Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 417

Chapter 417: Lucas: Strange Symbols

LUCAS

What the hell is this?

Our fur bristles, but we can't linger on the shock of the moment.

The green circle pulses with an otherworldly glow, yet Aurum's paw passes through it as if it's nothing but air. No scent, no resistance.

Magic. Obviously.

Our attention turns to the bodies. There's something strange about them. Bloated, decaying, but somehow devoid of… bugs.

It's unnatural.

Unnatural, Aurum agrees with a growl. His agitation is high in here. Desecrated.

The stench of death fills my nose, but beneath it... Pack. My pack.

These bodies…

Yes, Aurum confirms. Pack.

Their faces, bloated and discolored though they are, are recognizable. Pack lost at different times in these past few months. The initial attack at Westwood. During the strange invasions. And more.

My feet carry me around the circle. Each step reveals another familiar face. Another pack member I failed to protect.

Five bodies total are pack. All who should have been laid to rest with proper rites, their spirits released to run free with the moon.

Instead, they're here. Defiled. Used for some sick ritual that makes me want to howl with rage.

The green circle pulses again, mocking us. Aurum wants to tear through the walls, hunt down every bloodsucker responsible for this desecration. But I force myself to stay focused, to memorize every detail.

They were preserved somehow. Kept from fully decomposing. We've seen some of our wolves brought back to life in some strange way, used as a zombie army; is this how it begins?

Or have they outlived their usefulness?

Too many questions. Too few answers.

Beneath the bodies we know, partially hidden, lie others. Fresher ones. Maybe humans. Maybe wolves from other packs.

There's a strange mark on all of them. Strange, interlocked circles. An arm here. A chest there. One has it on

in

rage simmers, mirroring

second, the air fills with the taste of copper

Son of a bitch.

Track the scent!

even as I know it's too late. Whatever this

Every instinct screams to chase after our pack members, to track down whoever dared desecrate their bodies. But

green circle pulsed now shows bare ground, as if nothing supernatural ever

the scent of decay

much of it has disappeared, as if it never existed. Death. Decay. Magic that burns

We can't

up that easily. Keep looking. Keep

ten minutes of methodical searching, the truth becomes clear. Whatever magic whisked the bodies away left no trace for

are here. Signs of attack

growl builds in our chest. Aurum's rage

We can see claw marks, broken buildings. But no

as we finally escape the sod house. Jericho would not leave

Perhaps.

position, I tell Vester, already gathering

* * *

as empty and ravaged as Vester reported. Unlike the

can find traces of Jericho and

picture of chaos. Blood. Fear. Rage. Death lingers beneath it all, a stench

to tell if it's from friend or

wolves checks in. Alpha. Found traces of Jericho's scent leading north, but it

checking every corner. The vampires have

else. Something familiar that makes my skin prickle. I follow it down a hallway we've already cleared, past overturned furniture

A strange thing to find, I'd think. We don't have many

room. Vester follows

I circle the room,

but it's there. Ozone and lightning.

Magic.

to the pile of destroyed books. Beneath the heap, something pulses with energy. Not the sickly green corruption

magic. I can't always sense it, but sometimes I

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255