Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 370 Ava: Moose

Marcus pokes his head through the tent flap. "Taking the sled to pick up the firewood." His breath clouds in the cold air. "Greg's got a good pile going, but it's too far to carry."

"Be careful out there." The words slip out before I can stop them. He's more than capable of handling himself, but after everything we've seen lately, caution feels necessary.

He nods once before disappearing into the growing darkness. The runners of the sled scrape against packed snow as he moves away from camp.

The percolator starts to bubble, filling the tent with the rich aroma of coffee. My stomach growls. Trail mix and jerky only go so far.

Through my bond with Selene, I feel her satisfaction. Whatever she's tracking, she's getting closer. Her excitement bleeds into my own awareness, making it hard to focus on the mundane task of stirring the stew.

"The others seem to have found something good," Vanessa says, noticing my distraction. "Selene, too?"

"She's on a trail." I add another piece of wood to the stove. "Fresh tracks in the snow. Are they hunting together?"

"No. She must have found something else."

The tent grows warmer as the stove works its magic. Between the heat and the smells of coffee and stew, it's a lot cozier than I thought this experience would be.

Another howl splits the night, closer this time. Victory rings in that sound—they've cornered their prey.

"Sounds like we might have fresh meat after all," Vanessa says, already pulling out extra cooking supplies.

The percolator bubbles faster now, coffee nearly ready. I breathe in the steam, letting it chase away the lingering chill in my bones.

"What did they catch?"

"Moose."

a moose." I've long since gotten over my shock that we even have moose around here. Aside from hearing a few comments about how strange it is that they're around so early in the year, I've learned they've always been part of the hunting season. For some reason, I thought they were only in Alaska. Oh, and

stuck. They got lucky once they tracked

with split wood. The scent

arranges the

Vanessa stirs the stew. "Just

and heads

isn't long

the moose." He pokes his head back in. "Shouldn't take long with this many

the small plastic window. "What are we going to do with an entire moose worth of meat?" I'm no expert,

with the packing." Vanessa ladles some stew into bowls. Steam curls up from the thick broth. "We'll have to reorganize everything, but

exhaust everyone? They've already broken trail all day, and now they have

the tent. "I'm teasing, Ava. The hunting team will come by in the morning to collect most of it. We'll just take what we need

Yeah,

moose around?" She hands Greg a

leaving me comfortable. "I've never been on a winter camping trip before. For all I knew, that's how you

bowl,

Vanessa settles onto her sleeping bag with her own portion. After a second, she snorts

of Marcus' usual stoic expression cracking makes me laugh, too.

he's too polite to say so?" Her eyes

least he's diplomatic about it.

"You mean Grimoire?"

voice bellows in my head. I am the

his response, and Vanessa nearly chokes