Page 69 of Pack Captive

She was still wearing the traditional golden clothes, but she'd taken out her braid. Her black hair hung around her shoulders in soft waves that I wanted to run my fingers through.

"What do you need, Alpha?" she asked, stressing the end with just enough insouciance to make me raise an eyebrow.

I liked it when she got feisty. It meant she was starting to feel comfortable with me.

"You're going to have more Guardians around you than usual. There was an incident while we were on patrol."

Ayla cocked an eyebrow. "Come in."

I stepped into her chambers, feeling like I'd somehow passed a test. After the last time I'd come in here uninvited, I wanted her to let me in on her own.

I wanted her to accept me with open arms.

"Merikh the Bloodfang escaped from his cell," I told her, watching her face.

She paled immediately. "Was it my fault?"

If I'd had any seeds of suspicion left that Ayla might have been on his side, that killed them. She looked genuinely shocked, her hand pressed against her chest.

"No." Shit, maybe it was, but I wasn't going to place the blame solely on her. "Ayla...what did he tell you?"

Ayla stared up at me for a moment, then a surprising flush touched her cheeks. She looked away from me as she mumbled, "He seemed...starved for company. He talked about Tyra, and Fenris..."

"Anything else?" I pushed.

Ayla shook her head. "No. Besides saying he would give me a free chance to convert him...he tried to push his magic into me, but I had enough lunar power left to hold him off. Calian checked my runes to be sure."

I knew my focus should be elsewhere, but what had made her blush?

Had the Bloodfang triedflirtingwith her?

I felt a growl rising in my chest and stifled it. She was smarter than that.

"Well...until we find or kill him, you'll be under extra protection." I looked around her room. It was the best we could do, with powerful lunar spells and the height to keep him away. The temple was the back-up plan. "Merikh's killed his fair share of our pack. If you ever come across him, don't try to fight him, Ayla. Run as fast as you can."

She nodded, her blue eyes huge.

I hesitated, wanting to ask if he had come onto her, but...that would be going into overbearing asshole territory.

As long as we kept Merikh away from her, that was all that mattered.

I wouldn't let her become another Tyra, although I believed Merikh worked best when his subject already had a shriveled, black heart.

Ayla wasn't like that.

"I need to go down and help with the search," I said, feeling unusually gruff. "Is there anything you need?"

The Caller looked up at me, studying my face.

Then she rose to her tiptoes and kissed my cheek. That small touch alone sent power coursing through me, and my runes flung light throughout her darkened room.

She shocked me a moment later, her lips moving to mine, and the power fizzed through my veins like lightning.

My hands were in the air, ready to wrap around her waist so I could carry her to the bed, when she pulled her face away, blushing again.

"Hopefully that helps. Ryden, I wish you would consider..." She stopped, then looked up at me, setting her jaw. She took a deep breath like she was steeling herself. "I'm not your enemy. In fact, you're better off letting me bond to the pack and help you. Please take off the shackle, and I swear I'll do everything I can to help Lykos and bring Merikh to justice."

I felt another twinge of shame.

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