Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted

These two know each other?

"Indeed it has, Orion." The Grand Sage is dwarfed next to the Magister. He speaks with warmth, though. "Though I wish our reunion came under better circumstances. This isn't the first time I've caught you breaking into one of my ships, is it?"

"Ah. It was yours, then. We were concerned… Well, never mind that." The giant man looks sheepish as he ducks his head. "My apologies, Grand Sage. Though now that I am seeing you both, I must ask—is your friend safe now? The human girl?"

"Lisa?" My heart swells at his concern. Even after all this time, he remembers. "Yes, she's safe."

The Grand Sage nods in confirmation. "We've kept her well protected since her return."

"Good, good." Magister Orion's shoulders relax slightly. "We have feared the worst in these past months. Establishing contact with friends has become impossible with the New Order in place."

"The New Order?" My throat tightens as memories of the press conference flash through my mind. The President's vacant stare. His monotone voice. The way everything felt wrong.noveldrama

That must be it.

Of course they have some terrible name like the New Order.

"Ah." Magister Orion's face darkens. "You've seen them, then?"

"The President's speech, right?" I shift my weight, and the sole of my boots squeak over packed snow. "It was strange. All the supernaturals there."

"The president is a puppet." Magister Orion's voice drops to a growl. "The New Order seized control months ago. They've systematically dismantled every supernatural authority structure across the country."

Kellan arrives then, still suspicious despite the clear harmony between us. He looks at Magister Orion's party, inspecting them all one by one, even as he speaks. "What do you mean?"

"Your wolf councils? Gone. The vampire courts? Destroyed. The registered communities live under martial law. Even the unregistered territories have fallen." He spreads his massive hands. "They've taken everything, little witch. Pack lands. Vampire havens. Fae sanctuaries."

"How did no one notice?"

His eyes gleam with a dangerous light, beard bristling as he shakes. His words, tight and hard, are also hoarse. "The New Order was thorough. They infiltrated every level of power. By the time anyone realized what was happening, it was too late. That was the first wave of attacks."

As we suspected, Selene murmurs.

Yes. We've put much of it together over time, though we still don't understand who they are. Or why they're doing what they do.

"Their control is absolute," Magister Orion continues. "They've placed their people in every major pack. Every vampire coven. They monitor everything. They're determined to maintain their power. Any resistance is... eliminated."

A shudder travels through my body, before leaving my legs feeling a little like jelly. Greg reaches out in silence to grab my elbow again when I sway.

Even my magic is trembling. Not the kind of happy vibration it was doing earlier, but a morose kind of rocking and rolling with a tinge of fear.

The New Order's reach seems endless, and my mind refuses to process the implications. It has so many other questions right now. Easier ones, I hope.

"How are you here? Last time I saw you—" My voice cracks. The memory of that night still haunts me: Magister Orion telling us to escape. The door exploding. Guards invading, yelling for his arrest. "They said you murdered Florice. How did you get out of there?"

"Ah." His massive shoulders rise and fall. "That particular misunderstanding was cleared up rather quickly. It was little more than a ruse to begin with. It was you they wanted."

"Misunderstanding?" That was way too much for something as simple as a misunderstanding. They sent in their equivalent of a freaking SWAT team. They used bombs.

Even if they were more interested in me, it seems like overkill to pretend he murdered someone just to get me away from his protection.

Tinker zips up from behind him, her mechanical wings whirring as she speaks up for the first time. It's good to see her, too. "It was quite the dramatic escape for us all."

"You broke out of a Fae prison?"

"Prison?" Magister Orion's laugh booms across the snow. "Little witch, they never got me that far. Don't you worry. There is no bounty hanging over my head."

"What about the others?" Immediately, I think of Layla. She's missing. Most of the faces here with the Magister are unfamiliar, or only vaguely familiar. "Is Layla—"

"Safe." Tinker smiles. "Layla's running a resistance cell in the south."

"Though some chose to stay." Magister Orion sighs. "To maintain appearances."

"Oh." So, they have spies. That's a promising fact.

The cold bites into my cheeks as I glance around, taking in the scene. Everyone stands frozen in the snow like mannequins, watching our conversation with varying degrees of wariness. Right. Social graces. Those are a thing.

"We should get out of this weather." I gesture toward Wolf's Landing. "You're all welcome to come back with us."

Kellan's head snaps toward me, his eyes narrowing. The rest of our wolves tense.

"They're safe," I say, meeting Kellan's gaze. "I trust him with my life."

His jaw tightens. The others remain silent,but their body language screams distrust—shoulders rigid, faces hard, hands ready for violence. Those who have shifted still bristle, hackles raised, despite the peace here.

My heart sinks as I realize the problem. As a shifter pack, we've spent our entire lives in isolation from other supernaturals. I didn't even know they existed, not really, until a few months ago.

They've never had the chance to see beyond their own community, and what little experience we have had with others is negative. Blood-filled.

Greg's grip on my elbow loosens, but his stance remains protective. Even he radiates suspicion.

I straighten my spine and lift my chin. Time to be the Luna they need me to be.

"They are our allies," I say, my voice firm as I meet each wolf's eyes in turn. "They protected me when I needed it most. They taught me to control my magic. And right now, we need all the friends we can get."