Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 399

I slap my forehead. "Son of a bitch!"

The attack on Ivy’s people. The possibility of corruption in our pack. Both conversations I needed to have with Lucas slip through my fingers like water. My teeth catch my inner cheek as I consider his current load—the president’s assassination, the supernatural reveal, our tenuous position in this world.

I guess I can wait a little.

"Something wrong?" Grimoire floats upside down in front of me, his red hair touching the ground.

"Just remembered I need to talk to Lucas about Ivy and the corruption." I release my cheek with a sigh. "But with everything happening right now..."

"Ah. Perhaps waiting until tonight or tomorrow would be wiser. The situation with the government takes precedence."

"My thoughts exactly." I rub my temples. "Speaking of Ivy though—how long would we need to spend around her to get familiar with whatever’s happening there? To really understand what we’re dealing with?"

Grimoire’s begins to slowly circle in midair, his hair oddly hypnotizing as it obeys gravity. "I cannot even begin to guess. The nature of corruption is... unpredictable. What manifests in one person might present entirely differently in another. We can only start by trying."

A grimace pulls at my lips. The prospect of spending extended time with Ivy, watching and waiting for signs of something amiss, makes my stomach turn. But if there’s even a chance she’s been touched by the taint...

"Wonderful," I mutter. "Just wonderful."

You should keep an eye on her anyway. Selene’s disgruntled mood is clear, her mind voice more of a grumble than anything else.

"I know, I know. I can’t bring her with me, but at least between purifications..." My fingers tap against my thigh as I consider the logistics. "I could invite her to help with the refugees, I guess. That’s what she would be doing anyway."

But the thought of purification snags in my mind like a hook. Obviously, I can purify Ivy now. But if I do that, I lose my chance at recognizing this low-level corruption among others in my pack.

"Does it make me a bad person? To let her suffer just so I can figure out what corruption looks like in others?"

Grimoire stops his slow rotation, hanging upside down again with his eyes fixed on mine. "She isn’t suffering yet. She’s the ideal test subject."

"When you put it that way, it sounds worse." My fingers twist in the hem of my shirt. "But if there’s even a chance others are corrupted... if we can learn what to look for..."

It’s practical, Selene offers. But you’re asking the wrong question.

"What do you mean?"

The real question isn’t whether you’re a bad person. It’s whether you can live with the consequences of your choice.

"Consider this," Grimoire says, finally righting himself. "What would Ivy choose, if given the option? To be purified immediately, or to help protect the pack by allowing us to study the corruption’s effects?"

"That’s not fair. She’d choose to help the pack because that’s what she thinks will prove her loyalty. She’d martyr herself for a chance at acceptance."

But then I feel like shit for saying that, because… well, my issues with her aside, Ivy’s always been devoted to her pack. I shake my head. "No. She would do it because it’s the right thing to do."

Then perhaps you should respect that choice.

"But it’s not her choice if we don’t tell her, Selene."

Grimoire shrugs. He’s already upside down again. "The fact that you’re struggling with this decision speaks volumes, Ava. A truly bad person wouldn’t care about the moral implications."

"Or maybe I’m just trying to justify doing something terrible by feeling bad about it." I press my palms against my eyes. "We should tell her. We already know what she’s going to say, right? So we don’t lose out on anything. I can’t just not tell her."

I don’t like her very much, but what’s wrong is still wrong.

She’ll probably take credit, Selene warns me.

"That’s fine. She will deserve it this time."

A weight lifts from my shoulders. The decision feels right, even if it means giving up tactical advantages. Some things just aren’t worth the cost to my conscience.

I suppose.

Grimoire drifts closer to Selene, floating just above her head as he pokes at her ears. "Those missing memories of yours are quite fascinating."

Her ears flatten against her skull. No.

"Come now, surely you’re curious about what you’ve forgotten? About your connection to these divine artifacts?"

I said no.

"Just a tiny peek? For science?"

For science? Really? Selene’s tail lashes back and forth. That’s the best you can do?

"Would you prefer ’for the good of all mankind’?"

I prefer you stay out of my head.

I sink into the nearest chair, watching them like a tennis match. The bickering is almost... comforting. Normal. A break from all the heavy decisions weighing on us.

"But think of all we could learn!" Grimoire spreads his arms wide. "The secrets of the past, the true nature of your bond with Ava—"

The true nature of my foot up your—

"Selene!" I bite back a laugh. "Be nice."

He started it.

Grimoire floats upside down again, his hair defying gravity this time. "I merely suggested a perfectly reasonable course of action."

Reasonable? You want to go poking around in my head!

"Well, it’s not like you’re using all of it."

Selene’s growl fills the room. I will bite you.

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