Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 178 Lucas: Hunt Him Down

LUCAS

Hundreds of wolves flood the forest in search of the elusive vampire, filling my blood with the lust of the hunt and pride in my pack.

Ava's at the lodge and safe. I'm on my way. Kellan's mental voice is a welcome interruption.

Ryder scented him near the border of the human dairy farm. Take a team and move south, in case he's fucking with his trail.

Got it, Alpha.

Now that I don't have to worry about her safety, I can focus on this bastard who has the balls to come to our lands during this sacred time.

My wolf snarls, a vicious rumble deep in our shared chest as we race through the shadowed forest.

Moonlight weaves between the trees, illuminating the underbrush in random patterns, brushing against my dark fur as I weave between ancient trunks.

All around me, howls rise into the night sky. It's an eerie symphony of bloodlust, feral and free, as we rush through the land in pursuit, ready to tear any vampire we catch from limb from limb.

The pack's rage pulses through me, mingling with my own, until I can't distinguish where mine ends and theirs begins.

of my wrath, the seething maelstrom that demands vengeance and blood in price

past the earth and trees, far past the past the warm musk of my wolves racing alongside me.

Vampire.

unholy scent. My paws devour the distance, powerful muscles flexing as I give myself over to

northwest. Scent

intensity of my focus. I sense Kellan's acknowledgment, feel him

flank from the east. Box the

this undead filth that dared to invade my territory, dared to threaten and kill my people. And when we

do, I'll tear his fucking head from his shoulders and mount it on a pike for all to see. A warning to any bloodsucker who even looks at our

perimeter! Sabine, one of my

with confusion. But it's... to

of unease winds through my gut. South

farms. Kellan again, terse and grim. Miles from the original trail. What

the same sickly sweet vampire stench in different locations. Scattered throughout our

my headlong charge, a low growl building in my chest. This isn't right. It's too spread out,

Fuck.

I should have seen it immediately. Multiple trails, each leading in opposite directions—it's a ploy. The leech is trying to lure us out, divide our forces while

missing something vital. Being played for fools by a cunning monster who knows exactly how to

senses. Straining for any sign of the vampire's actual location amid the chaos of false trails. But there's nothing. Only the maddening sweetness

whip. We're being toyed with. Ryder, Kellan, take a group