Page 34 of Pack Captive

A spoiled brat? A useless waste? I was wearing a fortune in jewelry. Maybe she saw a social climber...

Ryden sat next to me, blocking the sight of her, and Calian sat at my other side.

I was relieved, an odd feeling considering they'd both been my personal villains up until an hour ago.

Calian picked up a goblet and pushed it towards me. "Drink up, guest of honor."

I took it with some trepidation, lifting it to my nose and sniffing cautiously.

Alcohol, but it seemed light. The scent of peach juice obscured the bite of wine. I took a sip and almost shuddered.

"Too much?" Calian asked, looking at me sidelong. He was pouring red wine in his own cup.

"No, it's good." A slice of fresh peach floated in the drink. "In the valley, when we traded for alcohol, it was usually more...vinegary. This is sweet."

He took a drink of his own wine, expressionless. "It was poorly made, then."

I resisted the urge to make a face at him. The wine settled in my stomach like a glowing coal, but it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. "Do you ever get tired of your own superiority?"

A look of shock and wariness crossed his face, almost instantly wiped away. "That wasn't what I meant."

I took another drink. Once I'd gotten used to the sweetness, it was extremely good. I'd need to be careful. "I know. I just like seeing actual emotions on your face when I surprise them out of you."

I felt him staring at me and tried not to smile into my cup.

In the span of a few days, we'd come a long way from the frigid, emotionless persona he gave off.

If I had to be his captive, I'd dig until I found the real wolf beneath it.

"Try these." Ryden pushed a bowl in front of me. It was brimming with more berries, fat, juicy red ones that were unlike the ones he'd scavenged for me in the wastelands.

I wondered if he knew I'd eaten the berries first after my bath. We harvested fruit in our valley, but it wasn't much, and in the last year we'd begun reserving them for the pups.

I tried not to look too eager as I popped one in my mouth.

Ryden looked satisfied when two more quickly followed.

You could get used to two big, strong wolves waiting on you on bended knee, the voice of reason whispered.

This time, I agreed with it. I was clean, fed, and felt safe for the first time in months.

Maybe it was okay to just accept that at face value and appreciate every moment of it.

I glanced at him, taking in the freshly washed hair that fell over his shoulders and framed his chiseled face. He'd even changed into clean clothes, and a shirt that showed off his muscled forearms.

"When will you introduce me to her?" I asked quietly, nodding towards the Callers at the other end of the table.

The Elder Caller had stopped staring me down, lost in conversation with one of the Claws. It was a relief to have those sharp eyes looking elsewhere.

Ryden smiled. "Soon. I'd enjoy your time off while you can. She won't take it easy on you."

Without thinking, I fished out the peach from my cup of wine and ate it, enjoying how loose the alcohol made me feel.

Then I noticed one of the Claws watching me with disgust.

A female, with pretty auburn hair pulled back in a tight braid, her green eyes narrowed. They flicked from me, with peach juice on my fingers, to Ryden.

Her gaze softened.

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