Tangled

Unshift 270

Unshift 270

270 Lisa: Bracelet

LISAT

I blink rapidly, my mind struggling to process what's happening.

The glint of the bracelet the Grand Sage slapped onto my wrist catches my eye. Could it be some kind of cloaking device? He does love his magitech. It would make sense that it has multiple

uses.

That has to be what it is. These are all people who know me. They know my scent and my face, even if it is haggard after my incarceration. The bracelet must make it so I'm less noticeable somehow. Ryder steps forward, his brow furrowed as he looks at all of us.

He can see me, but it's like he doesn't really notice me.

Worry is etched into every line of his face. "Dr. Blackwell," he says, sounding relieved. "We're having problems with our phones."

"Yes, so I was informed." The Grand Sage looks at all the wolves with interest. "Shall we go inside? I'm going to need everyone's devices in order to check on the situation.

"Of course." Ryder snaps his fingers at the other wolves, who follow behind us without a word. Everyone seems on edge, shoulders tense and eyes wary.

As we step into the farmhouse, the sight before me steals my breath. Injured shifters lie scattered across the floor, their bodies arranged on blankets in a makeshift triage. The air is thick with the metallic scent of blood, leaving me nauseated.

Two women I don't recognize flit between the injured, their hands steady as they tend to wounds. Their faces are grim, etched with determination and exhaustion. I'm rooted to the spot, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of suffering before me.

Ryder's voice breaks through my shock. "I apologize for the mess, Dr. Blackwell. We're still setting up after our... retreat.

This wasn't

escape.

myself-waves off the apology. "No need for that. We're

you get here? Our communications have been down, and we've had scouts watching

smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Ah,

a battered kitchen table, pulling out his phone.

121

C

270 Lisa: Bracelet

Chloe, hand

phone on the table. Mia, however, hesitates.

frustration. "We don't even know this guy, and now we're just handing over our only

communication?"

growls, his voice low and threatening.

told. Now."

shrinking back instinctively. Mia's shoulders slump in defeat, and she reluctantly places her phone on the table with the others. The Grand Sage gathers up the devices, his movements calm and assured. "You

there- reassurance, perhaps, or maybe a warning. I can't quite tell, and it does nothing to settle the unease churning in my

of the wolves. They're injured, cut off from communication, and now relying on

stranger who isn't who he

shit

toward one woman tending to the injured. She looks up as I approach,

I ask, my voice barely

with him," she says, gesturing to a young man with a

my

filled with a mix of pain and gratitude. In that moment, I realize it doesn't matter why I'm here or how I got here. What matters is that