Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 419: Ava: Trauma Lingers

Our strange captive never does wake, and we drag them on a makeshift sled. Kellan and the others make do with some long, willowy branches and armfuls of pine.

Practical skills like this are so much more impressive to me than conjuring fire out of nothing.

Really thought we'd run into the intruders out here. It's strange there's nothing.

Selene's musings almost have me tripping over my feet, and Kellan glances over his shoulder in concern.

I wave him off with a weak smile.

You mean this person isn't the reason they went off?

Selene and Grimoire are quiet.

When they're intentionally silent like this, their lack of noise has a heavier weight in my head.

My silver husky looks up from my side, and I swear her pale blue eyes are digging their disappointment straight into my stupid brain. You thought this one was responsible for the alarms?

Grimoire adds, The wards are quite a distance from camp. For all of them to go off at once, do you really think a single being could do it?

Okay. Okay, look. Maybe it was the epitome of stupidity to think that—

It was, the book confirms without hesitation.

But seriously, two epic situations at the same time? Who expects that?

Literally every wolf surrounding us at the moment, mine says. I thought you were waiting to hear from the scouts. I didn't realize you left your brain back at the hospital.

Of course. Damn it. All that hyping myself up about being a responsible and capable Luna—

She's spiraling again, Grimoire observes. Should I tell her this is an inappropriate time?

hear

their interaction. It's at

at understanding ringing inauthentic. You aren't trained the way they are. It's

So we lie to her now?

No self-flagellating. Focus, focus, focus. My inexperience isn't an

plus missing Ivy. Three separate, possibly related but right now separate issues. I need to figure them out instead of relying on Kellan to do it

to the eternally polite, angry beta, I hope no one else has noticed my incredible lack of self-preservation. Of

reported back

worse than any angry outburst. It's not quite similar to my mother's cold distance, but it makes me feel just as small. "All of Wolf's Landing remains on high alert. We will

they haven't struck, Grimoire muses. We

breaks off from my side, trotting further ahead. There

doesn't respond, but his mental presence

I'm with Grimoire. Whoever's tripped our perimeter alarms has a reason for doing so. Wouldn't they be on the hunt

under the assumption you—or the pack—is their target. It could be anything. Keep your mind open, Ava. The scouts haven't found their trails yet. Not a single one. That suggests

my arm, tugging me forward. He must have thought

was

eyes cut toward Selene.

Just a mild rebuke. Not that he would do more than that over such a minor stumble, but my skin still crawls

my life at home, feeling

simple enough, but there's another whisper

She returns to my side and hits my thigh hard with her nose. Get out of

sounds far away when he talks. She's

Fuck.

ringing out and causing several of the guards to look my way. Kellan frowns, his own

"Luna? Are you okay?"

take a deep breath. Inadequacy will always be my trigger, I guess. That, and people I care about

work on that. Grimoire's voice sounds normal again, right in

Straightening my shoulders and blowing out a deep breath, I focus on each step. This isn't the time to sink into bad habits or feel sorry for myself.

I was

Wallowing, Selene says.