Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 342 Ava: Ivy's Motives

| push the doubts aside, focusing on the task at hand. "What brings you here, Ivy?" | ask, injecting a note of

authority into my voice. "Lucas mentioned you asked forspecifically."

"Always straight to the point, aren't you, Ava?"

Was 1? | don't really remember our past encounters that way. It always felt as though | were dancing around her,

never sure what she really thought of me.

"| just wanted to make sure you were doing well. Clayton said you would likely be with the Westwood Pack. It's

been a long time, and | had no way of contacting you since you left your phones behind."

The way she speaks makes it sound as though I'd left them behind on purpose.

| push aside the nagging unease about Ivy as Lucas guidesto the table. As we sit, she takes a seat across

from us, her smile still warm and inviting. It's this warmth that throwsoff balance, makingquestion my

earlier impressions.

Why does Clayton's sister have to be so enigmatic? Her brother is straightforward, his intentions clear as day.

But Ivy? She's a riddle wrapped in a mystery.

"How are things in Washington?" Lucas asks, calm beside me. He doesn't seem to sense anything strange with

the woman.

Ivy's face transforms, the smile fading into a somber expression. "We barely made it through a vampire attack,"

she says, her voice low. "It was intense. We lost many lives."

As she describes the attack, | can't help but compare it to what we faced here. The force she talks about seems

almost paltry compared to the onslaught that hit Westwood. It's hard to reconcile the two experiences.

"What about the rest of the area?" | ask, leaning forward slightly. "Have there been other attacks?"

Ivy nods, her green eyes meeting mine. "Sof the larger human cities have been hit, but it's been mostly

quiet on the coast. The biggest issue is communication. We can't get cell towers or inteup and running."

"How are you getting information then?" Lucas asks.

"Radio, mostly," Ivy replies. "All the news networks are basically dead. It's like we've stepped back in time."

Her gaze sweeps over us, taking in our appearances, the room, everything. "How has it been here? The closer

we got, the more evidence of fighting and destruction we saw."

Lucas shifts beside me, his arm brushing against mine. "It's dangerous to leave Wolf's Landing," he says, his

voice grave. "There are hunters out there, searching for any supernatural presence."

Ivy tilts her head. "Hunters? We haven't encountered any of those."

"Have you been in the cities?"

She shakes her head. "No. We did travel by car, but the past three days have been on foot, shifted."

Lucas looks thoughtful. "You were lucky to get here unscathed. The supernatural communities seem to be allied

with the attackers. A traveling pack would be easy to track."

"What?" Ivy's confusion is evident. "That can't be right. Our supernatural communities were attacked, just like

our pack."

"How do you know that?" Lucas asks, his voice sharp.

She doesn't flinch under his questions. "I've been to them," she says simply. "When Clayton first started reaching

out to see how widespread the devastation was, | volunteered to make contact. We have no real affection for

them, but this isn't the tto be picky about our allies."

"You've been able to travel freely?" | ask, unable to keep the disbelief from my voice.

Ivy nods, her expression softening. "It hasn't been easy, but yes. We've managed to establish contact with

several communities along the coast."

"And they've all been attacked?" Lucas presses.

"To varying degrees," Ivy confirms. "Sworse than others, but none have been left untouched."

| exchange a glance with Lucas, seeing my own confusion mirrored in his eyes. If what Ivy's saying is true, then

the situation outside our little bubble is vastly different from what we've experienced. But why? What makes this

area so different?

"Tell us more about these attacks," Lucas says, leaning forward. "How do they compare to what you faced?"

As Ivy begins to detail the various attacks she's heard about or witnessed, | find my mind racing. The

discrepancies between her account and our experiences are stark. While we've faced organized, strategic

assaults, the attacks she describes seem more random. Chaotic.

The human cities were hit worse, without any way to fight back. Aspen, on the other hand, still holds control of

their pack lands.

"It's like they're testing defenses," Ivy says. "Probing for weaknesses, but not committing to a full-scale attack."

"That's not what we've seen here," | interject, rubbing a finger against my temple as I try to think through the

new information. "The attacks on Westwood were devastating. Coordinated."

"That's... concerning," she says slowly. "Have you had any contact with other packs or communities in this area?"

Lucas shakes his head. "We've been focused on survival and rebuilding. The few attempts we've made to reach

out have been met with hostility."

"Which is why your arrival is so significant," | add. "You're the first friendly faces we've seen from outside in...

well, it feels like forever now. We're completely cut off."

Ivy nods, her expression thoughtful. "I can see why Clayton was so worried about all of you. Unfortunately, we

don't bring supplies. It's just us."

"Are you here to stay, or are you moving on?" Lucas rests his arm behind my chair, and | swear Ivy's eyes follow

that movement like a hawk.

"I'll be sending a scout back to Clayton with information, but the rest of us are here to stay and support. We're

your official liaison with the Aspen Pack. Seeing as your situation is more dire than ours, | can put in a request for

extra manpower and ssupplies, but | don't know how safe it would be."

"We'd appreciate that."

"Of course," Ivy says, smiling again. "We are long-standing allies."

As Ivy and Lucas exchange sbasic platitudes, Selene's voice enters my mind, tinged with a faint growl. |

don't trust her, Ava. Something's off.

You think she has ulterior motives?

| keep my expression neutral, not wanting to give away our silent conversation, but of course it's impossible to

speak without blanking out. It's got to be obvious to every wolf in the room.

Ivy glances atwith a brief frown.

Definitely. The way she looks at you isn't right.

| consider her words carefully. Do you think she's dangerous to the pack?

There's a pause, and | can feel Selene's hesitation. | don't think so. Not directly, at least. But I still can't shake

this feeling. We shouldn't trust her completely.

| agree silently, careful to maintain my attentive facade as Ivy makes eye contact with me. | offer her a small

smile, which she returns readily.

You know, | tell Selene, | can't help but feel like she's upset aboutbeing mated to Lucas.

Yes. There's something possessive in her eyes when she looks at him. It's unsettling.

Relief washes over me. I'm not imagining things. I'm not being paranoid. Selene sees it too.

"Ava?" Lucas's voice breaks through my internal dialogue. "What do you think?"

| blink, realizing I've missed part of the conversation. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Ivy's lips quirk up in a small smirk. "Lost in thought?"

"Just processing everything," | lie smoothly. "It's a lot to take in."

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