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 muscles tensing beneath

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 fear

other shifter. Its massive jaws snap at the

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

are quite strong," the Grand

away or stand still. Which is less likely to get the wolf's attention? It seems angry. I don't want to be

assures me, looking for all the world as

get between me and the

fierce visage of a growling apex predator, he gestures in my direction.

Excuse me?

the wolf lets out a remarkably satisfied-sounding huff and turns to rub hard against my thighs, almost knocking me off balance. When I grab at

on?" I hiss at the naked shifter, who looks panicked by my

shifting into his wolf

lost their damn

my surprise, the beast seems to melt under my touch, its eyes half-closing in bliss as its tail wags. The fierce growling from moments

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

to shake him. "If you can't figure it out now, my dear, you will soon enough." He turns to address the

I think it might snap at the Grand Sage, but then

in my throat as the fur recedes, revealing smooth, tanned skin. Muscles ripple and bones realign,

Kellan.

as I take him in, unable to stop myself from drinking in every 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