Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 440

Magister Orion is long gone. Tea stands cold in my cup and my reflection stares back at me from the kitchen window, hollow-eyed and pale.

My phone sits, dark and accusatory on the table in front of me. Twenty-seven dead. Twenty-eight, if I count Ivy.

You're stalling, Selene says.

"I know." This phone call has been put off too long. A single day has felt like a week, but it doesn't excuse how I didn't call my allied alpha to inform him of his sister's disappearance. _{frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓}

And how am I supposed to explain why we believe she's dead?

My fingers shake as I reach for the phone. The screen lights up, too bright in the dim kitchen. Clayton's number is far down the list of recent contacts, untouched since before everything went wrong.

When things were peaceful, and I still thought my world was chaos.

The phone feels heavy in my hand as I press the call button. Each ring echoes like a death knell.

"Rowan speaking."

The greeting throws me off balance. I'd prepared myself for Clayton's voice. Instead, Rowan's steady tone fills my ear.

"Beta Goldstein." My voice is less confident than I want it to be. "This is Luna Ava Grey of Westwood. I need to speak with Alpha Shadowpine."

A pause stretches between us, loaded with unspoken questions.

"Luna Grey." Rowan's voice softens immediately. "I'm afraid Clayton is indisposed at the moment. Is there something I can help you with?"

My chest tightens. "No, I... I need to speak with him directly. It's about Ivy."

Another pause, longer this time. "I see."

Muffled voices filter through the line before Clayton's familiar tone replaces Rowan's. "Luna Grey." His formal greeting will forever sound strange to me.

My fingers press against my stomach, willing the nausea away. "Alpha Shadowpine."

"What's happened to my sister?"

No pleasantries. No small talk. The direct question pierces through my carefully constructed speech.

"There was an attack. A creature breached our hospital defenses yesterday. Ivy disappeared during the attack." My voice stays steady, detached. Clinical. Like I'm reading a report instead of delivering devastating news. "The creature was unlike anything we've encountered. It moved like a shadow, but took a wolf's form."

A sharp inhale cuts through the line. "How many casualties?"

"Twenty-seven dead, more injured."

Silence stretches between us. The kitchen window reflects my pale face, dark circles prominent under my eyes. I look haggard and worn down.

"I'll send men immediately." Clayton's voice carries a forced calm, as if he's trying to control his emotions. The siblings are close; this news has to be devastating for him. "My beta can lead a search party—"

"Alpha Shadowpine." I clear my throat, wishing it was easier to give this news. "There's more."

"More?"

"We... captured the creature after the attack." My free hand curls into a fist as I struggle to find the proper words. "It's not Ivy, but it is likely that it wore her form for some time. The creature was identified as a monstrosity of nature we call a dream-eater. Something created that should not exist in this world."

"A what?"

"A constructed being. It's not alive, exactly, but it has its own consciousness. And—"

"Where is Ivy?" Clayton's voice turns sharp; it's clear he's now understanding the full meaning of this call.