glance at him, surprised to find his eyes locked on me. “Ava,” he says, in this weird cadence that I think was supposed to be… soothing? “This is a big event for all of us.”
* Ava Plamosout
“Yes, Father”
“I think you would understand why I would prefer to keep you home, but it would look odd to leave my unmated, eligible daughter at home when Jessa is also attending.”
Oh, wow. He’s explaining something to me. I glance around the table, unsurprised to find Jessa grimacing at her plate and Phoenix studying me with hist trademark detachment. He has an easy, loving relationship with Jessa, but me? He inspects me like I’m a bug.
I guess. to all of them, that’s exactly what I am.
Dad’s fingers tap in staccato rhythm against the table. “I expect nothing but your best behavior while we are there. Ava.” His eyes trail to the bruises at my neck, and I flinch. They weren’t as bad as I thought they would be, but I can only hope they fade in time for the gala.
I lower my head, prodding at my green beans with my fork. “I understand, Father.”
“Since you don’t have a wolf, it isn’t like you’ll find your mate there. So just try to stay out of trouble and keep your mouth shut.” He returns his attention to his dinner, and I clench my fist in my lap, hidden beneath the table.
There’s no point in feeling hurt by his words.
***
The trip to Idaho is done like most of my familial interactionsin silence. Mom, Dad, and Jessa are in their own vehicle, while I accompany Phoenix in Jessa’s truck.
The hum of the engine and the rhythmic thud of the tires on the road lull me into a state of numbness. Phoenix drives with the arrogance of an alpha, one arm draped across his door and his entire body relaxed. The radio is off, because of course it is. He looks so much like Dad. Cold and distant, just like all of them.
The hours pass, and rolling plateaus give way to the mountains of the northern boundaries of the state. My thoughts drift to Lisa, wondering what she’s up to and if she will forgive me for disappearing.
“You’re not planning on doing anything foolish at the Lunar Gala, are you, Ave?”
My entire body twitches in shock, first from the sound of Phoenix’s voice, and then by his question. I stare at the side of his face, wondering if he somehow knows, and fight to stay calm. “Of course not. Dad would beat me. He’s made it perfectly clear what he expects of me.”
Phoenix grunts. I’m not sure what that means. Oh, Lord, or Moon Goddess, or whoever is the real deity out thereif only I could read my siblings like they can read me.
I return to staring out the window, trying to sound nonchalant. “Besides, it’s not like anyone can mate a defect.” Oops, the bitterness came out anyway.
This time, Phoenix doesn’t make a sound. I guess he approves of my bleak outlook on my life.
“At least Mason will take you in. You won’t be his mate, but your kids will be legitimate and treated well.”
I can’t help the nearviolent flinch at the sound of his name. “As long as they have wolves, you mean.”
Phoenix flicks a glance toward me. “Right.”
Nope. There’s no way in hell I’m staying with these nannla
He knows, and he’s sitting here telling me to be thankful that man, someone who’s beaten me relentlessly through the years, is willing to take me as his breeding whore.
I let out a slow breath and go over the topography of the area in my head. I’m not well versed, but there’s several cities around Shadowvale, and the city itself is hugeat least four times as large as White Peak. I should be able to muddy my tracks somehow. There’s a few different train stations in White Peak, but I’m hoping to make people think I escaped to the suburbs.
As we approach Shadowvale, my chest tightens with anxiety. The thought of being in the Silvermoon Pack’s territory fills me with a strange mix of dread and hope. It’s like stepping into a world where anything could happen, where I might have a chance at freedom.
I glance over at Phoenix, who is still focused on the road. His stoic expression sends a shiver down my spine, and I mourn the older brother of my memories. Then I start imagining a mental wall around all those memories of Before. I can’t let my sentimental side take over.
I return to plotting my escape in my mind. My heart races with a mixture of fear and determination. I’m going to make it out of here. I have to.
The tension inside me coils tighter as we draw closer to our destination.
Every time I type “Gala”, I can hear the Grand Galloping Gala song from My Little Ponies in my head.
This makes it really awkward in a few more chapters.
Lenaleia
Creator’s Thought
I stand in front of the fulllength mirror, my hands shaking as I fumble with the zipper of my dress. The fabric is soft and silky, just as beautiful as the day I bought it. It’s the nicest thing I’ve ever worn, but I feel like an impostor in it.
I twist and turn just a little, enjoying the feel of my skirt swirling around my legs. As a child, I remember twirling just like this, wishing my dresses would spin like they do for Disney princesses. The little girl in me is satisfied with what she sees in the mirror, while the older me, the current me, thinks I shouldn’t even be here.
Jessa and Mom look me over, their eyes critical as they take in my appearance.
“Oh, Ava,” Mom sighs, even her disappointment sounding cultured and elegant. “Couldn’t you have at least tried to do something with your hair?”
I reach up, touching my hair in surprise. I thought it looked nice with the forced makeover Jessa had dragged me to but Mom’s face says otherwise. “I thought it was fine,” I mumble, my cheeks burning with shame.
Jessa rolls her eyes. “Of course you did. Come on, let’s get this over with. I bet you didn’t even bring anything. Let’s just do a quick french twist.”
She grabs my arm and drags me back into the room, pushing me down into a chair in front of the vanity. Mom follows, her lips pursed in a tight line.
“Sit up straight,” Mom snaps, her hands on my shoulders as she forces me to straighten my spine. “And suck in your stomach. Those hips of yours are far too wide for this dress. It isn’t much better than a potato sack. Honestly, Ava. If your dad didn’t need to bring you to show the other packs that you’re alive and well, I wouldn’t dare be seen with you. You look like some hobo from the city. What’s that saying, Jessa? A cow’s ear can never be a purse?”
I bite my lip, fighting back unwanted tears as they continue to criticize every aspect of my appearance. I want to ask why the packs even care if I’m alive and well, but I know Mom will be upset if I push.
That little girl deep inside of me, so satisfied with the swirling skirt of my dress, hides so far in my psyche that I’m not sure she will ever come out again. Every bit of stolen joy I’d felt in the mirror is gone, crushed under my mother’s elegant heels and cruel words.
Jessa yanks a brush through my hair, tugging it into an elegant updo with ruthless efficiency.
“I can’t believe you’re making me do this,” she hisses, her breath hot against my ear. “You owe me big time, Ava. I should be concentrating on myself, not you. You don’t even have any prospects here.” As if she isn’t perfection walking already.
I nod anyway, not trusting myself to speak. I know I’m a burden, a disappointment to everyone in my family. But tonight, I have to put on a brave face and pretend to be something I’m not. Tonight, I have to take everything they say with a smile, just like before. Just for a little longer.