Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
“I’m not asking.” My tone leaves no room for argument. “If Ava is being held against her will, a full scale invasion will only endanger her further. This has to be clean, precise. In and out before
Blackwood even knows we’re there. We don’t know what that fucking bloodsucker did when she was brought in, either.”
“Once she’s safe, we can proceed to wipe them from this world.”
Ryder exchanges a glance with Vester, but both nod in reluctant agreement. They know the lengths I’ll go to for herhave seen firsthand the fire that burns within me whenever her name is uttered.
“As you wish,” Vester says at last. “I’ll gather the team and we’ll be ready to move at your command.”
I give a curt nod, already formulating strategies in my mind. Getting into Blackwood territory undetected will be the greatest challenge, but I have faith in my delta’s skills. Once we’re inside, finding Ava will be my sole focus.
The image of her face flashes before my eyesthose piercing blue irises, the delicate curve of her jaw, the softness of her lips that I’ve yearned to taste for far too long. She haunts my dreams.
And now, finally, I have a chance to bring her home where she belongs.
At my side.
In my arms.
In my bed.
A feral growl rumbles deep in my chest as possessive instincts flare hot and bright. My wolf howls in my head, rage shimmering within us both.
She is ours, and we will tear apart anyone who dares stand in our way.
With a deep breath, I force the wolf back into its cage, steadying the storm of emotions that threatens to overwhelm me. Calm focus, that’s what I need now. I can let the beast off its leash once Ava is safe.
“Get moving,” I tell my deltas, already rising from my seat. “I want to be in position before nightfall.”
They move to obey, but I catch Vester’s arm before he can leave, pulling him close enough to taste the wariness rolling off him in waves.
“One more thing,” I rumble, holding his gaze with steely resolve. “If it comes down to it? If she’s harmed in any way, leave no one alive. Burn that fucking pack to the ground. I don’t care if they’re women or children, weak or strong.”
For a beat, he says nothing. Then a grim nod. “Understood, alpha.”
With that, he’s gone, the door slamming shut behind him. I’m alone now, surrounded by the oppressive silence and the lingering scent of smoke, my cigarette having burned itself out after only one puff from me.
My mind is a whirlwind churning with the promise of violence and the tantalizing possibility of finally claiming what’s mine.
Lucas guessed wrong and yet still ended up right in the end- haha
CLAYTON
The hospital holds too many memories, and my wolf snarls and whines as it tries in desperation to sniff out any hint of Ava’s scent when we arrive.
There’s nothing, of course. Just the smell of the injured, the sickly, and disinfectant.
Ivy’s room is in our family wing on the top floor, and I head straight there, unable to even look at the button for floor 12.
Ava’s floor.
Mate, my wolf whines, and I wonder how much worse this would be if we had a fated connection instead of a chosen one. Lucas’ singleminded determination has never made more sense to me than now, as we’ve spent over a week searching for any hint of the men who took Ava.
Someone had covered their tracks. Every airline, every taxi company, every rideshare, every car rentaltheir systems were hacked and wiped, so we can’t even ascertain how she left.
Air? Car? Even the trains were messed up for a while as they had to go through tickets by hand to verify passengers.
There are no security cameras we can rely on. Everything in the city was wiped. Everything.
I can’t imagine what level of influence is needed to take down all of these things in a major city. It’s beyond any single pack in the Northwestern Territories.
Was she taken by someone outside of them? But who, and why?
There are no answers to be found.
I settle into a chair beside Ivy’s bedside. The natural healing abilities of every wolf are varied in strength, and Ivy’s are so low that she heals almost at the rate of a normal human.
Thanks to the medication in her veins, she sleeps in peace. All of her tests are coming back with positive signs of recovery.
If I could find the bastards who did this to her, it would be even better.
I cradle Ava’s phone in my palm, running my thumb over the smooth surface. The screen remains dark and lifeless. My jaw clenches as I stare at the pitiful list of contactsjust my number and Ivy’s.
As an alpha, I should have pushed harder, gotten the information I needed. It was obvious in Ava’s evasiveness and refusal to divulge personal details, the way she dodged questions about her family, that she was running from something. I let it slide because I was too focused on her heat, and then on keeping her here without scaring her off.
Now, I don’t even know her last name, and she’s missing. Taken from beneath my nose in a place she should have been safethe very heart of my pack lands.
My wolf whines, sensing my turmoil, and I force myself to take a deep breath, reining in the torrent of emotions.
The burner phone she’d left behind is our only lead, our sole connection to Ava’s past. She must have bought it when she was shopping with Rowan. Smart girl. Too bad she was smart enough to lock it, too.
We have no one capable of hacking into it or the highlevel skills required to overcome everything the abductors had wrought in their wake. A mistake I won’t repeat.
My grip tightens around the phone. The pack’s technology will rise. No more relying on outside resources when our security is at stake. I need to hire more experienced IT personnel, individuals with the skills to navigate the digital landscape.
Humans have them in droves, but few are willing to work with the shifters, even in our cautious alliance-
as if the last remaining bastion of humanity’s supremacy will be enough to save them from the takeover they imagine.
Meanwhile, very few packs think of dominating this world, knowing the humans existence betters all of our lives. Without their numbers, their talents, and their sheer work force, our societies would regress at an alarming rate.
There is no good thing to come from a world without humans.
A soft knock on the door breaks me from my reverie, and I look up to see Rowan’s concerned gaze. My beta has been a steadfast pillar of support throughout this ordeal, his calm demeanor a balm to my frayed nerves.
“Any news?” he asks, stepping into the room.
I shake my head, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. “Not yet. I’m still waiting for the results from the burner phone.”
Rowan’s brow furrows. “You sent it out last week. Why don’t they know yet?”
I shrug. I can’t admit that most of the technical jargon is over my head. I’m not even sure they’re making it the priority they said they would.
“Westwood is attacking tonight. He’s forwarded all the evidence they’ve gathered against Blackwood. They brought in an Unregistered last night.”
Shit. I’d forgotten all about that situation.
“Send some of ours to Westwood in case they need reinforcements.”
“It’ll be too late by the time they arrive,” Rowan cautions.
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. Knowing Xavier, he’s already helping. Blackwood doesn’t have a fighting chance at headon combat, but Lucas will need manpower after they take over the territory, keeping the peace until the Council decides what to do with it.”
“Understood.” Rowan types something on his phone, quickly sending out whatever orders will get the job done.
I squeeze the bridge of my nose in frustration, feeling a headache settle behind my eyes. “Still nothing on the security cameras?”
“Nothing,” he confirms, just as his phone beeps.
Where are you, are you, Ava?
Who were you running from?
“Lucas? We have a lead…” The cautious note in
Rowan’s words should have warned me.
I vault out of my chair, snatching his phone, my gaze fixed on the image before me. There she is, unmistakable with her dark blonde hair and striking blue eyes. They’ve haunted my dreams since the day she disappeared. Ava, alive and well, captured on anmaro walking through an unfamiliar airnort terminal.
The date stamp confirms my worst fearsthe very day she vanished from the Aspen Pack lands.
My breath catches in my throat as I take in the details, my blood running cold when I recognize the man beside her. Phoenix Grey has his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the crowds.