Page 107 of Pack Captive

“It’s the inverse of the Moon. The absence of all light. And the hunter is lying to you if he never told you why Fenris wants the Callers.”

Ayla’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? They’ve been trying to kill me—“

“They’ve been trying tocollectyou,” I told her. “To bring you home to him, where he’ll burn all the light out of you and send you screaming into the dark. And when you come back...” I pointed to my red runes and grinned. “You’ll be like us. You won’t remember loyalty to anything but Fenris.”

I almost felt bad. She looked stricken.

“I thought he’d been killing us off,” she said, sounding distant. “So the shadow wolves were just killing my Warriors to clear the way...to me.”

“Likely. And he’s killed some of you, yes. The ones who refuse to convert. But he needs his Void Callers as badly as you need your Moon Callers. I assume your men never told you that?”

I felt a brief, vicious flash of satisfaction at the expression on her face. They obviously hadn’t told her that if Fenris ever got his claws into her, she’d be twisted into something unrecognizable.

Maybe I was a murderer, but I would’ve been honest with her.

I would’ve told her that death was the best thing she could hope for if Fenris ever got ahold of her.

33

Ayla

He was right.They’d never told me.

This whole time, I’d believed that Fenris was determined to overrun us all.

That every last wolf would’ve been killed, our temple razed to the ground, our pups slaughtered.

But my Warriors had fallen one by one because ofme.

Their deaths were my fault.

If I’d known, I could’ve sent them all away, and given myself up. Maybe there would’ve been a chance the pack would’ve survived.

But Ryden had kept it under wraps. I remembered when Calian had looked like he was about to tell me something and had shut himself up.

Stop blaming everyone, my inner voice told me.As Ryden said—he might seem a villain, but he does it for the good of the pack.

There had to be a reason for it. They wouldn’t have kept me in the dark unless there was a purpose.

“No,” I said. My body was still aching to touch Merikh, but now anger was rising under the desire. “They never told me. And if you think this will drive a wedge between us, you’re wrong.”

He blinked, those jade eyes turning a shade like pale crystal.

“How can you be mated to wolves who lie to you?” Merikh seemed almost disgusted by the thought of it. “Iwould’ve told you. You deserve a mate who does.”

I stood up, the heat of the anger finally crushing any sense of need. “Get out. You’re not going to poison me against them.”

My men were right. Merikh was a villain, and he was going to try to poison me against them. I couldn’t allow it.

I only felt like a fool for believing he might’ve been more than what they thought of him.

“You can’t be serious.” He scoffed, but he got up.

I strode to the balcony, opened the door, and gestured for him to leave.

“You’re serious.” He let out a disbelieving laugh. “Ayla, looks like you’re still wearing that shackle around your leg. It hasn’t disappeared.”

I pushed the door open wider, letting the warm night breeze wash over me. “Go. And don’t come back this time.”

---