Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 328 Ava: Scouting Parties

Vester and Vanessa pore over a map unfurled on my dining table. Our ward stone of silence has gotten a lot of good use here, keeping everything private.

"This is the city they went to, right?" Vanessa asks, tapping her finger against the thick parchment.

"Yes. It's not as large as this one," and Vester taps at a city sixty miles away, "but it's a little farther, to throw off anyone searching for us."

The healer nods thoughtfully. "There are three main interstate highways branching off here, so it's a good choice. It's likely that the others went down this highway. It'll add another hour to their drive back, but should throw off anyone in pursuit, as well. If we send some scouts this way, they might be able to pick them up."

"My thought as well," her mate agrees. "But we will have to emphasize stealth. If there are groups searching for supernaturals, they would be able to pick up their scent."

Awkwardly, I lean forward to interrupt their conversation. "What about scent blockers? Can't we use those?"

"We can," Vanessa says with a wry smile. "But we don't have many, and have no way to replenish our stock. It is better to conserve those for emergencies."

"So, our scouts are also possibly leading any intruders straight to us?"

Vester's eyes meet mine, a hint of amusement dancing in their depths. "Of course not."

His words are reassuring, but a flicker of embarrassment flushes my cheeks. I never once questioned scouts in pack lands. They've been around all my life. Now that I'm here and worried about my people, I realize how little I understand.

There's so much to learn.

But there's too much at stake for me to wallow in self-doubt.

don't simply run straight lines from point

the map, using a finger to mimic what he's talking about. "False

advantage—streams, rocky outcroppings, dense foliage. Anything that can disrupt or mask their scent. In pack lands, our scent is everywhere, in a wide radius. It's impossible to track down the

every square inch of miles upon miles to find the heart

his finger tracing an intricate pattern on the map, "they'll even split up, creating multiple false trails before reconvening at a predetermined location. It's a constant dance of deception. Now, here, where we are, we have limited our radius to avoid exposure. Once you catch our scent, we are easier to

an area in order to find us. And

of sense. "And we're branching

off the trail in different directions. At that point, we cannot

to picture it in my mind—wolves darting through the wilderness, weaving an invisible tapestry of misdirection.

slow them down?" I ask, genuinely curious. "All

it. Better to arrive a bit later than to lead enemies straight

to train a scout?" I ask, my mind already racing with possibilities. Could I learn these techniques? Would it

have a natural aptitude for it, while others take

that's not

so discouraged," Vester says, clearly reading the doubt on my face. "You learn

frustrating. Glancing at Grimoire, who's once again in his book form, I wish I could just take all his knowledge and shove

that's what our bond

really. The knowledge is in his head, not mine. He

We can work on some

is loud

her. I'm the most powerful

not as powerful