Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted

He'll get over it, Selene assures me. He was just worried.

Yeah, well, he can join the club. I study our captive's face again. The pointed ears suggest Fae heritage, but I've never seen one with skin like this. The fabric of their clothing is equally puzzling—it looks like silk but moves like water, absorbing light rather than reflecting it. Very strange.

"The area is secured, Beta," one of the guards reports.

Of course it is. No one else is here. But, I get it. Better safe than sorry.

Kellan nods. "Maintain the perimeter. No one approaches without direct authorization from myself or the Luna."

"Yes, Beta."

I want to apologize, of course. I want to beg forgiveness. But there's some things I can't do.

Pack dynamics are delicate enough without their Luna apologizing to the beta. I have to show that I'm confident in the decisions I've made.

Correct, Selene murmurs.

It might sound like an alpha should never apologize when they do terrible things, and that's not true, either. I'll speak with Kellan in private, knowing how he feels, and he can talk to me then. But right now the pack needs a confident leader, not a question of whose orders take precedence in this emergency.

"Should we take them back to Wolf's Landing?" I ask Kellan, mentally kicking myself for not phrasing things a little more assertively.

But he doesn't blink. "I would suggest that we wait until we're certain the binding holds, Luna."

That title again. Each utterance feels like a tiny knife of guilt.

The runes along the rope pulse steadily with my magic.noveldrama

"Has anyone found Ivy yet?"

"No, Luna."

I cross my arms, fighting the urge to fidget under Kellan's rigid professionalism. The guards pretend not to notice the tension, but their careful attention to their tasks speaks volumes. We're all playing our roles, maintaining the hierarchy that keeps the pack stable.

Marcus isn't here. Neither is Greg, or other faces I'm familiar with. I wish they were, even though I know they'd be treating me the same way Kellan is.

But I'm not ready to ask if they're okay.

I'll check, Selene offers.

Shaking my head, I reply, No. If it's bad news, I'll break right here.

Grimoire, oblivious to my emotional state, barges into my head again. I just can't get a read on this thing. It has no presence at all. Like it doesn't exist.

The silver-haired figure draws my attention again. No point in dwelling on pack politics when we have this mystery to solve. My magic pulses through the runes I've carved into the rope, steady and strong, but something feels off about our captive.

I take a step closer, reaching out with my magical senses. Nothing. Not even a whisper of energy or life force. If I closed my eyes, I wouldn't know anyone was there.

It isn't right. No magic, no life force, no... anything.

Perhaps they're dead, Selene suggests.

But I shake my head. "Heart's beating. They're breathing."

A few guards glance over, but they look away once they realize I'm talking to people inside my head again. I should probably stop talking out loud one of these days. It's a quirk no other wolf has.

Grimoire, are you absolutely sure you don't know what they are?

If I knew what manner of creature this was, don't you think I would have told you by now?

Selene's ears prick forward as she lifts her head to stare at my bag, where Grimoire is safely nestled. She bristles. Watch your tone, book.

I apologize, little witch. His voice softens immediately. That was uncalled for. I'm frustrated by my own ignorance in this matter. In all my years, I've never encountered anything quite like this. I'm concerned.

The idea that there's an entire person who can leave Grimoire so puzzled is certainly a foreboding one.

I still think they're dead, Selene mutters. Look.

"Stop that." My voice comes out sharper than intended as Selene starts pawing at and tossing different body parts with her muzzle. Each one falls with a limp flop to the ground, like a ragdoll.

They're not responding to pain stimuli, she says, nosing at their shoulder. Look at this.

She shoves her muzzle under their neck and gives a sharp toss. Their head flops and falls to the ground like a stone, with a meaty thud that makes me cringe.

This person, or whatever they are, harmed my people. But there's still something weird about seeing their head hit the ground over and over, and my husky-wolf playing with their body like it's some sort of toy. "I get the point. You can stop now."

I'm telling you, they're dead.

"They're unconscious," I mutter. But I clear my throat. "Beta Ashbourne, could you check their pulse?"

I'd do it myself, but I'd probably get tackled if I got to close to them again. Now that they're tied up and sealed, I shouldn't be approaching them anymore.

Kellan responds immediately, keeling beside the prone figure. His fingers press against their throat. "Steady pulse," he reports.

"But they're not responding to anything."

"No."

Selene noses their face again, and I resist the urge to scold her. The silver-haired person's head lolls to the side, their features slack.

See? Selene paws at their chest. Breathing. Heart beating. But no response. Not even a twitch.

The guards maintain their positions, but I notice a few stealing glances our way. They must think we're crazy—their Luna and her husky poking at an unconscious attacker like they're some fascinating science experiment.

At least I'm not the one actually doing anything.

Selene lifts their hand with her muzzle. It falls with another dull thud.

"Please stop that."

Why? They tried to kill you.

"Because it's..." I struggle to find the right words. "It feels wrong."

Wrong like everything else about them? She noses their silver hair. No scent. Everything has a scent.

She's right, but watching her toss around their limbs makes my stomach turn.

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