We’d never killed evenonewith that much efficiency.
There were nearly fifty of them surrounding us. And they were all staring at us with suspicious eyes.
Atme, and the runes running down my leg that marked me as a Moon Caller.
The Alpha who had saved my life stepped forward, and the others encircled us much like the Fenris wolves had, giving him room to speak and cutting off any hope of escape for me and Fenn.
He shifted, becoming a tall, muscular man. Dark blonde hair fell over his shoulders, and his lunar tattoos were still lit brightly, illuminating eyes the color of the sky.
He had a face that was almost too rough to be handsome, with a square jaw and dark, straight brows. Full lips balanced out the hardness of the rest of him.
I hated to admit it even to myself, but I instinctively felt myself drawn towards him, more than I’d ever felt for one of the males of my own pack.
It felt like a betrayal to their memory to think that.
The Alpha looked at me like he was seeing the sun for the first time, his eyes lit up.
Like he’d found hope.
“Moon Caller,” he whispered, those full lips pulling into a grin. “We’ve been searching for you. Our pack needs you.”
Fenn’s emotions ran through my mind in a scattered jumble at the words ‘my pack’: his suspicion was gone, full of sudden hope once more.A new home, Ayla. Protection. Warriors. Vesper is saved.
His wild joy almost eclipsed my mistrust—could this be salvation, however unlikely?
Until several of the new wolves shifted into powerful males and lunged at me.
2
Ayla
What the hellare they doing? I snarled to Fenn in my mind, struggling against the powerful hands gripping me. A pair of strong hands held my muzzle shut.
Several more wolves pushed Fenn out of the way. They were all Warriors, dwarfing him with size and muscle, every single one of them covered with powerful runes.
Don’t fight them, Ayla, Fenn cautioned me.
Whose side are you on?
He looked at the ground, shame faced.If they have a larger pack… then Vesper is saved.
I growled at him, taken aback by how quickly he’d turned to their side.
The Alpha didn’t seem to hear me or care about our snarled conversation, looking at a dark wolf that was nearly as large as he was. “Put the shackle on her. We’re taking her back to Lykos.”
I tried my hardest to struggle out of their grasp, but with nearly fifty wolves around us, there was no escaping even if I did break free.
The other wolf, clearly the Alpha’s Second, approached me, shifting as he came.
Boiling with anger, I managed to squirm away from the hands a little, pulling my muzzle free.
The Second’s dark eyes flashed when I snapped at him.
“Shift,” he commanded, completely ignoring the threat of my teeth. He was prettier than the Alpha—strong, powerful, but with finely carved features that were set in a scowl. Dark hair was cropped short, emphasizing his high cheekbones and sharp jawline.
There was no way I was going to get out of this.
Fen seemed to read my mind.Ayla, please.