Pack Captive (Moon Called Book 1), page 2
We’d never killed even one with that much efficiency.
There were nearly fifty of them surrounding us. And they were all staring at us with suspicious eyes.
At me, and the runes running down my leg that marked me as a Moon Caller.
The Alpha who had saved my life stepped forward, and the others encircled us much like the Fenris wolves had, giving him room to speak and cutting off any hope of escape for me and Fenn.
He shifted, becoming a tall, muscular man. Dark blonde hair fell over his shoulders, and his lunar tattoos were still lit brightly, illuminating eyes the color of the sky.
He had a face that was almost too rough to be handsome, with a square jaw and dark, straight brows. Full lips balanced out the hardness of the rest of him.
I hated to admit it even to myself, but I instinctively felt myself drawn towards him, more than I’d ever felt for one of the males of my own pack.
It felt like a betrayal to their memory to think that.
The Alpha looked at me like he was seeing the sun for the first time, his eyes lit up.
Like he’d found hope.
“Moon Caller,” he whispered, those full lips pulling into a grin. “We’ve been searching for you. Our pack needs you.”
Fenn’s emotions ran through my mind in a scattered jumble at the words ‘my pack’: his suspicion was gone, full of sudden hope once more. A new home, Ayla. Protection. Warriors. Vesper is saved.
His wild joy almost eclipsed my mistrust—could this be salvation, however unlikely?
Until several of the new wolves shifted into powerful males and lunged at me.
2
Ayla
What the hell are they doing? I snarled to Fenn in my mind, struggling against the powerful hands gripping me. A pair of strong hands held my muzzle shut.
Several more wolves pushed Fenn out of the way. They were all Warriors, dwarfing him with size and muscle, every single one of them covered with powerful runes.
Don’t fight them, Ayla, Fenn cautioned me.
Whose side are you on?
He looked at the ground, shame faced. If they have a larger pack… then Vesper is saved.
I growled at him, taken aback by how quickly he’d turned to their side.
The Alpha didn’t seem to hear me or care about our snarled conversation, looking at a dark wolf that was nearly as large as he was. “Put the shackle on her. We’re taking her back to Lykos.”
I tried my hardest to struggle out of their grasp, but with nearly fifty wolves around us, there was no escaping even if I did break free.
The other wolf, clearly the Alpha’s Second, approached me, shifting as he came.
Boiling with anger, I managed to squirm away from the hands a little, pulling my muzzle free.
The Second’s dark eyes flashed when I snapped at him.
“Shift,” he commanded, completely ignoring the threat of my teeth. He was prettier than the Alpha—strong, powerful, but with finely carved features that were set in a scowl. Dark hair was cropped short, emphasizing his high cheekbones and sharp jawline.
There was no way I was going to get out of this.
Fen seemed to read my mind. Ayla, please.
I shifted, holding back a wince as my ragged clothes tore under their hands.
The Second lifted an eyebrow at my filthy appearance. “I expected a Moon Caller to be in better shape,” he said.
All I could do was sneer at him as he knelt down near my feet. He pulled a thick gold bangle out of his pocket.
The bracelet was set with a milky white stone that gleamed with the same blue as his runes. Whatever it was, it had been enchanted by another Moon Caller, imbued with lunar magic.
The Second held it up. “As long as you’re wearing the shackle, you won’t be able to run from the Alpha.”
I stared at the bracelet, my impending imprisonment.
The new wolf lifted the corners of his mouth in a cold smile. “It’s for your safety,” he said.
“You’re taking me prisoner.” I was in complete disbelief. I was on their side, and they were shackling me?
“You could call it that,” he said. “When we trust you enough to not run away, we’ll take it off. Until that time comes, you wear it.”
He reached out and grabbed my leg. The palms of his hands were rough against my skin.
A slight shiver went through me that had nothing to do with the fact that I hadn’t been touched by a male in months, let alone one this attractive.
It was just horror at knowing my freedom was lost, and Fenn would do nothing to help me. He wasn’t even watching, his eyes averted in shame.
The cold Second opened the bracelet and locked it into place around my right ankle with a delicate click. Despite the tiny, almost fragile sound, I knew it would be keyed to his touch, and impossible for me to take off.
I was so furious, I almost missed what the Alpha said next.
“Do you have the others?” he asked another wolf who had shifted into yet another marked Warrior.
The wolf nodded. “Elderly and children,” he said. “Not much of a haul, but several of the pups have runes. The Claws will take them in and train them.”
I had no idea who or what the Claws were, but I wanted to tear his head off for assuming what he’d do with my pack.
The Alpha’s blue eyes flicked towards me again, running down my form and landing on the gold shackle around my ankle.
That was when I saw the bracelet around his own wrist, thinner and less obtrusive, with a matching stone.
I was sure this shackle was keyed to it. I’d been reduced to a dog on a leash.
“We got what we came for,” he said calmly. He smiled at me again, and I turned my head away.
He was the last thing I wanted to look at right now, no matter how beautiful he was.
The Second tilted his head, watching the emotions play across my face.
“You should be grateful,” he told me, his hand still warm around my ankle. He kept it there as though making sure the bracelet would be glued to me forever.
I lifted my lip in a snarl once more. “Grateful to be your prisoner? Never.”
To my surprise, the Second threw his head back and laughed. For a single second he no longer looked cold, but genuinely amused. “When you see Lykos, you’ll forget you ever said that.”
The other wolves remained around me, but they had backed up a little bit, giving me some room. The Second held out hand, offering to help me to my feet.
I ignored it, choosing to get off the ground on my own. The bracelet—the shackle—was heavy and cool against my skin, already an unwelcome itch.
“Don’t stray too far from Alpha Ryden,” he told me. “The bracelet will let you know when you’re at the edge of your boundary.”
My stomach lurched.
From the last Caller of my people, to a prisoner. If the Vesperan Warriors were still alive, they would never have stood for this.
I cast a harsh look at Fenn, but he refused to meet my eyes for long.
“Think of the pups, Ayla,” he whispered.
“You have no idea who this pack is.” My voice was flat and deadly, and I made no effort to lower it. “They could belong to Fenris.”
At that, the Alpha’s head shot up.
He abandoned the wolf he’d been talking to—probably debating what to plunder from the remains of our temple—and strode over to me.
I looked up, and he reached out and took my chin.
His touch was gentle. I hadn’t expected that.
This close, the sky blue of his eyes was actually edged with gray. I expected him to be furious, but instead he stroked my chin with his thumb.
“I would die before I gave us up to Fenris,” he told me. “Your pack is safe with us. They’re mine to care for now.”
For a moment, I considered that maybe he was telling the truth. That he would save the last of Pack Vesper.
But then he smiled again. “As are you, my new Caller.”
Rage boiled in my veins.
“Which pack are you?” I demanded.
“Pack Azura,” the Second cut in. He watched us closely, those glittering dark eyes lingering on the way the Alpha gripped my chin.
My stomach dropped to my toes.
Azura was one of the largest packs left that hadn’t been taken and forcibly converted by Fenris.
From the moment they’d found us, we hadn’t stood a chance. The Azurans held the remains of an entire ancient wolf city, and multiple packs had joined together under them to create a force to rival Fenris.
In fact, they were the only pack who could still rival Fenris.
I realized the Alpha was still looking at me, examining my face. My cheeks burned in discomfort at the close proximity and blatant interest he showed.
“What’s your name, Caller?” he asked, still not letting me go.
I debated with myself for a second, if this presumptuous Alpha deserved to know at all.
But Fenn was giving me a pleading look. The rest of Vesper’s future rested on how well this Alpha liked us.
I finally answered, muttering my name.
“Ayla,” he repeated, still holding my face. He seemed like he was about to ask me something else, but a sudden commotion amongst his pack interrupted the moment.
I looked up, following his gaze.
Once again, I had completely failed. His wolves were leading my people back into the valley they’d tried to escape from.
The Azurans opened to make room for them, surrounding them like a wall of safety. Maybe to them, they did represent safety, the kind they’d never known since Fenris had come to power.
After all, I’d been the one who wasn’t strong enough to keep our warriors alive.
My pack followed them willingly, but I couldn’t be angry in the slightest. Azura was their best chance of survival, and I would do anything to ensure the pups lived.
One of the elders, Reeva, saw me standing there with the Alpha. Her eyes drifted down to the gold shackle and her eyes tightened.
For their sake, I managed a small smile.
All of my anger would be reserved for the Alpha and his Second—my people didn’t deserve to feel bad for throwing in their lot with the stronger wolves.
“You can trust them,” I said firmly, trying to sound calm and pleased despite my situation. “They’ll take us to Lykos and protect you.”
It burned me inside to say it while the weight of the bracelet pulled on my leg, but...the pups. They needed another chance to survive.
The little ones had hollow cheeks, their eyes too big.
They’d seen too much, and we couldn’t hunt far enough these days for enough food. That would mean leaving the pack behind, and the shadow wolves were good at sneaking in behind our backs.
Reeva had her arms around one of the pups, a little boy. Not even four months ago I’d buried his father beneath the temple and held the lunar rites for him.
His son carried the runes all Warriors were born with, but he was too young to use them to his advantage.
Only Alpha Ryden would ensure he stayed alive that long.
To my surprise, it was Noel, one of the more cautious elders, who scowled at Ryden. “She’s our Caller, not yours.”
My heart warmed a little, even while panic jolted through me.
I couldn’t let Noel ruin this for the pups, even though I knew he’d also seen the shackle and had some idea of what it was.
“I trust him.” Every cell in my body screamed against it, but I put my hand on Ryden’s arm, trying not to feel the hard muscle beneath my palm. “He saved us from the Fenris wolves, and they’re offering us shelter and food. I won’t leave you, Noel. We’re still a pack.”
I shouldn’t have glanced at Ryden, but I did. He looked pleased, casting me a quick, appreciative grin, and I was pretty sure he was flexing for my benefit.
I pulled my hand away, resisting the urge to wipe it on my baggy clothes. He had a brilliant smile, the kind that made my heart pound a little faster.
“Lykos is only two days away,” he told them, but Noel wasn’t having it.
“You’ve got our Caller in binding runes,” the elder wolf snapped, and it was Fenn and Reeva who shut him down.
Reeva released the pup she’d been holding, rounding on Noel. “Do you want Ayla to die like Rasvati—for nothing? Who would put her spirit to rest if she died here while we escaped?”
“You can stay,” Fenn added quietly. “But we owe it to our fallen to ensure their children live. I’d rather give up pack pride than let our last Caller and offspring die in a futile last stand.”
I swallowed the hard lump in my throat as Noel backed down under their combined pressure.
This was for the best, no matter how the Azurans were treating me.
Ryden looked over my people, his gaze lingering on the pups’ thin faces.
“We head out now,” he ordered, and the Azurans immediately fell into formation, surrounding my pack.
He looked at me once more, his eyes shadowed now. There was nothing left of that magnetic grin. “Do you need to pray in your temple?”
I shook my head, even though the lump in my throat felt like a stone now.
Our ancestors were buried there, but right now...they wouldn’t want us to linger just so I could pray to their bones and say goodbye.
The pups needed food. The elders needed comfort and safety.
And, after all, I hadn’t expected to leave this valley alive. I’d been ready to close off the valley and let my bones go unburied, my spirit doomed to wander without the proper rites.
“No. I’ll pray in yours.” I couldn’t stop the next bitter words that spilled out of my mouth. “I have no choice.”
Ryden stepped closer as my pack shifted, their fur a lighter gray than the Azurans’ crow-black fur.
He touched my cheek, outlining a slim cut the Fenris wolf had left behind. A line appeared between his brows as he examined it, and the warmth of his hand on my face was more pleasant than I wanted to admit.
But the damn bracelet gleamed on his wrist.
Ryden’s full lips turned up into the faintest smile.
“No, you don’t.” His fingers lingered on the blue dots tattooed on my cheekbones. “But if you want to say goodbye, I’ll give you time.”
“What if I want to stay?” He could take my pack in, make them his own. I could lose the shackle and guard the temple until Fenris marched in to burn the valley down.
Ryden shook his head, spilling dark blond hair down his back. “I’ve claimed you for myself. The only place you’re going is wherever I am.”
I glared at him, and his expression hardened as he sensed my resolve to stay. “Shift. We’re leaving now, before more of Fenris’s wolves come.”
That was common sense I couldn’t argue with. I shifted, falling onto four legs and landing on the riverbed I’d never see again.
All around me, the Azurans began to run into the forest, keeping pace with my slower pack. They guided them towards the valley gate that we’d been ready to destroy only an hour ago.
I dug my paws in the dirt as Ryden joined them, determined to outlast this shackle.
It gave me just enough time to look over my shoulder at the forest, where our temple and village were cradled in the depths of the trees.
The boundary came first as a tingling buzz in my leg, then a sharp pain that lanced all the way into my chest.
I bit back a yelp and raced after the pack, crossing under the trees towards the gap in the mountains where the Azurans were still herding the Vesperans through.
Two crumbling white columns marked the passage. I’d only crossed this boundary once before in my life.
Ryden waited for me at the gate, his ears perked forward.
He’d wanted to see if I’d resist.
Maybe it was the pain of the shackle, or the fact that my pack was now with them, but I lifted my head and went through.
As the columns vanished, the shackle seemed heavier than ever. Ryden loped at my side, his Second falling in on my left.
Reminding me that I would never escape them.
3
Calian
We’d run all day through the wastelands, and had finally set up camp for the night.
No matter what Ryden did, the Caller was not responding to his advances.
I’d run with the pack as soon as we found a good place to camp, with shelter and running water, and we’d brought down several unsuspecting deer for dinner.
I hated to admit it, but it hurt my heart to see the way the little pups gathered around the fire as the Warriors slaughtered the deer and began to cook them, their enormous eyes glazed with hunger.
They were some of the skinniest kids I’ve ever seen. Made me realize how good we had it back in Lykos, where we kept stockyards and farms inside the city walls.
But these pups...their eyes were huge when they realized they were getting an entire deer to themselves.
Which was why it pissed me off even more that our unanticipated little windfall—the Moon Caller— kept shooting dirty looks at our Alpha, even though he had gone out of his way to check out their backwoods little valley.
If not for him, those pups wouldn’t have been eating at all tonight. If anything, they would’ve been captured by one of the roaming packs of the wastelands and become dinner themselves.
She definitely had the marks of a hard life on her. That was the only thing that kept me from snapping at her when she turned away food the first time I offered it to her.
“Calian,” one of the males said respectfully when I strode up to the campfire.
Several of the other Azuran Guardians—who carried the supplies and any injured survivors we found while raiding—were setting up the Alpha’s tent, but the rest of them were content to keep watch and sleep under the stars.
And feed the kids. Damn, their arms and legs were like little twigs.
I nodded to him and pulled a knife out of my belt, leaning forward to slice a chunk of meat off the roasted deer.
