Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 53

53 Clayton: His Mate

CLAYTON 

The elevator dings and the doors slide open, revealing the penthouse lobby of the Silvermoon Pack’s largest hotel. I step out, my boots sinking into the plush carpet. Xavier and Lucas are already there, lounging on the leather couches like a pair of lazy lions.

“Clayton!” Xavier booms, rising to his feet. He clasps my hand in a firm shake, clapping me on the back with his other hand. “Good to see you, my friend.”

“You as well, Xavier.” I return his hearty greeting with a grin. “Lucas, always a pleasure.”

Lucas stands, his smile not quite reaching his eyes as we shake hands. There’s a tension in his shoulders, a tightness around his jaw. Something’s weighing on him.

We settle into the couches, the city skyline glittering beyond the floor–to–ceiling windows. Xavier leans back, crossing his ankles. “How were your flights, boys? No troubles, I hope?”

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53 Clayton His Male

I shake my head. “Smooth sailing for me. No

disturbances.”

Lucas’s mouth presses into a grim line. “I wish I could say the same. Got another report of a dead scout right after I landed.”

The air in the room shifts, the jovial atmosphere evaporating like mist under the morning sun. Xavier’s brows knit together. “Shit. Blackwood?”

“Who else?” Lucas growls, his fingers curling into fists on his knees. “He’s getting bolder, pushing further into

our territory.”

I lean forward, elbows on my knees. “What’s your game plan, Lucas? We can’t let this stand.” The Blackwood alpha has been a massive thorn in the

Northwestern Council’s side for years. There have been several scuffles between the two packs, but

Blackwood has even had run–ins with shifters outside

of the Northwestern Territories.

Lucas drags a hand down his face, his eyes hard as flint. “I’m working on it. But every time I think I’ve got a handle on their moves, they slip through my fingers like smoke. I can’t get my hands on solid proof to bring

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53 Clayton: His Mater

to the Council.”

Xavier’s expression is grave. “Without evidence to bring to the Council, my hands are tied.”

“Mine, too. But that’s only if we make this a Council affair. There are other options.” They’re drastic, but they’re there.

“I know.” Lucas rubs his hand over his face, and I can see his exhaustion in the droop of his shoulders and the shadows under his eyes. “We sent Jessa Grey back to her pack. We used the official excuse that she hadn’t asked for approval and was an unregistered guest in our territory, but Blackwood didn’t take it well. There’s

more, too.”

I lean forward, my eyes locked on Lucas as he takes a deep, steadying breath. There’s a weight in the air, a tension that goes beyond the usual strain of pack politics. This is something more, something personal.

“It’s my mate,” he says finally, the words hanging heavy between us. “She’s gone missing.”

A shocked silence falls over the room.

r’s

eyes

widen, his mouth parting slightly as if the words have robbed him of speech. I can only stare at Lucas,

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53 Clayton: His Mate

struggling to process this revelation.

“Your mate?” I echo, my voice hushed. “You’ve found your mate?”

Lucas nods, his expression a mixture of awe and anguish. “Yeah. We met at the Lunar Gala a few months back.” A rueful smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “You know how they say it hits you like a freight train? That’s an understatement.”

I remember the gala, the swirl of colors and music, the thrum of anticipation in the air as unmated wolves gathered in hopes of finding their other half. I haven’t gone in years. To think that Lucas, of all people, had finally experienced that elusive bond…

“Who is she?” Xavier asks, leaning forward. “One of

ours?”

Lucas shakes his head, his jaw tightening. “She’s from the Blackwood pack. Ava Grey.”

The name sends a ripple of unease through me. The Blackwood Pack has always been shrouded in secrets, their motives inscrutable. To have one of their own bound to the Westwood alpha…

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“How did this happen?” I ask my mind whirling. “Did

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