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."

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,

was stuck. They got lucky

return, their arms laden with split wood. The scent

Greg arranges the

need for the night." Vanessa stirs the stew. "Just pile

and heads back

long before

pokes his head back in. "Shouldn't take long with this many hands. They'll need

leaves. I add another piece of wood to the stove, watching the flames dance through the small plastic window. "What are we going to do with an entire moose

bowls. Steam curls up from the thick broth. "We'll have to reorganize everything,

to my mouth. "Won't that exhaust everyone? They've already broken

will come by in the morning to collect most of it. We'll just take what we need for the

face. "Oh." Yeah, that makes a lot more

haul an entire moose around?" She hands Greg

leaving me comfortable. "I've never been on

into his bowl, but

her own portion. After a second, she snorts with laughter. "Though I'd love to see Marcus' face if we told him that was

image of Marcus' usual stoic expression cracking makes me laugh, too. "He'd probably just give me that look. You know

to say so?" Her eyes sparkle with amusement. "That's his

he's diplomatic about it. Unlike some people I

"You mean Grimoire?"

His indignant voice bellows in my head. I am the

Vanessa