Filed to story: Tangled in Moonlight Unshifted Novel by Lenaleia
There’s a long pause, and then Kellan’s voice again, still sounding baffled. “Ava will have guards with her at all times Lisa She won’t need nenner soray There are already guards stationed all over her hospital wing and by her door.”
That’s news to me. Then again, I haven’t left my room -ever. Even when I was encouraged to go on a hallway walk, I refused and paced in my room instead.
Guards. Of course I have guards. Because even now, even here, I’m not really free. I’m still a prisoner, just in a gilded cage instead of a dingy cell.
Lisa argues with Kellan for a few more moments, but I tune out their words, my mind reeling. Dr. Beaumont, perhaps sensing the rising tension, quickly makes her escape.
“Well, this conversation is above my pay grade,” she jokes weakly, edging toward the door. “I’ll get your -discharge papers ready, Ava. You should be good to go after breakfast tomorrow.”
And then she’s gone, leaving me alone with Lisa and the weight of my new reality pressing down on my chest. Guards. Constant surveillance. No privacy, no freedom.
Is this really what my life has come to? Trading one form of captivity for another?
I close my eyes, fighting back the sudden sting of tears. I should be happy. I’m alive, I’m safe, I’m surrounded by people who care about me. But all I feel is trapped, already suffocated by the expectations and obligations that come with being Lucas’s mate.
I don’t want guards. I don’t want to be watched and monitored and controlled. I just want to be normal, to live my life on my own terms. To find me. I managed that at Cedarwood, and I was happy there.
Lucas still calls me every night, but Lisa had helped encourage me to text him yesterday, asking for space, at least until he returns to Westwood.
I’m sure he gets hourly reports from all my guards, but at least I don’t have to worry about playing nice when I’m starting to feel resentful and frustrated, despite knowing I should be grateful for being saved.
I’m grateful to him for a lot. Having guards around should be a small price for all of this. It’s just hard.
“Welcome home!” Lisa exclaims as she flings open the door to her new apartment.
When Lisa said that Lucas had settled her into an apartment, I’d expected something… I don’t know.
Normal?
This is far from normal.
The luxurious living room has been decorated in some sort of eclectic, artistic mix of boho wall decor and minimalist furniture, leaving bright, wide open spaces with bright splashes of color and texture on the walls.
Floortoceiling windows flood the space with natural light, framed by curtains I’m afraid to even touch. How can curtains look so expensive?
A sleek kitchen gleams in the corner, all stainless steel appliances and marble countertops, with white cabinets that are going to be a terrible experience to keep clean. It’s like the entire apartment was made with maid service in mind.
“Wow,” I breathe, running my fingers along the back of the luxurious leather couch. “Lucas really went all out, didn’t he?”
But they don’t hear me, becausewell, they’re still arguing.
Lisa’s voice rises, competing with the clatter of her -heels against the hardwood as she storms after Kellan. “We don’t need a guard dog watching our every move in here. What, you think someone’s going to scale fifteen stories and bust through the window?”
I tune out Kellan’s gruff response, focusing instead on the sprawling cityscape beyond the glass. Skyscrapers pierce the sky, glinting in the afternoon sun. Cars crawl along the streets below, tiny and insignificant from this height. People crowd the streets.
It’s busy.
It’s a world away from Cedarwood. From the Novel Grind and its cozy charm. From the little apartment I’d made my own.
From Selene.
My chest tightens at the thought of her. It’s been so long since I’ve heard her voice in my head, felt her presence curled around my mind like a contented cat. I keep reaching for her, hoping to brush against the familiar warmth of her consciousness, but there’s only silence. A void where she should be.
My wounds had healed at such a rate that I’d truly expected to hear Selene in my head any day now, assuming it was a side effect of our bond. I’d hoped it meant Selene was getting closer, that she’d found a way to reach me despite the distance. But as the hours tick by with no sign of her, doubt begins to creep in, insidious and cold.
What if something happened to her? What if she’s hurt, or worse? The thought makes my stomach twist, bile rising in my throat. I can’t lose her. She’s a part of me now. Her absence leaves me feeling only half myself.
I press my forehead against the cool glass, squeezing my eyes shut as if I can will her into existence through sheer desperation. Please, Selene, I beg silently. Please be okay. I need you.
But there’s no answer, just the muted sounds of the city and Lisa’s ongoing argument with Kellan.
“-don’t care if he’s the alpha, Lucas doesn’t get to dictate every aspect of our lives!” Lisa’s voice cracks like a whip, jolting me out of my spiraling thoughts. “Ava’s been through enough. She deserves some goddamn privacy.”
Kellan’s sigh is heavy, weighted with the responsibility -he carries. “Lisa, I understand your frustration. But Ava’s safety is our top priority. We can’t take any chances. Not all the Blackwoods are accounted for, and there’s a good chance they’ll be looking for her.”
The mention of my former pack has me shuddering. Thinking of Mom and Dad makes me want to vomit, but it’s the memories of Todd’s attack that flash behind my eyelids. The phantom pain of his claws.
raking across my skin, the way his teeth dug into my neck and shoulders.
I never wanted to think about that odious little shit again, but his nightmares live in my head, rent free.
Old taunts. So many times he’d spent kicking me when I was already curled up on the floor, hands over my head, waiting for the torment of my pack members to end. Of the day I’d resolved to leave my pack. Of his nasty dick shoved into my mouth-
Shit. I work at my jaw, fighting against the wave of nausea. No, never again.
I’m not that scared, helpless girl anymore. I survived. I fought back. And I won’t let anyone make me feel powerless again, not even the man who claims to be -my mate.
Kellan had mentioned that Lisa and I begin training tomorrow. Selfdefense and more. I’m looking forward to it in a way that makes me almost want to shy away from the newly bloodthirsty urge in my soulthe one that wants to slaughter anyone who looks at me the wrong way.
Almost dying will change a lot of things, I guess.
Slowly, I turn from the window, my gaze settling on Lisa and Kellan as they face off in the middle of the living room. Lisa’s cheeks are flushed, her eyes bright with indignation, while Kellan looks like he’s aged a decade in the span of their conversation.
“I appreciate your concern,” I say quietly, my voice steady despite the emotions churning in my gut. “But Lisa’s right. I need space to breathe, Kellan. I can’t live my life constantly looking over my shoulder.”
Kellan’s brow furrows, his mouth opening as if to argue, but I hold up a hand to stop him. “I’m not saying I don’t want protection. I know the risks, and I’m grateful for everything you and Lucas have done to keep me safe. But there has to be a balance. I can’t heal if I’m suffocating under the weight of my own security detail.”
Lisa nods emphatically, her hand coming to rest on my shoulder in a show of solidarity. “Exactly. We’re not saying no guards at all. Just not in the apartment. Give us some room to exist without being watched.”
Kellan drags a hand down his face, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “Fine,” he grumbles. “No guards inside the apartment. But I’m posting them in the hallway and the lobby. And you’re not to leave without an escort, understand?”
It’s not perfect, but it’s a start. A small victory in the battle for my autonomy. I nod, relief loosening the knot in my chest. “Understood. Thank you, Kellan.”
He grunts in acknowledgment, already turning to leave. “I’ll be back in the morning. Get some rest, both of you.”
And then he’s gone, the door clicking shut behind him with a finality that feels strangely anticlimactic. Lisa lets out a whoosh of breath, her hand falling from my shoulder as she turns to face me.
“Well, that was fun,” she deadpans, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “Nothing like a good -oldfashioned pissing contest to welcome you home.”
I snort, shaking my head. “Home. Right.” My gaze drifts back to the window, to the unfamiliar skyline and the aching absence of Selene’s presence. “Feels more like just another prison.”
It’s unfair to feel that way. I know it is. But I feel like I haven’t been able to breathe in forever.
Lisa’s expression softens her eves shining with understanding. “I know, Ave. But at least you’re out of that house, right? We’ll make it work. It won’t be so bad here. I can already tell.”
She loops her arm through mine, tugging me towards the kitchen. “Now come on, I’m starving. Let’s see what kind of gourmet shit Lucas stocked this place with.”
“Ava, Lisa, this is Jericho. He’s one of our most experienced enforcers and will be overseeing your training.”
Kellan’s introduction hangs in the air as I take in the man before me. Jericho’s weathered face is a tapestry of scars, each one a story etched into his skin. His eyes, a piercing blue, seem to see right through me, assessing and calculating in equal measure, his scarred lip curling in disdain.
I force myself to stand tall, to meet his stare headon.
“These are the whelps I’m meant to train? They look like they’d snap in a stiff breeze.”
Kellan’s jaw tightens. “Jericho, mind your tongue. Ava and Lisa are under the Alpha’s protection. You will treat them with respect.”
Jericho snorts, a harsh sound in the tense air between us.
The shifter’s lip curls, exposing yellowed teeth.
“Respect is earned, not given. They live or die by their own strength, not mine. If they can’t handle it, that’s not my problem.”
“They’re under our Alpha’s protection,” Kellan grits out again, his patience clearly fraying. “You just need to train them. Help them learn to defend themselves.”
The shifter snorts, a harsh, derisive sound that sets my teeth on edge. “Defend themselves? Look at them, barely more than pups. Soft. Weak.” He spits the words. like they’re poison on his tongue. “What’s the point? They’ll be dead within a week out there.”
Kellan takes a step forward, his posture radiating menace. “Let me make this clear,” he says, his voice low and dangerous. “Ava and Lisa’s wellbeing is of the utmost importance to Alpha Lucas. If anything happens to them under your watch, you’ll answer to him directly. Do you understand?”
For a moment, the shifter looks like he might argue, his scarred face twisting with disdain. But then he shrugs, a casual roll of his shoulders that does nothing to dispel the tension crackling in the air. “Fine. But the Alpha should have better priorities. A real leader doesn’t waste time coddling weaklings.”
Kellan opens his mouth to retort, but Jericho cuts him off with a sharp gesture. “Enough. Leave the girls to me. I’ll whip them into shape.”