Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 39 Ava: Her Identity

You have the potential, Selene says, her voice a cautious whisper in my mind. The arcane flows through your veins. But…

My breath escapes me in a giddy rush. Magic. Real magic. Human magic. It's something out of a fairy tale, not something that should exist in my life. Then again, supernaturals exist—and we're pretty nonstandard, ourselves.

It's not that simple, Selene continues, her tone growing more serious. Magic is not a toy, little one. It's a force of nature, raw and untamed. To wield it requires knowledge, discipline, and control.

I swallow hard, feeling the warning in her words. "But how do I learn? I don't even know where to start."

You would need a teacher, Selene explains, her voice tinged with hesitation. Someone well-versed in the arcane arts, who could guide you, show you how to harness and control your power. But magic is a lost art. Magicians were lost to the curse and became shifters.

Talk about a letdown.

"So, I won't be able to do magic." Is that how you say it? Do magic? Cast magic? Spell magic? Cast spells? It all feels weird in my mouth.

It is unlikely, Selene says, but she still has that cautious sound to her voice.

"If I tried, what's the worst that could happen?"

Death.

A simple word, bluntly given, with all the truth in the world behind it. I shudder at the matter-of-fact tone.

talent. Until magicians began to teach each other, too many lives were lost in the pursuit of the power

of the warmth that fled my body

of loss. Magic would have been amazing to learn, of course. But—if Selene says it's too dangerous,

been bothering me from the beginning. "Selene, you're my wolf,

Of course.

No shifter has a wolf

explains in that non-explaining

bonded with ancient magic, and they don't have any 'separate', only 'one'. Why

be helped, Selene sighs, and I can almost picture her shaking her head. It's the nature of

And what

with a quiet pride. I came to be with you of my

if that somehow makes my brain work better.

another time, Selene says, her tone turning brisk. For now, it's more important

of the alpha sends a shiver down my spine, and I can feel the

a frantic state like yesterday. But I can't

how can you just choose to be with me? And what do you mean, we're separate and one at the same

don't understand yet. But trust me when I say that everything will be revealed in time. For now, focus on

heat is building faster now, and I can feel my skin starting to prickle with sweat. I

One humiliation is enough.

it on the ground as I go. Niceties are foregone; I just want to

they're close enough that I'm lifting my chin to sniff, trying to get their