Page 24 of Pack Captive

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 FenrisandAzura.

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."

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