Page 33 of Pack Captive

The words were on my lips, just waiting to be spoken.

"You're welcome."

10

Ayla

What had changed?

I asked myself that question over and over as night fell, dropping over Lykos in velvet shadows. Gold lanterns had been lit and hung all over the city square, where most of the city had gathered.

The celebration spilled out into the surrounding buildings. Wolves on balconies dripping with ivy and roses overlooked the square where long tables had been set up for the feast.

Ryden's table was on a dais, making it very clear to the rest of the pack where the leader was.

Alpha, my brain tried to correct, but his name seemed stuck there now. He was no longer just a title, but a person.

Someone who had made me a promise with complete sincerity, as far as I could tell.

I didn't look his way as we walked toward the dais. More lanterns had been hung from the marble columns in the square, casting vivid blue and green pools of light over his blond hair and tanned skin.

But the dais was protected from the thousands of wolves.

The Claws were here, their tattoos displayed proudly. They all held weapons they wouldn't need in wolf form, and I'd seen plenty of armored guards manning the walls of Lykos when we'd left the Dawn Palace.

My stomach had settled somewhere near my toes during the entire walk. The weight of the pack's eyes was even worse now; somehow, I felt the pretty dress and jewelry made me even more obvious than the ragged clothing.

I mounted the dais behind Ryden, Calian behind me, my thoughts swimming frantically.

Being between them made me feel safe. Like the shadow wolves couldn't possibly get through them.

And that was a dangerous emotion.

No matter how Calian had opened up to me, or Ryden's promises and boyish compliments, I couldn't forget the shackle or the ropes.

But I wanted to, especially when almost all of Lykos was gathered here and I saw just how large their pack had grown.

Every single one of the wolves within these walls needed protection, and I could help.

I could be something more than the failure of a Caller who'd led her own people to doom.

Just the sight of all the pups in the square made my heart hurt. It wasn't just my own pack who needed me.

I pulled my eyes away and almost ran into Ryden's back. He'd pulled out a chair for me at the long table, raising an eyebrow.

Feeling like an impostor—I should be down there with my own pack, not sitting at this table with people who were miles out of my league—I sat down, smoothing my pleated skirt around my thighs.

Then I made the mistake of glancing down the table.

There were two other Callers, bearing the slashed runes of our kind.

One was an older woman, her long silver hair worn in a braid that fell down her back, her Caller runes visible on her shoulder. The other was no more than a pup, a small girl who couldn't have been more than ten years old.

They both wore gold, their dresses far more conservative than mine, which was cut low.

The older woman eyed me as I sat, and my heart started galloping under her gaze.

She had to be the Elder Caller who would teach me. What did she think of me?

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