Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 457

Chapter 457: Lucas: Kellan’s Message

LUCAS

Clayton has his arms crossed over his chest as he stares at the fabric ceiling of the debriefing tent, absorbing the thirty-minute explanation of the last several months of our life.

"I didn’t expect the Fae to be so..." He squints. "Prevalent? In this area. I only know of one in Aspen. She helped keep some of our systems running. Some sort of magic hacker. She’s just a kid, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders. A little squirrely, though."

"Squirrely?"

"The kid’s terrified of getting caught by someone, but we don’t know who she’s running from. Guessing it’s this New Order."

"Join the club," I mutter. Westwood was always a strong pack, and I thought we could stand against any enemy. Until we couldn’t.

"It isn’t just you," Clayton says with a sigh. "While they don’t seem particularly bothered by our section of the country, there have been others. Some territories have merged completely. Pack wars are prevalent. It’s dangerous even to leave Aspen at this time, leaving it without an alpha."

Which only shows how important Ivy was to him.

I shake my head. "It’s as if society’s gone backw—"

A searing burst of pain slices through my skull, and I grit my teeth against the flash of agony. Kellan’s voice, urgent and strained, floods my mind through our pack link.

Vampires at the south ridge clearing! Send everyone you can—they came out of nowhere—

His voice cuts off with a howl, its mental echoes vibrating through my bones. Aurum surges forward inside me, nearly breaking through my skin to take over.

My jaw clenches as I fight him back.

"Shit."

I throw out a wide call to every fighter in the compound. Assemble by the south gate. Kellan needs reinforcements. Vampire attack.

"What is it?"

I shake my head with a groan, working my jaw against the pain. Kellan’s injured. It must have been an ambush; he would have made contact much sooner if he could. "Vampire attack to the south. My beta’s in trouble."

Clayton’s already on his feet, his eyes glazing as he speaks. "I’m coming with you."

There’s no reason to deny his help. We need every fighter available. Vampires are a tough fight, and I don’t have any other details.

Reaching out to Kellan is impossible, not without putting him in danger. He needs to focus on surviving until I get there.

My mind races through tactical options as I burst through the tent flap—and straight into someone.

A startled yelp. The familiar scent of coffee. It’s Lisa, sprawled backward on the frozen ground.

"Shit," I mutter, reaching down to help her up. My body’s already half-turned toward the battle, mind calculating distances and time. "Sorry."

She grabs my hand, letting me pull her upright. "Lucas, I’ve been looking all over—I need to tell you about Pip. I think she’s being—"

"Later," I cut her off, scanning the compound. Wolves are already emerging from cabins, shifting on the run, racing toward the forest edge. "Kellan’s in trouble. I have to go."

Her eyes widen. "What? What’s happening to Kellan?"

"Vampire ambush." I move to step around her, but her fingers lock around my forearm with surprising strength.

"Is he okay?" Raw fear laces her voice. "Lucas, is he hurt?"

The vulnerability in her expression catches me off-guard. She’s terrified. Of course she is. Kellan’s her mate; I’m sure their bond is screaming. "I don’t know," I answer honestly, my tone softening despite the urgency. "But I’m going to help him. Don’t worry, Lisa."

"Alpha Westwood!" Magister Orion’s deep voice cuts through the commotion as he strides toward us, his robes whipping in the wind. "Why the sudden mobilization? Did something happen? Is Wolf’s Landing in danger?"

"Vampire attack at the south ridge," I explain tersely, pulsing out another call to my fighters, with a five-minute warning. "My beta’s pinned down with a scouting party."

The Magister’s expression shifts immediately from curiosity to grim resolve. "Then I shall assist. We Fae have our own ways of fighting against vampires."

"I’m coming too." Lisa’s voice is steel, her earlier fear transformed into determination.

"No." My response is automatic, protective. "It’s too dangerous."

"Kellan’s there." She says it like it explains everything. And in a way, it does.

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