Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 402

Chapter 402 Ava: Reporting to Lucas

"Nothing." Vester's voice carries through the tent flap. "Not even static. Just dead air."

I pause outside the debriefing tent, my heart thudding against my ribs. The grim tone in Vester's voice makes my news about Ivy seem trivial.

"And the watch?" Lucas asks.

"Same as the others. No signal, no connection." A pause. "This isn't like Ryder. He knows better than to go dark without warning."

I push through the tent flap. Both men turn toward me, their faces drawn with concern. Maps and papers litter the table between them, markers dotting locations I don't recognize.

"How long since his last check-in?" Lucas asks Vester, though his eyes stay on me.

"Eight hours. He should have reached Jericho's location by now."

My fingers twist together. The weight of their conversation presses down on me, making my own concerns feel small. One of Lucas' deltas is missing—possibly in danger. My news about Ivy and her strange corruption can wait. It isn't as urgent.

"What is it, Ava?" Lucas' voice softens when his eyes land on me. He extends his hand toward me, an invitation I can't resist.

Stepping closer, I savor the warmth of his hand curling around mine. "It can wait. This is more important."

"If you're here, it's important." His thumb strokes over my knuckles. "Tell me."

Vester shifts, his attention moving to the maps. The illusion of privacy in a space too small for secrets.

Tell him, Selene urges.

out. "She's sick—but it's more than that. There's something inside her. A corruption, maybe,

tightens. "Controlled

with her emotions. Responds to them. And she's aware of it, even if she doesn't understand what it is." I glance at the maps, at the markers showing Ryder's last known position. "She

"When did this start?"

escort team. I'd like to know

messy." Vester spreads his hands over a section of the map marked with a red X. "Blood everywhere. Signs of

no bodies?" My

snow was disturbed enough to suggest multiple casualties,

they have

"Most likely. The tracks were confusing. Some led north, others

"What about Ivy's account?"

a brutal ambush. Said her entire escort

"I believe her."

"We do, too."

raw pain in her voice when she spoke of

releases my hand to lean over the map. "By her own account, she was

"Could she have shifted?"

"She arrived

map, trying to make sense of it.

thing." Lucas taps the attack site. "It took her three days to reach us. In that time, she didn't run into a single patrol. None of our scouts picked up her scent

never revealed, or something else

to know what really happened out

help with that." The words come out before I can stop them. "I might be able to see traces of

response is immediate. "It's too

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