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.

taking on a patient, instructional tone. "They don't simply run straight lines from point A to point B. They employ a variety of techniques to

gestures to the map, using a finger to mimic what he's talking about. "False starts, backtracking, twisting patterns—there are a variety of ways to confuse and misdirect any potential

to their advantage—streams, rocky outcroppings, dense foliage. Anything that can disrupt or mask

find the heart of the pack, even if you

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

to know that we are in this small of an area in order to find us. And this town isn't even on any map. It's just

lot of sense. "And we're branching out. So,

when someone catches their scent, they will have to throw them farther off the trail in different directions. At that

wilderness, weaving an invisible tapestry of misdirection. It's both

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

acknowledging my point. "It does. But the trade-off in security is worth it. Better to

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

natural aptitude for it, while others take longer to master the intricacies.

that's not feasible

reading the doubt on my face. "You learn

again in his book form, I wish I could just take all his knowledge and shove it into my mind in a usable

what our

mine. He

We can work on some of your magic training later. I'll show you how much

mental scoff is loud and

I'm

can shred you with one bite. You're not as powerful as you think you