Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 423

These two know each other?

"Indeed it has, Orion." The Grand Sage is dwarfed next to the Magister. He speaks with warmth, though. "Though I wish our reunion came under better circumstances. This isn't the first time I've caught you breaking into one of my ships, is it?"

"Ah. It was yours, then. We were concerned… Well, never mind that." The giant man looks sheepish as he ducks his head. "My apologies, Grand Sage. Though now that I am seeing you both, I must ask—is your friend safe now? The human girl?"

"Lisa?" My heart swells at his concern. Even after all this time, he remembers. "Yes, she's safe."

The Grand Sage nods in confirmation. "We've kept her well protected since her return."

"Good, good." Magister Orion's shoulders relax slightly. "We have feared the worst in these past months. Establishing contact with friends has become impossible with the New Order in place."

"The New Order?" My throat tightens as memories of the press conference flash through my mind. The President's vacant stare. His monotone voice. The way everything felt wrong.

That must be it.

Of course they have some terrible name like the New Order.

"Ah." Magister Orion's face darkens. "You've seen them, then?"

"The President's speech, right?" I shift my weight, and the sole of my boots squeak over packed snow. "It was strange. All the supernaturals there."

"The president is a puppet." Magister Orion's voice drops to a growl. "The New Order seized control months ago. They've systematically dismantled every supernatural authority structure across the country."

Kellan arrives then, still suspicious despite the clear harmony between us. He looks at Magister Orion's party, inspecting them all one by one, even as he speaks. "What do you mean?"

"Your wolf councils? Gone. The vampire courts? Destroyed. The registered communities live under martial law. Even the unregistered territories have fallen." He spreads his massive hands. "They've taken everything, little witch. Pack lands. Vampire havens. Fae sanctuaries."

"How did no one notice?"

His eyes gleam with a dangerous light, beard bristling as he shakes. His words, tight and hard, are also hoarse. "The New Order was thorough. They infiltrated every level of power. By the time anyone realized what was happening, it was too late. That was the first wave of attacks."

As we suspected, Selene murmurs.

Yes. We've put much of it together over time, though we still don't understand who they are. Or why they're doing what they do.

"Their control is absolute," Magister Orion continues. "They've placed their people in every major pack. Every vampire coven. They monitor everything. They're determined to maintain their power. Any resistance is... eliminated."

A shudder travels through my body, before leaving my legs feeling a little like jelly. Greg reaches out in silence to grab my elbow again when I sway.

Even my magic is trembling. Not the kind of happy vibration it was doing earlier, but a morose kind of rocking and rolling with a tinge of fear.

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify