Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 356

As it turns out, I don’t get a chance to talk to Lucas that night.

Or the next one.

Or even the one after that.

A surprise storm blows in, stranding Lucas—and a small team of scouts—several hours from the compound, on what should have been a simple evening run. He’s been taking groups of younger wolves out at night in what he calls field training.

Thankfully, we still have contact with each other, even if it is limited. It’s never fun to be separated. With as much time as we’ve spent apart, we both do our best to make sure we spend a little time with each other daily.

Not having him around leaves me a little depressed, but knowing he’s safe with the younger wolves makes our brief separation at least bearable.

No, not having Lucas around isn’t the problem setting my teeth on edge.

She’s at it again, Selene observes sourly, nosing through the kitchen.

I watch Elverly bustle around the kitchen, her tiny form a whirlwind of frustration. The gnome’s grumbling grows louder as she yanks open cabinets and slams them shut.

"Look at this." She waves a wooden spoon toward the freezer, which is now almost empty, and the empty shelves of beans. "Three days of that beanpole demanding more protein. Does she think food just appears out of thin air?"

Elverly’s rants are almost legendary among the kitchen staff. For a tiny gnome, she has a laundry list of complaints. Today, however, they’re valid.

After a simple three-day blizzard, our food stock has plummeted.

"And now we’re running low, even though we just had a stocking run last week." She kicks a pot out of her way, the clang echoing through the kitchen. "If she comes in here one more time, I’ll make her feed the entire compound herself!"

Despite the situation, it’s comforting to know not everyone is falling for Ivy’s act

Scrawling down the missing items into a notebook I’ve learned to carry around, I speak as calmly as I can. Sometimes you just have to let Elverly be angry. She’s more bark than bite. "I promise I won’t let Ivy mess with your system anymore. You’re doing an amazing job here, and I understand the frustration. We were already worried about feeding so many new mouths."

Elverly huffs, but I can see her tension easing. "I need to prepare for lunch. After three days of stew, I think we’ll go for lighter fare."

"That sounds great."

As the gnome stops clanging and banging, I turn to Selene, who’s crammed herself into a corner to avoid getting hit by any rogue pots. "Do you know where Ivy is now?"

Selene’s ears twitch, and she slinks out of the corner to follow me out the door. She’s in the main lodge, cleaning up. Now that the refugees are returning to their tents, it’s a bit of a mess.

Ivy’s overstepped her authority a few times, but not usually with any level of consequence. Now I’m going to have to talk with her, and I’m not looking forward to it.

Confrontation isn’t my strong suit. I’m better now, getting more comfortable with giving orders and being an authority figure, but Ivy still leaves me off-kilter every time we talk.