Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 371 Lisa: Mira

LISA

Early morning is a bitch.

I've never really been lazy, exactly. Having to wake up early isn't something that usually ruins my day. But there's a huge difference between waking up in your apartment and driving to work or school, and waking up in the middle of your strange werewolf compound, dressing yourself in a thousand layers to keep warm, and leaving before the sun even rises—to spend hours trudging through snow.

Living out here gives me a hell of a lot more respect for those social media homestead influencers I've watched. It used to be vague fun to watch them make bread from scratch and gather their own milk while eating something I picked up from a drive-thru on the way home.

Living this life is…

Well.

It's definitely a different experience.

And I don't hate it. Most days.

But this morning, I'm seriously regretting begging Kellan to bring me along

Snow crunches under my boots with each labored step. My thighs burn, but I keep pushing forward, following the path Kellan's long legs have carved through the deep drifts. The sled he's dragging behind him mocks me, bouncing along behind him like it's nothing.

No way am I sitting in that thing.

My breath comes out in harsh puffs of white vapor. The cold air stings my lungs, but I maintain my steady pace. Sure, I complain about the ungodly hour and arctic temperatures, but that doesn't mean I'm going to wimp out.

It was my idea to come here. I need to prove I can handle it.

A flash of movement catches my eye as one of the refugee she-wolves pulls up beside me. She matches my plodding pace with effortless grace, barely breaking a sweat despite the freezing temperature.

"You're doing amazing," she says, her voice warm and encouraging. "Most humans wouldn't even attempt this."

"Thanks." I recognize her heart-shaped face and copper-colored curls from the newcomers who arrived last week. "Mira, right?"

me." Her smile brightens her whole face. "I have to say, I'm impressed.

of lead, but her words give me a boost of energy. "Trying to prove humans aren't completely useless

genuine laugh makes me

with technology. I locked

background. Most refugees don't volunteer information about their past unless asked directly. I guess Kellan and

how to differentiate between the packs.

was a Westwood

hands catch me before my face meets the ground, and it takes

impossible to move sometimes. Like a gazelle in

steadies me,

do you mean, you were a Westwood

from Silvermoon." A soft smile plays on her lips. "I moved there after we met. I was actually on my way to visit my

and I was making friends with someone who might have

the words leave my mouth, her smile vanishes. My stomach drops as I realize

God, I'm so sorry. I

"I was one of the lucky ones. I wasn't anywhere near the cities when the attacks happened. My mate bond disappeared, and I found out what happened when I ran into a group of

trying to look understanding while my brain scrambles to make sense of the

drive to visit family, but some of

my tracks, mouth hanging open. "You ran?

least once. There's nothing like being with your wolf, feeling that freedom. Just you and the wilderness, running wherever your paws take you. Eat what you hunt. Sleep when you want. It's

shake my head in disbelief. "What about

natural hunters." Mira's eyes sparkle with amusement at my endless questions. "And yes, I slept in the woods. Though sometimes I'd stop at safe

"Safe houses?"

where shifters can rest, get supplies. Most packs

this whole hidden network.

that." She adjusts her scarf against the wind. "Though

me. "If you're from Silvermoon, why aren't you heading there now? Shouldn't you be with your pack? Or—dammit, that doesn't sound right." I sound like a buffoon. A mean-spirited one. I don't want her to think she isn't welcome here. Not that I have much to do with it, but—well.

will have to return, yes. My mate's family has certain... rights. They will want