Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted novel Chapter 63

63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

The next few days are agonizing.

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There are shifters outside my house every hour of the

day.

Mom and Dad have disappeared, doing… Honestly, I don’t know what they’re doing.

Phoenix was never around much to begin with, so I’m not surprised that I don’t see him.

It occurs to me that I haven’t seen Jessa even once

since I’ve been home, but, again, not really surprised. It

isn’t like we were ever close.

So I pace in my childhood home, trapped, with no idea what’s coming next, building nightmare after

nightmare of assumptions in my mind. Sometimes I catch Selene’s show on TV and watch that. Other times I watch the news, a habit I’ve gotten used to since working at The Novel Grind. Mrs. Elkins often had it on in the background.

It’s amazing how sheltered I was from the human world, even when living in it. I see why Dad never let

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<63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

me watch the news; it’s enlightening to see how things. are outside of the views of your pack.

I always knew they were a little outdated. After being in the Aspen territory, I’ve learned that my family pack is barely out of the Dark Ages. Now that my eyes have been opened, there are so many details I can pick out that are just wrong.

The fact that I had a phone at all was a miracle–of course, I bought it with my own money.

Jessa begged Dad for one when she was twenty–one, and he relented. But so many women in the pack don’t have a cell phone at all. My dad is sometimes

considered a little too lenient on his women.

Except for me, of course.

There’s also the fashion. Married she–wolves don’t go out much, and don’t have jobs. They’re stuck at the mercy of their mates, if their mate has any at all.

I never see a man alone with his child. At The Novel Grind, I would often see a father come in with his child, looking for a book or having them read while they do their work. It’s a scene I’ve never seen at

home.

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63 Ava: Homecoming (V)

Occasionally at Beaniverse, yes–but I don’t think I ever really noticed it then.

It’s amazing what a few months of freedom will do for

you.

I think of Mrs. Elkins, and Carlos, and Franklin. Of Clayton and Ivy. Of Lucas.

I wonder if they’re still thinking about me. If they’re worried. How long they’ll stay worried for, and when they’ll give up on me.

Don’t get me wrong…

I’m going to escape.

I just don’t know how quickly I can do it.

No matter how much I wrack my brain, I don’t know how to get anywhere without money.

I suppose I could just run on foot, but I can’t shift. They’d catch me within hours. The only way to escape is with a car. Or a bus ticket. Or a plane.

Hell, I’d take a boat, if we weren’t in the middle of the

country.

A knock on the door interrupts my pacing, and I frown

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