Unshift

211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

There’s a simple text on my phone, from an unknown number.

[UNKNOWN: Come to Dakota Sanctuary. We have a place for you. Now that you’ve unlocked your power, you’re a danger to everyone around you.]

“Is everything okay?”

Marcus‘ eagle eyes must have noticed the blood draining from my face.

I don’t want to lie to him, but I don’t know how much he should

know about the situation.

Then again, the man’s my bodyguard.

How can he effectively guard me if he doesn’t know what’s going

on?

Tell Lucas, Selene says, sounding grim.

I will. “This text. Probably the same as the unknown call from before.” Handing Marcus my phone, I watch as his face zones out to inform Kellan or Jericho of the situation. Or both of them. Probably both.

My gaze flicks to the book, but the words that had appeared moments ago are gone, leaving only those illegible runes once again. The cryptic message lingers in my mind, unsettling in its implications.

I don’t like this, Ava, Selene says, her voice laced with concern. It feels like we’re being herded into something.

17:38

211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

The thought of being manipulated, of being led down a path I didn’t choose, brings nothing but unease

What are our choices right now? I ask, hating the tremor in my mental voice. If my power really is a danger to everyone around

me…

I trail off, not wanting to finish that thought. The idea that I can hurt the people I care about, that my mere presence could put them at risk, is a heavy weight on my chest.

I’ve already hurt so many people.

But leaving isn’t an option.

So what the fuck am I supposed to do?

It feels like I’m being forced into making a bad decision. There has. to be another way, right? Like Vanessa said–I was always thinking in black and white. So, now I need to find gray. Or orange. Or whatever other color it could possibly be.

Somehow.

Lucas‘ face flashes through my mind, and I can already imagine his reaction to this new development. Can he really keep me safe from my own power? Can I keep him safe?

The Unregistered city is an unknown, Selene says. We need to talk

to someone we can trust.

But the only lead we have is Sister Miriam, and Lucas doesn’t trust

her.

I don’t necessarily trust her, either–but I don’t think she intends. me harm.

17.38

211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

Your power is a concern, Selene admits, though I can hear the reluctance in her voice. But…

Her concern mirrors mine.

Funny; before, when we had no one to rely on, we were ready to take so many risks. Selene wasn’t as worried as now.

But with the people we care about warning us, time after time, about our safety?

After the vampire attacks?

She’s learned caution.

So have I.

Marcus clears his throat, drawing my attention. “Kellan and Jericho are on their way,” he says, handing the phone back to me.

I nod, trying to quell the rising panic in my chest. Kellan and Jericho will know what to do. They’ll have a plan. They have to.

Don’t always rely on others to do your work for you, Ava. You have to do it, too.

Fair. But there’s nothing that comes to mind…

And my plans in the past have led to trouble.

But you successfully found freedom in Cedarwood, didn’t you?

Did I?

With Mrs. Elkins‘ arrival, it’s been a niggling doubt in my head.

Did I find freedom?

Or was it the first stage of someone’s grand plan?

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211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

That’s just paranoia, Selene murmurs, but I can tell she’s not sure, either.

The Unregistered city. A place where the laws of the world don’t. apply. Where vampires and other creatures roam unchecked. The thought of venturing into such a place…

And Lisa’s already there.

She’s been there for so long. Belonging to NôvelDrama.Org.

I could go. I could save her.

But I don’t have the training, and I’m… what, some sort of exploding time bomb of magical power?

My brain just keeps rushing in circles, making me dizzy with the force of my indecision and panic.

+17

If only I were like my family. A bizarre thing to think in a moment like this, but even I have to admit that Jessa was never one to panic. Phoenix, either. And my father? I don’t think I’ve seen him at any level past moderate concern in his entire life.

Then there’s me.

Paranoia. Secrets. Worries. Uncertainty. I can’t even figure out how to mend my relationship with a pack without getting advice from

Vanessa.

I didn’t even realize how much damage I had done until she’d pointed it out.

It isn’t like your family realizes how much damage they’ve done to

emulate them, Ava. They’re nothing but either. Don’t try to

you,

flaws.

<

211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

Selene’s dry words bring a little relief, easing the pressure in my chest. And mortification.

Why would I ever look at my family as people to emulate?

Because you’ve been trained to, all your life.

“Sounds like a flimsy excuse when you know better,” I mutter.

Marcus, to his credit, ignores me as he always does when I talk to Selene, glancing up only when Jericho and Kellan come rushing in.

Kellan holds out his hand, concern on his face. “Can I see your phone, Ava?”

I hand it over, watching as he scrutinizes the text message, his frown deepening with each passing second. Jericho’s gaze is intense, studying me like I’m a puzzle he’s trying to solve.

“We should talk to Steve,” Kellan says, looking up from the phone. “See if she can get any information from this message.”

I shake my head, doubting that Steve will find anything more than what’s already there. “I don’t think it’ll help. Kellan, It feels like I’m being herded to the city, like I don’t have a choice.”

Jericho sits on the window ledge and leans forward, his elbows resting on his knees. “We’ve been dancing around this for too long. We know you’re different from other shifters, and we know that Selene is your wolf. But these powers of yours? We need to know more. From you, not anyone else.”

N take a deep breath, trying to organize my thoughts. “It’s hard to explain. It’s like I have this hidden well of energy inside me, and sometimes it just… spills out.” I pick up the book, flipping through

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211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

the blank pages. “And then there’s this. It shows me things, but I don’t understand what they mean, and no one else can see them.”

Jericho stands abruptly, leaving the room. He returns a moment later with a pen and paper, handing them to me. “Copy what you see in the book.”

I nod, opening the book to the first page. The symbols are there, as always, and I begin to sketch them out. But as soon as I finish the last stroke, the design vanishes from the paper, leaving it blank

once more.

I stare at the empty page, shocked. “What the…”

Ava, Selene says, her voice grim. Write down every symbol, one by

one. Hurry.

“You think you know what this is?” I ask, already starting on the

next symbol.

It might be a coincidence, but it’s similar to an ancient language I learned long ago. My memories are a bit fuzzy, though, so we need to get this down quickly.

I nod, my hand flying across the page as I copy each symbol, watching as they disappear in turn, Kellan and Jericho watch silently, their expressions growing more concerned with each vanishing design.

I finish the last symbol, setting down the pen with a shaky hand. “That’s all of them. Do you know what it means, Selene?”

I caught a few that I recognize. Mostly elements, and the Fae. I didn’t understand them all. It hurts my head to think of them.

17:30

211 Ava: Bringing Trouble to the Pack

“Elements and… Fae? As in, a specific Fae, or just in general?”

In general.

“Ava,” Jericho warns suddenly, “Being a witch will come with a lot of problems. Especially if you’re intending to become the Luna of a wolf pack. Have you and Lucas discussed this?”