Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 401 Ava: Ivy's Memories

"Fiona used to braid my hair every morning." Ivy's voice breaks. "She'd tell me about the boys she liked, about her dreams of becoming a teacher. She never stopped treating me like just... me."

A tear slides down her temple, disappearing into her hair. My chest tightens at the raw pain in her voice.

"James was the funny one. He'd make these terrible jokes during pack meetings. Once, in second grade, he..." She draws a shuddering breath. "He put a rubber snake in Clayton's desk, and my brother shrieked like a child. Everyone laughed. I hated him, because Clayton was my hero. But then they became best friends after that. At some point, I stopped hating him."

Her grip tightens, and I let her anchor herself to me. Whatever it is in her system pulses against my magic, as if testing it. Beneath it, I sense something else—genuine grief, sharp and jagged.

"And David." Her voice drops to a whisper. "He was going to propose to his mate. Had the ring picked out and everything. He showed it to me the morning before..."

She breaks off with a sob that wracks her whole body. Without thinking, I squeeze her hand back.

"I should have protected them all better." The words tumble out between gasping breaths. "They trusted me. And now they're dead because I wasn't strong enough."

"You couldn't have known—"

"Don't." Her eyes snap open, fever-bright and desperate. "Don't tell me it wasn't my fault. Don't tell me there was nothing I could do. I've heard it all before and it doesn't help."

I fall silent, understanding completely. Sometimes platitudes just make the guilt worse. She's an accomplished warrior, trained by her pack. Trying to minimize her pain is more of an insult than a comfort.

Her fingers clutch mine so hard it hurts, but I don't pull away. Touch grounds us, connects us. Right now, that connection might be the only thing keeping her from drowning in her grief.

"I see their faces every time I close my eyes," she whispers. "I hear their screams. Feel their pack bonds snap. Over and over and over."

The taint surges with her distress, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling her about it. Not now. Not when she's this vulnerable, this raw.

Her other hand finds my arm, gripping it like a lifeline. "How do you do it? How do you keep going when everything hurts so much?"

The question hits me hard. How do I keep going? Through the abuse, my mother's rejection, my father's manipulation—through all of it, I just... did. Because stopping wasn't an option.

It wasn't always pretty, and there's so much I regret. But I kept going.

take it one moment at a time. And you honor

mine. "Do

"No."

deaths of wolves she considered family. "I'm not sure

to ice. "What do you

were on the route. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then—" She shakes her head, wincing.

again, stronger this time. I force myself to stay still,

a whisper. "But I don't know what from. Or to. Just... running. And screaming. But

I squeeze her hand.

wrong with me. I can feel it. Like there's something inside me, clawing to

pounds. She knows. On some level, she knows

"When did it start?"

during?" She shivers despite her fever. "Everything

someone flipped a switch. Her grip on my hand goes

"Ivy?"

in the steady rhythm of deep sleep. The taint inside her pulses

Vanessa's footsteps approach, accompanied

fell asleep in the middle of our conversation." I turn to face Vanessa. "One second she was talking about

fingers to Ivy's throat, checking her pulse.

"Could it be exhaustion?"

deepens as she checks Ivy's temperature. "Did she say anything

I pause, debating how much to

against Ivy's

explain it clearly.

the torment she'd shown minutes ago.

she came into contact with the taint. But something's not right about it." My voice barely rises above a whisper,

to the side as

to my temples. "It's too strong to be a light corruption. I felt it surge multiple times

all." The healer reaches for her stethoscope, then pauses.