Page 36 of Pack Captive

"You seem to have adjusted well," Fenn said, a note of hope in his voice.

I knew what he wanted me to say, so I played along.

"I'm glad we came here," I told him, taking a long sip of wine to collect my thoughts. That was true, at least. "I think I'll like the Temple of the Moon."

Not so true. My ancestors' bones didn't reside in the Temple of the Moon, but I still felt a tremor of excitement at the idea of seeing it. Our valley temple had been small and basic.

If the Temple of the Moon was anything like the palace...I could already imagine how beautiful the rituals would be.

Fenn looked surprisingly uncomfortable. He took my arm and led me away, though Reeva gave him a gimlet-eyed stare as we left.

"Ayla," he began, still holding my free hand.

Shit. I could tell I was going to need more wine for this. Fenn rarely hedged his way into conversations.

I took a gulp, then another. "Tell me, Fenn. You know I've always wanted your honesty."

He nodded and squeezed my hand. "I hate to speak of the dead in this way, but...your mother held you back all your life. Rasvati was a vain, selfish woman who was so determined to keep her thumb over the pack that she refused to let you leave and see that there might be more in this world for you."

I stared at him, then downed my cup.

Definitely needed more wine.

"Spirits forgive me," he muttered. "She never wanted to share the glory, even with your father. Even at the expense of our pack."

I licked my lips, tasting berries. "Why tell me this now?"

Fenn shook his head, making his shaggy hair flop in his face.

"Because we're here," he said quietly, looking at me apologetically. "You don't have to go back, Ayla. You can shed the guilt and become more."

"I'm not guilty—" I started to say automatically, but Fenn held up a hand to silence me.

"I've known you since you were born. You can't lie to me." He fixed me with a stern look, a far cry from the apology of a moment ago. "You've carried the weight on your shoulders this whole time, when it was never your fault. Rasvati failed to teach you everything and refused to let you leave so you could learn. She never wanted to be outshone by her own daughter. Her death was unexpected, but she left you in an impossible situation."

My heart was racing with mingled fury and surprise.

Somehow, I knew every word he spoke was true. I'd loved my mother, but...she'd never pushed me to become stronger. Not like she was.

"You've buried our Warriors. Now bury your guilt." Fenn squeezed my hand and released it. "Live the life you want, not the life she wanted for you."

He gave me a sad smile, then turned away.

I looked down at my empty cup, my heart still clenched in a tight ball from what he’d confessed to me.

I needed more wine. Again.

11

Ayla

His words echoedthrough my head as I wandered back to the dais, feeling lost.

Vain, selfish...never wanted to share the glory.

I'd always known I wasn't the best of my kind, but I'd never considered that my own mother might have deliberately held me back.

Maybe Fenn was right. My pack wore clean clothes, had enough food to stuff themselves sick, and lived in safe, comfortable homes.

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