Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 457 - 457: Lucas: Kellan's Message

LUCAS

Clayton has his arms crossed over his chest as he stares at the fabric ceiling of the debriefing tent, absorbing the thirty-minute explanation of the last several months of our life.

"I didn't expect the Fae to be so…" He squints. "Prevalent? In this area. I only know of one in Aspen. She helped keep some of our systems running. Some sort of magic hacker. She's just a kid, but she's got a good head on her shoulders. A little squirrely, though."

"Squirrely?"

"The kid's terrified of getting caught by someone, but we don't know who she's running from. Guessing it's this New Order."

"Join the club," I mutter. Westwood was always a strong pack, and I thought we could stand against any enemy. Until we couldn't.

"It isn't just you," Clayton says with a sigh. "While they don't seem particularly bothered by our section of the country, there have been others. Some territories have merged completely. Pack wars are prevalent. It's dangerous even to leave Aspen at this time, leaving it without an alpha."

Which only shows how important Ivy was to him.

I shake my head. "It's as if society's gone backw—"

A searing burst of pain slices through my skull, and I grit my teeth against the flash of agony. Kellan's voice, urgent and strained, floods my mind through our pack link.

Vampires at the south ridge clearing! Send everyone you can—they came out of nowhere—

His voice cuts off with a howl, its mental echoes vibrating through my bones. Aurum surges forward inside me, nearly breaking through my skin to take over.

My jaw clenches as I fight him back.

"Shit."

I throw out a wide call to every fighter in the compound. Assemble by the south gate. Kellan needs reinforcements. Vampire attack.

"What is it?"

I shake my head with a groan, working my jaw against the pain. Kellan's injured. It must have been an ambush; he would have made contact much sooner if he could. "Vampire attack to the south. My beta's in trouble."

Clayton's already on his feet, his eyes glazing as he speaks. "I'm coming with you."

deny his help. We need every fighter available. Vampires are a tough fight, and I don't have any other

is impossible, not without putting him in danger. He needs to focus on surviving until I get

options as I burst through the

scent of coffee. It's

to help her up. My body's already half-turned toward the battle, mind calculating distances and time.

me pull her upright. "Lucas, I've been looking all over—I need to tell you about Pip.

cabins, shifting on the run, racing toward the forest edge. "Kellan's in trouble. I have

widen. "What? What's

her, but her fingers

Raw fear laces her

Of course she is. Kellan's her mate; I'm sure their bond is screaming. "I don't know," I answer honestly, my tone softening despite the urgency. "But I'm going to

strides toward us, his robes whipping in the wind. "Why the sudden mobilization?

at the south ridge," I explain tersely, pulsing out another call to my fighters,

shifts immediately from curiosity to grim resolve. "Then I shall assist. We Fae have our own ways of fighting

steel, her earlier

automatic, protective.

says it like it explains everything. And in a

of her jaw—the same expression Ava gets when she's made up her mind. No wonder these two are

Kellan doesn't have. "Magister, keep an eye on her." The last thing we need is for her to turn to the side of vampires. Then again, she's human; it isn't as if she can do much

when it's all over if she

kill me for

Oh, well.

Fae nods, falling into step behind

my weapons," Lisa says. "I'll only be

against my consciousness, desperate to run, to fight,

"We're leaving in five minutes, whether you're ready

be ready." Her expression hardens

hundred wolves stand ready. Half are already shifted. The others remain human, holding bags filled with emergency supplies. Out of the corner of my eye, I can already

you," and I point, "to you," pointing again, "Group one. You'll spread in a quarter-mile radius. Watch for any signs of ambush. Group

formations. This is

frame blocking the wind momentarily. His voice drops to a soft rumble. "I can cast an enhancement on myself and the human. You needn't worry about

our side, slightly breathless but composed. She'd mentioned weapons, but I don't see any on hand. Then again, she works closely with the gnome tinkerer, so