Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
My stare is probably rude, butexcuse me?
I’d think I’d know if I almost died.
It seems like that’s the kind of thing that sticks with you for a while.
“You were unconscious,” she adds helpfully.
“Thankfully we got you stabilized just in time” She winks. “You’re welcome. It was some of my best work.”
Trying to smile back is an effort, but I manage something that must pass muster, because she continues on, her face settling back into a professional mask.
“We have you on antibiotics through your IV, which has helped a lot already. Your cultures should be back later today and we will be able to tailor your medicine to the infection. Right now, you’re on three different broadspectrum antibiotics to cover all bases.”
It’s like I can understand every word out of her mouth, and yet she’s speaking a foreign language.
“I… see? Thank you.” The point is that I’m doing better, so I cling to that.
“In bad news, you don’t seem to have any accelerated healing. We hoped having Alpha’s scent near you would help with that, but if you aren’t mated, it’s no wonder…” Her words trail off. “Well, I could get you a gown, if you prefer.”
“No, thank you.” My refusal is swift, and my cheeks burn under her knowing scrutiny. My fingers, sore and bandaged from minor cuts that I can only assume come from the knife that I used to end Todd’s life, pluck at loose threads in the quilt.
There are none, but I pretend anyway. I’m too embarrassed. “His scent… um, it might not help with the healing, but it helps calm me down.”
Vanessa nods. “I understand. My mate’s smell is like a natural Xanax for me.”
I nod along as Vanessa explains the treatment plan, her gentle voice and demeanor putting me at ease despite the unsettling details. Apparently, they can’t close the gashes on my abdomen, and I just have to live with them draining and frequent changes of the dressing. It’s a little daunting.
Just as she’s about to continue, the door to my room -swings open with a forceful shove.
A tall, slender man strides in, his white coat billowing behind him. His angular features and neatly coiffed hair give him an air of arrogance that sets me immediately on edge. He doesn’t spare me a glance, instead flipping through the chart in his hands with a look of impatient disdain.
“Vanessa,” he greets curtly, not even looking up. “I see you’re still wasting time coddling patients instead of doing your job properly.”
Vanessa visibly bristles at his condescending tone, her lips pressing into a tight line.
I decide then and there that I hate the man.
“Dr. Ellison,” Vanessa replies, her voice clipped. “I’m caring for our guest as any decent healer would.”
He scoffs, finally deigning to look at me with cold, appraising eyes. “Guest? She’s a Blackwood.” His gaze rakes over my bandaged form with unveiled disdain. “I’d have thought you’d want to prioritize your efforts for the patients who matter.”@
The barb stings, bringing a flush of embarrassment to my cheeks. I open my mouth to protest, but Vanessa beats me to it.
“She’s Alpha Westwood’s mate,” she bites out. “I’d think even you would know to show some respect.”
Dr. Ellison’s eyebrows shoot up as he turns an assessing look my way again. “His mate?” He scoffs. “Then where is the mating mark, Vanessa? Don’t be so gullible.”
I brace myself as the rude doctor turns his attention fully on me. His eyes are cold, assessing, and I feel stripped bare under his clinical gaze.
“Ava Grey,” he says, no longer even pretending to look at my chart. His tone is cold. He’s a frigid man of ice, and I want to take a pickaxe to chip him into tiny little ice pieces that I throw into the toilet.
I straighten my back as best I can around the pain, lifting my chin as high as it can go with the bandages and pain. I refuse to be looked down on by some asshole with a superiority complex.
I had that enough from my own pack!
His lip curls into a slight sneer. “Let’s get one thing straightyou’re getting far more care and attention than you deserve, but you’re stable, and you’ll be on your way to recovery soon enough. You can thank me for that later.”@
I shoot Vanessa an incredulous glance, and she rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
Yeah. That’s what I thought.
He’s just taking the credit for all the work she’s put in. I can remember, now, her soft voice just before I lost consciousness. She was in the car with me, wasn’t she?
Where was this guy? Probably at home, drinking some wine and browsing some sort of medical journal.
He looks at Vanessa too, but his face is full of disdain.
“Honestly, I don’t know why we’re wasting resources on a Blackwood mutt.””
The insult stings, but I force myself to keep my expression neutral. I won’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
Turning back to me, he levels me with a scrutinizing stare. “Tell me, are you a shifter or a human? Your “scent varies too much for me to be certain.”
I hate having to tell him anything, but he is the doctor providing care, so I answer. Reluctantly, and only with the partial truth. “I’m unable to shift.”
His lip curls in a sneer of disgust, and he shakes his head. “Figures. A human pet. One of the Blackwood Alpha’s play toys, I bet.”
“That’s enough De Ellison” Vanagga intorionta professional despite the ice lining her words. “I won’t have you speaking to my patient that way.”
He waves a dismissive hand at her. “Save your fake niceties for someone who cares, Vanessa. This one isn’t worth the effort. Miss Grey, you’ll be just fine. Antibiotics, pain meds. That’s all you need. Broth if you’re hungry. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an actual job to do.”
Anger flushes Vanessa’s cheeks bright red as Dr.
Ellison walks away. Her hands are clenched into fists at her sides. If life was a cartoon, steam would be coming out of her ears.
It warms my heart with a feeling that’s a little ticklish and uncomfortable, like a wool blanket. Comfortable and cozy, until the itch begins.
Vanessa takes a deep breath before turning to face me, an apologetic look on her face.
“Ava, I’m so sorry. His behavior was completely unacceptable. I’m going to report him to Alpha Lucas immediately. I can guarantee you that kind of disrespect and cruelty won’t be tolerated.”
My heart sinks at the thought of causing any more trouble or conflict. I’ve already put Lucas and his pack through so much just by existing. The last thing I want is to be a burden or a source of drama.
Reaching out, I grab Vanessa’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Please, don’t report him on my account. I don’t want to cause any more friction or problems.”
Vanessa’s brow furrows, and she looks at me with a mixture of confusion and concern. “Ava, why wouldn’t you want to stand up for yourself? You have Alpha Lucas on your side now. He’ll make sure you’re treated with the respect you deserve.”
Her words catch me off guard, and I find myself at a loss for how to respond. It’s true that Lucas risked everything to rescue me from the Blackwood Pack, but aside from feeling immense gratitude, I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about him.
Does him saving me really change the dynamic between us? He made it clear at the Lunar Gala that he wanted nothing to do with me. And even if he’s had a change of heart, I’m still just me. An outcast in my own pack. A shifter who can’t shift.
It feels like a lifetime ago now that he was trying to reconnect with me in Cedarwood. I hadn’t been ready for that then, either. Full of suspicion, which seems to be my default.
The logic of my own reasoning rings false now. It makes no sense at all. Lucas went to incredible lengths to get me out of that hellish situation. He put his own life on the line for me. He lost one of his men to rescue me. Surely that has to mean something.
It isn’t that his rejection should be erased, but-
He’s been apologizing since he found me in Cedarwood.
Is it okay to take his change of heart at face value?
Not necessarily to accept it all and walk into this connection without a second thought, but to give him a chance at starting over?
And yet my paranoia simmers beneath it all, questioning why he would change. Why, for someone like me?
After a lifetime of being treated like a burden, like a source of embarrassment and shame, it’s hard to shake those deeply ingrained feelings of unworthiness.
I look up at Vanessa, searching for the right words to explain the tangled mess of emotions swirling inside me. “I don’t know,” I admit, my voice barely above a whisper.
Vanessa’s worry is present in her knitted brows and pursed lips. “I’ll suggest therapy along with your physical injuries. I’m sure there’s a lot you aren’t telling me. Having no ability to shift in a pack like Blackwood must have been…” Her voice trails off. “Well, we have some great therapists. No one like Dr. Ellison, and I’m sure he won’t be here much longer once Alpha Lucas hears about this.”
Dr. Ellison never appears before me again. @
My new doctor is an older woman who smells like a mix of raw meat and chocolate chip cookies. Like a bunnyslaughtering, chubby grandma. It’s an odd mix that makes my nose wrinkle a little.
“Good morning, Miss Grey,” she greets me, her voice gentle and sweet, belying her stocky frame. It only adds to the Disney grandma effect, still with a side of vicious killer. “I’m Dr. Annise Beaumont, and I’ll be taking over your care from now on.”
She moves closer, and I flinch without thinking, tensing at her approach.
The rational part of my mind knows she’s here to help, but after the disastrous encounter with Dr. Ellison, I can’t shake the sense of unease that settles in the pit of my stomach. I don’t want to be touched by people who hate me.
Dr. Beaumont seems to notice my apprehension, knitting her brows together as she watches me. “I’ve heard of your issues with Dr. Ellison. He’s well known