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."

"How has it been here? The closer we got, the more evidence of

Wolf's Landing," he says, his voice grave. "There are hunters out

"Hunters? We haven't encountered any of

been

shakes her head. "No. We did travel by car, but the

were lucky to get here unscathed. The supernatural communities seem to be allied with the attackers. A traveling pack would

"That can't be right. Our supernatural communities were

that?" Lucas asks, his

reaching out to see how widespread the devastation was, I volunteered to make contact. We have no real

travel freely?" I ask,

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

all been attacked?" Lucas

than others, but

is true, then the situation outside our little bubble is vastly different from what we've experienced. But why? What makes this

about these attacks," Lucas says, leaning forward. "How do they compare

witnessed, I find my mind racing. The discrepancies between her account and our experiences are stark. While we've faced organized, strategic assaults, the

human cities were hit worse, without any way to fight back. Aspen, on the other hand, still holds control of

they're testing defenses," Ivy says. "Probing for weaknesses,

as I try to think through the new information. "The attacks on Westwood

slowly. "Have you had any contact

his head. "We've been focused on survival and rebuilding. The few attempts we've

significant," I add. "You're the first friendly faces

see why Clayton was so worried about all of you.

or are you moving on?" Lucas rests his arm behind my chair, and I

the rest of us are here to stay and support. 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 and some supplies, but I

"We'd appreciate that."