Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted - Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Ava: Day With a Dog
Chapters 11-17 have been rewritten to improve story flow and pacing. [June 27, 2024]

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“Sorry, she isn’t normally like this,” I apologize, tugging Selene away from the man.

“Such a pretty dog,” he says, squinting at me from beneath a wide-brimmed hat.

Something about him sets off my paranoia radar, but I don’t scent anything strange. He’s dirty, with stained brown pants and shoes that have seen better days.

Homeless, maybe.

Uncomfortable, I step to the side, tugging Selene away as she continues to growl. “Sorry,” I apologize again, wondering why he doesn’t try to leave.

His head turns to me, and he looks me up and down. “Pretty girl, too,” he says, revealing a gap-toothed smile, with yellow teeth and breath that could knock down any wolf shifter within a hundred mile radius.

My stomach flips and I struggle to control the nausea building in my belly. “Thanks,” I mutter, not sure how to respond. He’s in the way of the dog food, but I don’t want to get any closer. Besides, Selene seems ready to rip his face off.

“Come on, girl, let’s go this way.” This way leads to the birds, but I’d rather be around them than the strange man.

I dart down the side aisle, preferring rudeness over another moment in his bizarre presence, putting some distance between me and the strange man. When I glance behind me, he’s still standing there, his eyes boring into me.

Even from this far, his gaze is intense, and it occurs to me I don’t even know what color his eyes are.

It’s like the pressure in his stare was too much to notice such a minor detail.

A shiver races down my spine.

A store employee approaches the man. Relieved, I take the opportunity to slip away, rounding the corner into another aisle. Selene trots beside me, her earlier agitation gone. At least one of us has calmed down.

After a few twists and turns through the aisles, I find myself in front of the dog food section, having taken a roundabout route.

The man is nowhere in sight.

Scanning the colorful bags, I realize I have no idea what to choose. What does a stray husky even eat?

“What do you think, Selene? Beef or chicken?” I muse aloud, grabbing a bright blue bag of kibble.

Selene looks up at me, her ice blue eyes seeming to dim. Her fluffy tail droops and she lets out a little whine. I blink, staring at her. Is she disappointed in my choice? Can dogs even be disappointed? It’s not like she knows what brand I’m buying.

I guess she can smell it.

But still.

Shaking my head, I grab the bag anyway. I’m probably just imagining things. It’s been a weird day and that creepy guy has me on edge.

I make my way to the checkout counter, keeping an eye out for the man in the brown hat. Fortunately, he’s still nowhere to be seen. I breathe a sigh of relief as I set my items on the conveyor belt—the tags for the leash and collar, and the bag of dog food.

The cashier scans the items and I wait for the total, mentally tallying the cost in my head. Leash, probably $20. Collar, maybe $15. The food might be a bit pricier, so let’s say $40…

Usually, I keep an eye on prices. Today, I’m all off-kilter.

“That’ll be $110.67,” the cashier announces.

My jaw drops. “What? Over a hundred dollars?” I sputter, staring at the small pile of items in disbelief.

The cashier nods, unfazed by my reaction. “Yep. The dog food alone is $75. It’s a great brand, though.”

It’s only a 30-pound bag!

I glance down at Selene, who seems to be smirking at me. “You better appreciate this,” I mutter, handing over my debit card. So much for budgeting this month.

As we exit the store, I can’t shake the feeling that someone’s watching me. I scan the parking lot, but see no sign of the strange man.

There’s no way I’m going to make it all the way home while carrying a bag of dog food, so I call for a rideshare, staring down at my new moneysink, who returns my gaze with a loving one of her own, her tail wagging.

* * *

Selene hates dog food.

The way her blue eyes stare at me as I shove her bowl under her nose makes me feel a little like I’m feeding her something terrible. Like her own puppies or something.

“Come on. The lady said it’s a good brand.”

I wave the bowl around—it’s one of mine, because I didn’t think to buy one for the dog—and she turns her head away with a huff.

Great. I hadn’t expected this.

What do you do when your stray dog doesn’t want to eat?

Setting the bowl on the floor, I grab my phone and peruse the internet, learning a few fun facts.

Fact One: Huskies are notoriously picky. Great.

Fact Two: Huskies have a lot of personality and aren’t a great choice for first-time dog owners.

I glance at the one in front of me, who nudges the bowl closer to me with her paw.

Yep, sounds about right.

Fact Three: I’m screwed.

“Okay, Selene. I’ve never had a dog before, but I know one thing. You have to eat.”

I shove the bowl closer to her, ignoring the way her paw comes up to halt its process. She lets out a little rumble of noises, ending with a few yips.

I’d read about huskies and their noises, too. Did not think that through, either.

Pointing at her bowl, I repeat, “This is your food, and you have to eat it. It cost me a lot of money. Got it?”

Her ears go down.

I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad sign, but I head back into the kitchen, heating myself a bowl of soup. Aside from the occasional chill and the way sweat keeps beading on the back of my neck, I’m feeling pretty good. In fact, there’s energy buzzing in my body, making me almost hyper.

After I scarf down my food, I glance toward Selene, who’s hovering over her dog bowl and looking disgruntled.

Fine.

Someone on the internet said that they mix human food in with the kibble to entice their dog to eat. Selene might be one of those.

Eggs aren’t hard, and I have energy that needs to be burned, anyway.

I quickly scramble some eggs in the skillet, the sizzle of the pan filling the small kitchen. Selene watches me intently, her tail wagging slowly.

Once the eggs are done, I scoop them into Selene’s bowl and mix them into the dry kibble. “Here you go, girl. A little something extra to entice you.”

Selene prances around the bowl, letting out a few excited yelps and whines. She paws at the bowl, pushing it around a bit before finally shoving her nose into the mixture and eating.

I smile, relieved that the addition of eggs seems to have done the trick.

However, my relief is short-lived as Selene starts picking through the food, dropping pieces of kibble onto the floor as she eats only the scrambled eggs.

“Hey, none of that,” I scold gently. “You need to eat the kibble too, not just the eggs.”

Selene ignores me, continuing to nose around the bowl and leaving a trail of discarded kibble pieces. I frown, realizing this isn’t going to work if she refuses to eat her actual dog food. There’s no way I can afford to keep trying new food until she finds one she likes.

“Listen up, Selene,” I say firmly. “If you can’t eat the kibble properly, I’m going to have to take you back to Animal Control. I can’t have a dog who won’t eat her food.”

At my words, Selene whines and flattens her ears against her head. She looks up at me with those piercing blue eyes, and for a moment, I swear there’s an understanding look in them. Slowly, she lowers her head back to the bowl and begins crunching.

I nod in approval. “That’s better. Good girl.”

As Selene continues eating, a knock at the door interrupts us. I glance over in surprise, not expecting any visitors.

Opening the door, I’m surprised to see two men standing outside.