Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 72 Clayton: Her Identity

CLAYTON

The hospital holds too many memories, and my wolf snarls and whines as it tries in desperation to sniff out any

hint of Ava's scent when we arrive.

There's nothing, of course. Just the smell of the injured, the sickly, and disinfectant.

Ivy's room is in our family wing on the top floor, and | head straight there, unable to even look at the button for

floor 12.

Ava's floor.

Mate, my wolf whines, and | wonder how much worse this would be if we had a fated connection instead of a

chosen one. Lucas' single-minded determination has never made more sense tothan now, as we've spent

over a week searching for any hint of the men who took Ava.

Someone had covered their tracks. Every airline, every taxi company, every rideshare, every car rental—their

systems were hacked and wiped, so we can't even ascertain how she left.

Air? Car? Even the trains were messed up for a while as they had to go through tickets by hand to verify

passengers.

There are no security cameras we can rely on. Everything in the city was wiped. Everything.

| can't imagine what level of influence is needed to take down all of these things in a major city. It's beyond any

single pack in the Northwestern Territories.

Was she taken by someone outside of them? But who, and why?

There are no answers to be found.

| settle into a chair beside Ivy's bedside. The natural healing abilities of every wolf are varied in strength, and

Ivy's are so low that she heals almost at the rate of a normal human.

Thanks to the medication in her veins, she sleeps in peace. All of her tests are coming back with positive signs of

recovery.

If I could find the bastards who did this to her, it would be even better.

| cradle Ava's phone in my palm, running my thumb over the smooth surface. The screen remains dark and

lifeless. My jaw clenches as | stare at the pitiful list of contacts—just my number and Ivy's.

As an alpha, | should have pushed harder, gotten the information | needed. It was obvious in Ava's evasiveness

and refusal to divulge personal details, the way she dodged questions about her family, that she was running

from something. | let it slide because | was too focused on her heat, and then on keeping her here without

scaring her off.

Now, | don't even know her last name, and she's missing. Taken from beneath my nose in a place she should

have been safe—the very heart of my pack lands.

My wolf whines, sensing my turmoil, and | force myself to take a deep breath, reining in the torrent of emotions.

The burner phone she'd left behind is our only lead, our sole connection to Ava's past. She must have bought it

when she was shopping with Rowan. Smart girl. Too bad she was smart enough to lock it, too.

We have no one capable of hacking into it or the high-level skills required to overceverything the abductors

had wrought in their wake. A mistake | won't repeat.

My grip tightens around the phone. The pack's technology will rise. No more relying on outside resources when

our security is at stake. | need to hire more experienced IT personnel, individuals with the skills to navigate the

digital landscape.

Humans have them in droves, but few are willing to work with the shifters, even in our cautious alliance—as if

the last remaining bastion of humanity's supremacy will be enough to save them from the takeover they

imagine.

Meanwhile, very few packs think of dominating this world, knowing the humans existence betters all of our lives.

Without their numbers, their talents, and their sheer work force, our societies would regress at an alarming rate.

There is no good thing to cfrom a world without humans.

A soft knock on the door breaksfrom my reverie, and | look up to see Rowan's concerned gaze. My beta has

been a steadfast pillar of support throughout this ordeal, his calm demeanor a balm to my frayed nerves.

"Any news?" he asks, stepping into the room.

| shake my head, forcing the words past the lump in my throat. "Not yet. I'm still waiting for the results from the

burner phone."

Rowan's brow furrows. "You sent it out last week. Why don't they know yet?"

| shrug. | can't admit that most of the technical jargon is over my head. I'm not even sure they're making it the

priority they said they would.

"Westwood is attacking tonight. He's forwarded all the evidence they've gathered against Blackwood. They

brought in an Unregistered last night."

Shit. I'd forgotten all about that situation.

"Send sof ours to Westwood in case they need reinforcements."

"It'll be too late by the tthey arrive," Rowan cautions.

| shake my head. "It doesn't matter. Knowing Xavier, he's already helping. Blackwood doesn't have a fighting

chance at head-on combat, but Lucas will need manpower after they take over the territory, keeping the peace

until the Council decides what to do with it."

"Understood." Rowan types something on his phone, quickly sending out whatever orders will get the job done.

| squeeze the bridge of my nose in frustration, feeling a headache settle behind my eyes. "Still nothing on the

security cameras?"

"Nothing," he confirms, just as his phone beeps.

Where are you, Ava?

Who were you running from?

"Lucas? We have a lead..." The cautious note in Rowan's words should have warned me.

| vault out of my chair, snatching his phone, my gaze fixed on the image before me. There she is, unmistakable

with her dark blonde hair and striking blue eyes. They've haunted my dreams since the day she disappeared.

Ava, alive and well, captured on camera walking through an unfamiliar airport terminal.

The date stamp confirms my worst fears—the very day she vanished from the Aspen Pack lands.

My breath catches in my throat as | take in the details, my blood running cold when | recognize the man beside

her. Phoenix Grey has his hand on the small of her back, guiding her through the crowds.

Why?

| force myself to study the image again, committing every detail to memory.

"Where was this taken?" | growl, my voice a low rumble as | struggle to contain the wolf clawing at my insides,

desperate to give chase. Mate! They have our mate! War!

Rowan's expression is grim. "White Peak International Airport. They must have flown her out immediately after

taking her from the city."

They.

The Blackwood Pack.

Again, why? Why target my mate?

Pieces start falling into place, each one more damning than the last. Ava's reluctance to share details about

herself, her refusal to contact anyone in her family or any friends.

The memory of her scent the day | met her flashes through my mind once more—fear, distress, and something

else. Something | couldn't quite place at the time, but now recognize as desperation.

She was trying to run. Once she realized we were shifters, too, she felt panic instead of reassurance.

A sudden, horrifying thought occurs to me, and I feel as though the ground has fallen away beneath my feet.

"Rowan," | rasp, my voice barely above a whisper. "What was the nof Lucas' mate?"

"Ava Grey, sir." He sounds strangled as he gives the words he knows | won't want to hear.

Ava Grey.

Phoenix Grey's younger sister.

Phoenix, who's standing next to my Ava.

The world tilts on its axis as the implications sink in. Ava Grey, daughter of Alexander Grey, the beta of the

Blackwood Pack. The sAva that Lucas has been searching for, his fated mate torn from his grasp by

unknown forces.

My mate is Lucas Westwood's fated mate.

The realization is like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. How is this possible?

Unbidden, memories of our ttogether flash through my mind—the searing heat of her touch, the softness of

her lips, the way her body molded perfectly against mine. Moments | treasured, now tainted by the knowledge

that she belongs to another.

Lucas. My ally, my friend.

Bile rises in my throat as guilt and shwar within me. I've betrayed him in the most fundamental way, even if

it was unintentional. The bond | want with Ava, though chosen, is real...

Yet she is not mine.

Rowan's voice cuts through the maelstrom of emotions swirling within me. "Sir, what are your orders? Do we still

send our men to Blackwood?"

| force myself to take a steadying breath, tamping down the turmoil raging inside me. Now is not the tfor

personal struggles—Ava's safety is paramount.

"Yes," | say, and my voice is rougher than intended. "We must be there for our allies. I'll go in person."

4

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