Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted - Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Ava: The Party (I)
The party is in the heart of the Westwood pack lands, neighboring Granite City. A quiet road leads from an urban metropolis to a quiet and rural town, too small to be called a suburb.

Only shifters live here.

A prickling, wrong sort of feeling crawls over my skin, and Lisa grabs my hand when she notices how tense I am.

“It’ll be fine,” she assures me, with all the confidence in the world.

I hope she’s right.

Just keep your ears and nose open, Selene says, sounding a little grumpy. She’s stuck in the apartment because there’s no way to explain to the guards at the door why I would just let my dog go roaming the world on her own.

I will, I promise, even though my ears and nose aren’t much better than the average human’s.

A little better. But not that much better.

“You both have your phones, right?” Kellan asks as he drives, as if he hasn’t asked the exact same question three other times already.

“Yes,” we chorus dutifully.

“And my phone number?”

“Yes.”

“What time am I picking you up?”

“Eleven at the latest,” Lisa sighs.

“And your drink of choice?”

“Water.” I respond to this one, because Lisa’s too busy rolling her eyes.

“I don’t see why we can’t drink. That’s the entire point of a party—”

“You’re underage,” Kellan interrupts her, turning off on a side road. It’s lined with trees, and I can see cows grazing in the field to our right.

I wonder if their wolves ever go after the livestock.

Probably, Selene snorts. Young shifters often lose control, and wolves get hungry.

True. I’ve seen the same thing happen in Blackwood. But we didn’t raise our own cows there.

“Be careful of anything homemade at the party, and don’t drink anything that comes out of a punch bowl. Even if they say it’s alcohol-free.”

“Got it, Dad,” Lisa chirps, before leaning to whisper in my ear, “Such a killjoy.”

“I can hear you.”

“Good. I wanted you to.”

Squeezing Lisa’s hand, I let their banter distract me from that foreboding feeling creeping and crawling over me. It’s probably just anxiety. I haven’t been to a large scale event in forever. The few I’ve been to didn’t end well for me.

I’m glad I’m wearing sneakers. It helps soothe the anxious flipping of my stomach, knowing that I’ll at least be able to run.

Even if I don’t get far.

It will be fine, Selene soothes.

Are you sure about that?

They wouldn’t hurt their alpha’s mate.

I listen as Kellan explains to Lisa the dangers of drinking anything made for shifters as a human, trying not to focus too much on the urge to run back to the apartment and slam the door on all of society.

It’s easier to be alone. Even as suffocated as I have been.

You have to change your mindset if you want your life to follow a different path, Ava.

There she goes again, with her impeccable and slightly cryptic advice.

I know. I’m trying.

It’s hard to let go of all those negative feelings, when they’re all you’ve ever had.

Just think of them as new friends. Just like Cedarwood.

I shake my head before remembering I’m in the car with Kellan. They were friendly to me there. It was easier.

Have faith.

Easy to say, hard to do…

The farmhouse looms larger as we approach. Cars are scattered haphazardly across the front lawn, parked wherever there’s a spare patch of grass. Shifters mill about, some heading into the house while others spill out into the yard, their laughter and chatter mixing with the pulsing beat of music blaring from inside.

I tighten my grip on Lisa’s hand as Kellan pulls up to the curb, the knot in my stomach growing tighter. Groups of people cluster together, their faces unfamiliar and their stances relaxed. They look like they belong here, like this is their territory. Then again, it is.

“Ready?” Lisa asks, her eyes sparkling with excitement as she reaches for the door handle.

“As I’ll ever be,” I mutter, taking a deep breath before following her out of the car.

The music thrums through my bones like a physical force. It’s some pop song I vaguely recognize from the radio, the kind that gets stuck in your head for days.

Kellan climbs out of the driver’s seat, his expression stern as he looks around. Several shifters notice him and grow quiet in their conversations.

No one wants the beta here, but no one’s going to ask him to leave.

“Remember what I said,” he warns, his gaze flicking between me and Lisa. “Stay together, and call me if anything happens. We have people in the area.”

Translation: We have spies watching you.

“We will,” Lisa promises, nearly bouncing on her feet as her eyes bounce around. She’s practically vibrating with anticipation. Parties are more her scene than mine.

I force a smile onto my face, determined to at least try to enjoy myself.

“Thanks, Kellan,” I say, mustering up as much sincerity as I can manage. “We appreciate you looking out for us.”

He nods, his expression softening slightly. “Just be careful, okay? And have fun.” He hesitates for a moment, like he wants to say something else, but then shakes his head and climbs back into the car.

Lisa links her arm through mine as we watch him drive away, the taillights fading into the distance. “Come on,” she says, tugging me towards the house. “Let’s go see what’s happening inside.”

I let her lead me across the lawn, weaving between the clusters of shifters. A few of them glance our way as we pass, their gazes curious but not hostile. I keep my head down, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other.

The music grows louder as we approach the front door, the vibrations thrumming through the floorboards. Lisa pushes it open, and we step inside, immediately engulfed by the press of bodies gyrating to the beat.

It’s dimmer in here, the only light coming from a few scattered lamps and the glow of the kitchen at the far end of the room. People are dancing and laughing and shouting to be heard over the music. The air is thick with the scent of sweat and alcohol, undercut by something sharper, more primal.

Lisa leans in close, her lips brushing my ear. “Isn’t this amazing?” she shouts, her eyes wide and excited.

I nod, not trusting myself to speak. It is amazing, in a way. The energy in the room is electric, the kind of buzz that comes from being young and carefree and surrounded by your own kind. But it’s also overwhelming, the sheer number of unfamiliar faces and the volume of the music making my head spin.