Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 63

63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

The next few days are agonizing.

1

There are shifters outside my house every hour of the

day.

Mom and Dad have disappeared, doing… Honestly, I don’t know what they’re doing.

Phoenix was never around much to begin with, so I’m not surprised that I don’t see him.

It occurs to me that I haven’t seen Jessa even once

since I’ve been home, but, again, not really surprised. It

isn’t like we were ever close.

So I pace in my childhood home, trapped, with no idea what’s coming next, building nightmare after

nightmare of assumptions in my mind. Sometimes I catch Selene’s show on TV and watch that. Other times I watch the news, a habit I’ve gotten used to since working at The Novel Grind. Mrs. Elkins often had it on in the background.

It’s amazing how sheltered I was from the human world, even when living in it. I see why Dad never let

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<63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

me watch the news; it’s enlightening to see how things. are outside of the views of your pack.

I always knew they were a little outdated. After being in the Aspen territory, I’ve learned that my family pack is barely out of the Dark Ages. Now that my eyes have been opened, there are so many details I can pick out that are just wrong.

The fact that I had a phone at all was a miracle–of course, I bought it with my own money.

Jessa begged Dad for one when she was twenty–one, and he relented. But so many women in the pack don’t have a cell phone at all. My dad is sometimes

considered a little too lenient on his women.

Except for me, of course.

There’s also the fashion. Married she–wolves don’t go out much, and don’t have jobs. They’re stuck at the mercy of their mates, if their mate has any at all.

I never see a man alone with his child. At The Novel Grind, I would often see a father come in with his child, looking for a book or having them read while they do their work. It’s a scene I’ve never seen at

home.

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63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

Occasionally at Beaniverse, yes–but I don’t think I ever really noticed it then.

It’s amazing what a few months of freedom will do for

you.

I think of Mrs. Elkins, and Carlos, and Franklin. Of Clayton and Ivy. Of Lucas.

I wonder if they’re still thinking about me. If they’re worried. How long they’ll stay worried for, and when they’ll give up on me.

Don’t get me wrong…

I’m going to escape.

I just don’t know how quickly I can do it.

No matter how much I wrack my brain, I don’t know how to get anywhere without money.

I suppose I could just run on foot, but I can’t shift. They’d catch me within hours. The only way to escape is with a car. Or a bus ticket. Or a plane.

Hell, I’d take a boat, if we weren’t in the middle of the

country.

A knock on the door interrupts my pacing, and I frown

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63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

leans closer, his breath hot against my cheek. “But you’re home now, Ava. Safe, with your family, where you belong.”

I want to protest, to spit venom back at him, but I bite my tongue. Getting on Renard’s bad side would only make things worse for me in the long run.

“I know you’ve been through a lot,” he murmurs, his hand settling on my knee. I tense, but don’t pull away. “But I want to help you, Ava. I want to guide you back to your rightful place, to help you embrace your true nature.”

His hand slides higher, inching up my thigh, and I fight back a shudder of revulsion. “You have so much potential, my dear. With the right guidance, you could be an asset to our pack. A true omega, prized and protected-”

“I’m not an omega,” I interrupt, unable to stay silent any longer.

Renard’s hand clamps over my mouth, his fingers

digging deep into my cheeks and cutting off my words. His eyes blaze with fury, and I shrink back, my heart hammering.

63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

“Do not,” he hisses, his face mere inches from mine, “lie

to me.”

He releases me, and I gasp for air, cradling my aching

face.

“No more talk,” he growls. “You are a daughter of the Blackwood Pack, and you will do as I say. Am I clear?”

Terror clogs my throat, but I force myself to nod, not daring to provoke him further. Renard stares at me for a long moment, then turns on his heel and strides out, slamming the door behind him.

His pretense of gentility had lasted for all of ten

seconds.