Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 342 Ava: Ivy's Motives

I push the doubts aside, focusing on the task at hand. "What brings you here, Ivy?" I ask, injecting a note of authority into my voice. "Lucas mentioned you asked for me specifically."

"Always straight to the point, aren't you, Ava?"

Was I? I don't really remember our past encounters that way. It always felt as though I were dancing around her, never sure what she really thought of me.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing well. Clayton said you would likely be with the Westwood Pack. It's been a long time, and I had no way of contacting you since you left your phones behind."

The way she speaks makes it sound as though I'd left them behind on purpose.

I push aside the nagging unease about Ivy as Lucas guides me to the table. As we sit, she takes a seat across from us, her smile still warm and inviting. It's this warmth that throws me off balance, making me question my earlier impressions.

Why does Clayton's sister have to be so enigmatic? Her brother is straightforward, his intentions clear as day. But Ivy? She's a riddle wrapped in a mystery.

"How are things in Washington?" Lucas asks, calm beside me. He doesn't seem to sense anything strange with the woman.

Ivy's face transforms, the smile fading into a somber expression. "We barely made it through a vampire attack," she says, her voice low. "It was intense. We lost many lives."

As she describes the attack, I can't help but compare it to what we faced here. The force she talks about seems almost paltry compared to the onslaught that hit Westwood. It's hard to reconcile the two experiences.

"What about the rest of the area?" I ask, leaning forward slightly. "Have there been other attacks?"

Ivy nods, her green eyes meeting mine. "Some of the larger human cities have been hit, but it's been mostly quiet on the coast. The biggest issue is communication. We can't get cell towers or internet up and running."

"How are you getting information then?" Lucas asks.

"Radio, mostly," Ivy replies. "All the news networks are basically dead. It's like we've stepped back in time."

sweeps over us, taking in our appearances, the room, everything. "How has it been here? The closer we got, the more evidence of

dangerous to leave Wolf's Landing," he says, his voice

"Hunters? We haven't encountered any of

you been

We did travel by car, but the past three days

supernatural communities seem to be allied with the attackers.

Ivy's confusion is evident. "That can't be right. Our supernatural communities

you know that?" Lucas asks, his

to see how widespread the devastation was, I volunteered to make contact. We have no real affection for them, but this isn't the

been able to travel freely?" I ask, unable to keep the disbelief from my

hasn't been easy, but yes. We've managed

all been

Ivy confirms. "Some worse than others, but none

true, then the situation outside our little

leaning forward.

to detail the various attacks she's heard about or witnessed, I find my mind racing. The discrepancies between her account and our experiences are stark.

worse, without any way to fight back. Aspen, on the other hand,

says. "Probing for weaknesses, but not

finger against my temple as I try to think through the new information.

she says slowly. "Have you had any

shakes his head. "We've been focused on survival and rebuilding. The few attempts we've made to reach out have

I add. "You're the first friendly faces we've seen from outside in... well, it feels like forever now.

see why Clayton was so worried about all of you. Unfortunately, we

Lucas rests his arm behind my chair, and I swear

We're your official liaison with the Aspen Pack. Seeing as your situation is more dire than ours, I can put in a request for extra manpower

"We'd appreciate that."