Page 102 of Pack Captive

I gnawed my lower lip, carefully shaking Kadin awake.

“Did you do it?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

“No,” I said ruefully. “I don’t think this is going to be like the old stories, Kadin.”

She blinked her large amber eyes. “Sure, it will. It takes years to train just for our regular duties. This is probably going to take longer. Yasemin is just pushing you hard because...”

Kadin trailed off, but we both knew why. Fenris was slowly picking off the solitary packs, and soon he’d be at our doorstep.

“I know. I’ll practice more tonight.” I took her hand and lifted her to her feet. We sealed the vault behind us, and the moment we walked out of the necropolis, the bells of Lykos began ringing.

My heart sank. “Again?”

Yasemin came out of the temple proper, her staff clicking. “Kadin, get inside now. Ayla, you’ll have to be my eyes for this one. I can’t run it tonight.”

She was rubbing her hip, and it occurred to me that Yasemin might not be around for as long as I would’ve liked.

She seemed so...eternal. Like nothing could ever bring her down.

A pang of sadness hit me at the thought; I’d never had a mentor like her. I couldn’t stand the idea that she might not be around forever.

But I nodded, and took off towards the sky bridge, shifting as I went.

None of the other wolves were up here, but I heard their voices in my head as soon as I shifted, as if from a distance.

Our Caller is coming, Ryden said. He must’ve felt me join the mind-to-mind pack link, his mental voice full of reassurance.We’ve got one Guardian down out in the forest.

I practically flew through the Dawn Palace and made it to the gates in record time.

All of the wolves gathered there parted for me to make my way to Ryden’s side, a welcome surprise since our visit to Pack Terra.

The only good thing to come of that, besides saving the pups, was that seeing me perform the funeral rites myself seemed to haveslightlyconvinced them that I wasn’t on Fenris’s side.

Calian nudged me, giving one of the Claws a warning look as he nuzzled my shoulder.

How much shit was he taking from them over me?

I missed you, I told him privately.

Missed you too, he said, putting a paw on mine.Ayla, we’re going to have to do something about Merikh soon.

I read the warning in his dark eyes.I’m not convinced…

I know. But he’s on the loose, and not only does everyone know it, but he started picking us off one by one as soon as he was free.Calian shook his head, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air.We can’t keep up with this. It’s time to put him down.

I felt deep sympathy for the mad wolf who’d been locked in a cell, but maybe Calian was right.

I didn’t know Merikh at all, despite my instincts telling me he was safe. He could easily be lying to me, trying to turn me against them.

Ayla, we’re holding the rites tonight.Ryden looked at me as he loped towards the gate, and we took our places at his side.Be ready.

I nodded, even though I felt sickened at the idea of another funeral, Kadin crying over someone she couldn’t save.

But I could make it through this one. If I felt hopeless, Ryden and Calian would bring me back again.

I just couldn’t reconcile the idea of killing Merikh before he was proven guilty.

We ran into the forest to collect the Guardian and search for any signs of the Bloodfang, and we weren’t even halfway there when I felt the tension between the Alpha and his Second.

---