Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 343 Ava: Prototype Progress

Ivy and her people are settled into a place of their own, and I'm left feeling awkwardly unbalanced between trusting her and feeling like I can't.

Lucas doesn't seem to have the same misgivings, and—despite Selene's soft growls in my head—I leave him to handle the Aspen wolves, resolving to talk to him later.

It doesn't feel like the issues with Ivy will be detrimental to the pack or cause issues with our alliance with Aspen, but it's not something I want to ignore, either.

She's a strange one, Selene murmurs.

Grimoire sounds thoughtful. She seems to have a great amount of power and respect in her pack. Perhaps she had always hoped to mate another alpha and become Luna, rather than an alpha's sister.

"Maybe." Heading toward the gnome's cabin, I add, "She was strange before Lucas ever entered the picture, though."

Yes, when you mated with the Aspen alpha.

My feet stumble over nothing. "I didn't mate with him. I was in heat."

He marked you, Grimoire points out. That's mating. Though you're lucky it didn't take.

It's a grim reminder of a dark past I really don't want to think about. "Let's move on from this topic."

It didn't take because we are stronger, Selene says, proudly ignoring my request. She is only matched by our Alpha.

Her smug tone irks me. "You hated him, remember? I distinctly recall you making snide remarks and encouraging me to sleep with—"

The past is the past, she mutters, and I can practically feel her metaphorical tail tucked between her legs.

Oh, so the all-knowing wolf is capable of mistakes? Grimoire sounds positively gleeful at this new knowledge of Selene's past. She isn't perfect after all?

you have is theory with no real life experience. You've lived between pages all

a wolf who pretends to

head aches with their back and forth, and I slip into the gnome's

a pile of gadgets and gizmos on his

but smile

wouldn't believe the progress we've made!" He waves an arm wildly around to gesture at everything, nearly knocking over

supply runs. Everyone wants to help Dr. Blackwell, though most wolves are confused about who he

come, let

carefully navigate around the clutter, glancing over the (presumably) organized chaos. The dining table, once a place

at with the magic watch?" I

see, we've successfully integrated the quartz magic batteries you provided into the basic digital watch structure. The energy

follow along. "That sounds...

to create a stable magical field within the watch casing, which allows for the storage and manipulation of magical energies without interfering with the

purpose - not only does

genuinely impressed by the words

bit of a snag. You see, while we can project

degrade after about fifty miles. We need to find a way to amplify and stabilize it without overloading

closely. But to me, it just looks like any old watch. "Is there anything I

magic used here is dormant. It's like the last of an echo. Your magic, however, is live, coming straight from you. If we could somehow incorporate that into the watch's

off, lost in thought for a moment before snapping back to attention. "Would you mind if I

times my magic has been

this crystal. It's been specially prepared." He holds up a piece of what looks like pristine quartz, not the little

in confusion, "How is this different from the stones I've been infusing with

you see," the Grand Sage begins, his excitement barely contained, "the quartz stones you've been working with are meant to store magical energy, like batteries. It feeds off the power given to it. This crystal, however, is designed to capture the essence of

behind my ear to keep my vision clear, I tilt my head and peer a little closer at the

looks like

"How so?"