Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 277 Lisa: Kellan

After the third time I stumble while walking, the naked shifter stares at me with a curled lip.

"Why are humans so weak?" he asks, his tone grating on my already frayed nerves.

I bristle at his words. Who does he think he is? "None of your business," I snap, surprising myself with the venom in my voice. Jericho said I do pretty well for a human, thank you very much. I'm just weakened.

I'll get back into shape and then wipe that cocky stare off his face on the mat.

Though, I have yet to have a legitimate win without any handicaps during our training spars… But a girl can dream, damn it.

The shifter's eyebrows shoot up, clearly taken aback by my sass. He peers at me more closely, his brow furrowing. "Do I know you?"

Before I can answer, he leans in, his nostrils flaring as he sniffs at me. I recoil, but he's already pulling back, a puzzled expression on his face.

"You don't have much of a scent," he says, sounding perplexed.

I catch the Grand Sage's eye, noticing a mischievous twinkle there. The bracelet must mess with my scent, too. It bolsters my courage for some reason. "That's because humans like to shower," I retort, my chin jutting out defiantly.

The shifter's eyes narrow. "You don't smell like you've showered recently."

My jaw drops. Did he really just say that? The audacity! I'm about to unleash a tirade on this insensitive jerk when a bone-chilling growl cuts through the air.

My heart leaps into my throat as a massive reddish-brown wolf emerges from nowhere, its teeth bared and hackles raised. Without thinking, I stumble backward, instinctively seeking shelter behind the naked shifter.

Bad move.

wolf's growl intensifies, the sound reverberating through my chest. I can feel the naked shifter stiffen in front of me, his

forward at the animal, nearly losing my balance in the process. The naked shifter holds up his hands once I've been sacrificed, a look of

itself between me and the other shifter. Its massive

drop to the ground, bellies pressed to the earth in submission. The air crackles with tension, and I

strong," the Grand Sage

less likely to get the wolf's attention? It

for all the

wolf growls again, this time turning in a swift motion to get between me and the Grand Sage, snapping impatiently in the

by the fierce visage of a growling apex predator, he

Excuse me?

turns to rub hard against my thighs, almost knocking me off balance. When I grab at its fur to hold me up, I swear the damn thing rumbles

is going on?" I hiss at the naked

snaps, before shifting into his wolf form again and cowering

lost their damn

under my touch, its eyes half-closing in bliss as its tail wags. The fierce growling from moments ago transforms

unable to keep the bitterness from my voice. Bitterness, to be clear, that he was willing

my dear, you will soon enough." He turns to address the wolf. "We need to

might snap at the

skin. Muscles ripple and bones realign, the

Kellan.

inch of his naked body. Unlike the other shifter, whose nudity had barely registered, I find myself appreciating Kellan's form with a reverence that surprises me. My gaze travels from his broad shoulders down his chiseled chest, following the trail of