Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 23 Ava: Paranoia and Secrets (IV)

I stare at Selene in shock, emotions roiling within me like a sea at storm. Searing heat flushes my skin, beads of sweat forming along my hairline. My legs tremble, the world tilting precariously, and I clutch at Selene's fur, her solid presence the only thing anchoring me.

"Are you..." I swallow thickly, the words catching in my throat. "Are you my wolf?"

The question seems absurd even as it leaves my lips, defying all logic and reason. And yet, as Selene preens, her gaze gleaming with an intelligence that transcends any mere dog, a hysterical giggle bubbles up from deep within me.

"My wolf is a husky," I wheeze between breathless peals of laughter. "How does this even happen?"

Selene's ears flatten against her skull, and she emits a low growl, her displeasure rippling through our newfound connection like a physical force. I am not a husky, her voice echoes in my mind, resolute and unyielding.

The laughter dies on my lips as abruptly as it began, and I gape at her, struggling to reconcile the reality before me. "But... you look like one."

Appearances can be deceiving, my human. There's a hint of amusement in her tone now, as if she's enjoying my bewilderment. I am a wolf, through and through. This form is merely a vessel, a guise to help me blend in among your kind.

My brow furrows as I study her. Nope. Still a husky.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" The words come out harsher than I intend, tinged with a hint of accusation. If my wolf had appeared, my life wouldn't have been so terrible. And maybe, at the Gala, I wouldn't have been—

No. No point thinking over things that have already happened.

can't help glaring at my dog in

me steadily, her eyes ancient and inscrutable. You were not ready, she says simply. Your path has been a winding one, filled with obstacles

a sharp breath, her words striking a chord deep within me. The weight of my past—the isolation, the rejection, the constant struggle to find my place—presses down upon me,

my cheek, her warmth enveloping me like a comforting embrace. Now, you can embrace your destiny, she murmurs. You have learned that you are strong, but you are more than you know, my human. And I will be by your side every step of the way, guiding you

the connection between us, marveling at its existence. I realize now that it's what's been helping me get through it all. I can even feel how it's a wall sheltering me

shoots through my abdomen. I'm on

weakness comes with a whimper, Selene says, like that means

I wheeze between the worst cramps I've ever felt in

behind her. Get up, little cub. We have a long way to

I can't move. I'm just going to die here for a little while. Why'd you take me so

place we need to be, she explains, and I can hear

my feet with a groan, swaying with every step.

stays just out of reach,

my abdomen. Sweating, vision blurring—it feels impossible. But Selene's steady presence urges me

trees seem to close in around us, casting eerie shadows across our path. Selene navigates the darkness with ease, her lithe form weaving through the undergrowth with a grace that

further, the trees part to reveal a tiny

onto a soft carpet of moss and fallen leaves, my body trembling. The pain intensifies, threatening to consume me from within. I curl into a ball,

me?" I rasp, my voice strained