Pack Captive by Cate Corvin
Ayla
I didn’t realizewhat he was planning until he gestured to someone behind us. I turned, realizing that some of the Claws had followed us to the palace, but they weren’t looking at the palace itself.
Their eyes were still on my pack, appraising the pups.
My lips drew back over my teeth in a snarl even as the Alpha gestured to the children, his eyes on the Claw leader.
Two of his Warriors fell from his pack, herding my people together along with the Claws.
"Pack Vesper is to stay together," he told them. "Take the elders into the city and find them quarters. Have the Claws check the pups for potential. Any pup not taken under apprenticeship is to be returned to their pack and assessed by an artisan."
I was ready to launch myself at them and do whatever I could—which wasn't much—to stop them from taking the pups, but Ryden reached out and caught my ropes with a casual twist of his wrist.
To my surprise, it was Reeva who stepped away from the pack and planted her hands on my shoulders.
She drew in close, her hair tickling my bare shoulders, breath in my ear.
"Don't do this, Ayla. You've done all you could; now it's time to let the pack go."
Tears pricked the backs of my eyelids.
This was the end for me; I had done all I could for my pack, and now even they saw I was a useless Caller and were cutting me loose.
Reeva seemed to sense my feelings even though I'd blinked hard, refusing to cry in front of these new wolves.
"This is the chance of a lifetime for you," she told me softly. "Gods know I loved your mother, but... she wasn't what you needed, and I won't stand back and let you die like her. Your best chance to shine the brightest lies here, with this pack."
She gestured to the Alpha and Calian, who were both watching us intently. I bowed my head, exhaling deeply.
I'd had a deeply buried fear that Reeva would blame me for the decimation of our pack before we were separated.
What I hadn't expected was for her to voice the same feelings I'd been harboring from the moment we walked into Lykos.
My mother hadn't taught me much. Certainly not enough to empower our pack against Fenris.
Whoever Ryden's Elder Caller was, surely she could teach me more than my mother had.
"Take care of the pups, Reeva," I said, my voice raspy. "Don't let them run wild."
She smiled, and Fenn stepped up on my other side. His hand was a warm, comforting presence on my shoulder.
"It's for the best, Ayla," he told me.
I knew what they were trying to do, but bitterness welled up in me, nonetheless.
They weren't the ones who were bound or had been promised to live in the Alpha's quarters whether they wanted it or not.
I forced a smile on for their benefit, and they stepped back, herding the pups into the center of the pack. The Claws and Ryden's Warriors led them away, towards a long road that led down into the heart of the city.
I watched them until they were out of sight, taking slow, measured breaths.
"It's a huge honor to be chosen to apprentice with the Claws."
I almost jumped. Calian's approach had been silent.
He gave me a sidelong look, those black eyes impenetrable.
"You don't need to worry. Your pack will be kept together, and if any pup is chosen for the Claws, they'll earn a stipend for your pack and return a Warrior the likes of which you've never seen." Calian's jaw flexed as he looked down the road where they'd vanished. I'd never seen him with his shirt off. Maybe there were claw marks tattooed over his shoulders and sides. "They're the elite, the first line of defense against Fenris."
He was searching my face as he spoke, but I refused to look at him directly. "I thought that was the Caller and Warriors' job?"
Calian let out a soft laugh. "You'll be working in close proximity with them once you're trained."
I almost gritted my teeth. I'd thought I was enough to take care of my pack, but all the wolves from Lykos seemed to regard me as completely incapable.
Maybe they were right.
Calian reached out to take my shoulder, and this time I watched as his shirt sleeve rose just above his forearm.
There was a quick flash of a dark streak, there and gone as he turned me towards the Dawn Palace. The edge of a claw tattoo.
Alpha Ryden gave orders to the rest of his Warriors, who scattered, some towards the Palace and some towards Lykos.
He reached out with a smile, and I found myself trapped between both men as they steered me over the bridge. Their warmth surrounded me, annoyingly welcome against the chill coming with the breeze of the lake.
For a person who was supposedly of high rank, they spent a lot of time directing me on where to go and how fast I should do it.
I put my chin up, refusing to go creeping into their palace like a little mouse.
More Warriors and Guardians protected the doors, wearing the same scaled armor as those on the walls. From this close, I could tell the armor wasn't just steel—it had a pearly tinge that glowed a faint blue, like the stone set in my tracking bracelet.
Again, that sense of disquiet settled in me. They had a Caller who seemingly imbued all sorts of objects with lunar power—whereas I'd only ever accomplished imbuing the ritual water during full moons.
The gap in my education was galling. If my own mother had taught me these things, I might've been able to keep my Warriors alive, and hold off both Fenris and Azura.
The Guardians at the door were built like giants, men who would dwarf me in their wolf forms. They didn't wait for the Alpha's orders.
One raised a fist, and the palace doors slowly opened, swirls of shimmering light fading in the air as the gap widened.
Ryden and Calian steered me through, and I felt that shimmer prickling over my skin as we moved. It was lunar magic; I bit down on another burst of envy at the Elder Caller's skills.
I would've gaped at the inside of the Dawn Palace like a complete yokel if I wasn't trying my hardest to maintain a stony façade in front of my captors.
Our temple back home had been carved from mountain granite, and it was the nicest building in the village.
The Dawn Palace was all white, shimmering blue at the periphery of my vision. Lunar wards had been soaked into every stone, and a chandelier of icy diamond-like drops sparkled overhead as they marched me through the massive foyer.
I caught a glimpse of the rest of the lake through one of the tall, thin windows, and the sprays of pink water lilies decorating its surface.
If nothing else, the Dawn Palace was intensely beautiful. It was a cage that would be a pleasure to look at.
The males steered me towards a set of stairs and gave me no room to slip away.
I balked before I took the first step, walking backwards and bumping into Calian's hard chest.
"We're not taking you to a prison," he breathed in my ear. Goosebumps rose over my skin as his lips brushed the shell of my ear, and one of his hands rose to cover my shoulder.
It wasn't fair that someone I hated so much made my primal instincts clamor towards him.
"If I have to stay here, I'd rather stay on temple grounds." I tried not to let him see how much his proximity affected me, even though it was impossible to hide the goosebumps on my arms.
Ryden turned, gazing down at me. He took a step closer, then reached out and wrapped a lock of my black hair around his fingers, studying it as though it held some secret.
"You'll spend plenty of time on temple grounds," he said, his voice a low growl. "But you will live with me, where I can keep an eye on you."
I braced myself, planting my feet on the marble floor and trying not to think about the dirty footprints I was probably leaving behind. "Hmm...no."
Ryden's blue eyes flashed.
He moved so quickly I didn't realize what had happened until it was over—he’d scooped me up and gently tossed me over his shoulder.
I braced my wrists against his lower back, unable to ignore the taut muscles under my hands, and looked up with a scowl into Calian's face as he followed us.
"You really love to make things harder for yourself," he said in amusement.
I growled, and he laughed.
"Are you going to fight having a real bath, too?"
I decided to change tack, smiling sweetly. My irritation only entertained them. "As long as you're not around, I'm sure I'll enjoy everything."
But Calian only lifted one brawny shoulder in a shrug. "Too bad. Someone needs to make sure you don't try to escape through the window."
"Ah." Ryden had already climbed three flights of stairs, apparently used to the steep incline. My window was going to be too high to escape through unless I wanted to break a leg and crawl out of Lykos. "Can someone less...well, less you keep watch over me, then?"
To my surprise, the amusement faded from Calian's handsome face. "Less me? Oh, look. It only took you five minutes in the Dawn Palace to decide you were better than everyone else."
I stared back at him. While he'd been laughing, the obsidian of his eyes had been warm. Now they were as cold as ice again.
"I never said I was better than you," I said quietly.
He showed a flash of sharp teeth, making his thoughts on my apologies clear.
Fine. Fuck him, then.
I wasn't going to apologize to a wolf who tied me up, anyways.
I lowered my head, bracing it against my forearms and closing my eyes. Ryden's shoulder flexed under my stomach as he moved, and his hand and forearm were curled around my thigh, keeping me in place.
If it inched any higher...
I found myself fearing that despite my tent bath, I still stank, and his sensitive wolf's nose was going to be put off.
Wait.
What was wrong with me? They'd taken me captive, absorbed my pack, and now I was worried if he thought I smelled bad?
I was about to berate myself for that when Ryden's steps leveled out.
I raised my head again and found us in a long corridor, with windows overlooking the entire city. All of Lykos, and its numerous waterfalls and lakes, were displayed like a portrait.
Calian gave me an unpleasant smile. "You can enjoy lording it over everyone else from up here."
I stared out the window, doing my best to ignore him. It was easy until Ryden pushed a door open, then gently knelt down and lowered me to the floor.
My bare feet touched thick, plush carpet. I looked down at the dark blue rugs underfoot, then at the wall of windows, and a massive bed piled with furs and blankets that looked like puffs of cloud.
I'd never seen this much grandeur in my life. Back home, even in the temple, we slept on simple beds. Most of us chose to sleep as wolves on the ground.
This was almost painful; a far cry from the home I'd left and would likely never see again at this rate.
Ryden gestured to the far wall, and I followed his gaze. There was an enormous copper bathtub set on a floor of sapphire blue tiles.
"We hold a celebration after the return of every raid," he told me. His good humor from the camp tent was gone; now he was the Alpha, giving orders he expected to be obeyed. "You will be there tonight. A Caller is a huge prize for our people. You will be clean, you will be pretty, and you will smile like you mean it."
I gazed up at it, holding my bound hands against my chest. Every fiber of my being wanted to ask the obvious question—"What if I don't?"
I managed to hold it back. Barely.
Ryden seemed to realize I was backing away from him. He took my hands, untying the ropes and rubbing the sore spots again.
I hated that his touch felt good, the warm roughness of his skin better than any soothing balm.
"I wish I could make you understand the morale this will bring to the city." He was looking down at my wrists as he rubbed them, giving me a clear opportunity to watch his handsome face. His full lips had turned down at the corners, betraying his true discomfort. "Callers are rare enough; we thought most of your kind were dead by now. Finding you was a blessing from the Moon herself, and every other wolf in Pack Azura will believe the same."
His blue eyes flashed up to mine, so quickly I couldn't pretend I hadn't been watching him.
I thought of Reeva's words and the jubilation I'd felt in Fenn's head when he'd realized we were saved.
It wouldn't kill me to throw Ryden a bone. Maybe he'd do the same for me.
"I'd be willing to do these things," I began, my heart squeezing when his eyes lit up. "But on temple grounds. And unshackled."
Ryden cupped my chin, searching my face.
For a moment I thought he was going to kiss me again, and my heart began to pound faster.
Then he threw the ropes on a burning brazier. They instantly turned black, charring into ash.
"Your ropes are gone. You're as free as you can be, but the bracelet will keep you within Lykos's walls. As for temple grounds...the answer is no. You remain with me for now." His thumb stroked my jawline as he delivered my sentence. "You tried to escape in the wastelands. I don't trust you yet."
"How can I trust you?" I snapped, losing my grip on my composure. "I was never given a chance to prove myself!"
My cheeks colored when I realized a maid had entered the room, carrying a stack of towels and a basket of bottles.
Lovely. Now she'd tell everyone their Alpha had picked up a spoiled brat before I could give my side of the story and find someone willing to get this damn bracelet off me.
She averted her eyes as Ryden stepped closer to me. Maybe she saw this all the time.
He was now close enough that my breasts pushed against his chest. If he'd been one of my Warriors, I would've wasted no time in choosing him as my mate.
If he was one of Vesper's warriors, you would've just gotten him killed anyway, that snide voice inside me piped up, and I couldn't deny that.
Ryden smiled gently. That was somehow more terrifying than his growls, because it meant I'd hate whatever came next.
"You can be my prisoner...or you can be my princess. All you need to do is follow my orders to the letter. Calian will remain in here to ensure you don't jump out the window."
With that, he released me and strode away. A sudden chill touched me where his warmth had been.
And the coldness in Calian's eyes as Ryden shut the door behind himself wasn't much better.