Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 179 Ava: Surprise Visit

Selene lies curled in a patch of moonlight, her head resting on her tail, eyes closed. Her presence usually brings me comfort, but even she can't soothe the anxiety that grips me now.

The room feels more like a prison than a sanctuary, the air thick with unspoken animosity. I glance out the window again, searching the darkness for any sign of movement, any indication that Lucas and the others are okay.

Nothing, of course.

They're miles away.

Their howls fill the air, raising the hair on my arms and the back of my neck.

It takes time, Selene murmurs, her eyes still closed as she basks in the moonlight.

She looks as relaxed as can be, but the edge in her mental voice tells me otherwise.

The knot in my stomach refuses to unravel. It's the same feeling I had before the attack on the party, a sense of impending doom that crawls beneath my skin and sets my nerves on edge.

The two shifters standing guard don't help matters. They're strangers to me, with unfamiliar faces and rigid stances. The tension in the room is palpable. I can't bring myself to attempt conversation, not when every instinct screams that they despise me.

Minutes drag by, and nothing changes.

No updates.

Only the occasional cough from the guard with short hair and a scar under his left eye.

By the unfocused look that comes over their faces here and there, I know they're listening in to the hunt. They know something.

My thoughts keep circling back to Lucas and the others out there hunting the vampire. The not knowing is torture, my imagination conjuring up increasingly horrific scenarios with each passing second.

it any longer, I turn to the shifters, my words tight with barely restrained panic. "Any updates on the

broad-shouldered man with cold brown eyes, regards me with open disdain. "Why do you

my cheeks, a mixture of embarrassment and indignation. "I'm worried people will get hurt tonight," I manage to say,

second shifter grabs his companion's arm, shaking his head in silent warning. They both turn away from me, their dismissal cutting

me to stand up for myself and not let them treat me

feels the treatment

Selene says suddenly, startling me in the

Oh.

Was I wallowing again?

Yes.

Damn it.

expanding my field of march. The guards step back,

cigarette smoke wafts through the air as the tall guard lights up, filling the room with a haze. My nose wrinkles in

looks at me with disdain, taking a long drag before blowing the smoke in my direction. "Save your complaints,

in the ribs, hissing under his breath. "Stop it before you get us in

wall, a sneer twisting his features. "She's not even our alpha's mate. She was rejected. Nothing but a plague on

words hit me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my lungs. I know

her," he continues, jerking his

before I can voice them, both guards suddenly collapse to

Sister Miriam. She bends down, picking up the still-smoldering cigarette from the tall guard's limp fingers. Taking a long drag, she regards the unconscious man with

even as a small, vindictive part of me whispers

apologetic smile on her face. "Sorry for the dramatic

is on her feet now, hackles raised as she positions herself between me and the enigmatic woman. She shouldn't be able to get in here, she growls

furball." Sister Miriam flicks her cigarette ashes in Selene's direction. "Never able to see past the nose on your face. Ava, you'll be pleased to hear that the

"A merry chase?"