Page 45 of Pack Captive

I could imagine why she wanted to avoid other wolves. It had to be difficult to live your whole life in a tiny, quiet valley and suddenly be surrounded by people and constant sound.

The celebration must've taken its toll on her, especially after the last several days.

As we took to the shadows, her head lifted, and she stopped walking like she was trying to creep on eggshells.

I glanced at her sidelong and saw the relief on her face.

"I know it's hard to adjust to. It took me a few months before I was comfortable here." Make that a few years, but she didn't need to know that. It'd only make her adaptation harder. "You'll get used to it."

Ayla shrugged, reaching out to touch a jasmine bush as we disappeared under the trees. The thick, floral scent filled the air, following behind us. "It's not...never mind. It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't matter?"

This time I looked at her fully, but she'd set her jaw. "Nothing. You're right. It's a lot to take in."

I must've missed the mark with my assessment.

"When I was brought here, it took me a long time to trust Ryden. I wouldn't tell him shit for what I was thinking."

I usually hadn't thought of much besides how much I wanted to kill Fenris, and the grief that had settled in my bones like a well-worn blanket.

"When I finally spoke to him, it was like bleeding poison out of me. Made it easier to come to terms with things."

I led Ayla into a courtyard in the middle of the garden, the waypoint for finding our way to the back door of the Palace.

She paused, walking slowly as we passed a fountain with a statue of a wolf mounted on it. The white marble wolf had golden crescents inlaid in her fur.

"You're different than I thought you'd be," Ayla said suddenly, like the words had just spilled out of her. She looked at me warily, maybe expecting me to snap.

"How so?" I sat down on the edge of the fountain, trying to look as innocuous as possible.

She perched several feet away. Success.

Surprisingly, a little smile flickered over her full lips. "You were a complete asshole when we met."

I ran a hand over my short hair. "Well...that's my job. I'm not an asshole all the time."

Well, actually I was, but I had the feeling that Ayla was about as broken as I was on the inside.

And the best remedy for that was someone who cared. A shoulder to cry on. An ear to hear your secrets and lock them inside.

She sighed, reaching down and letting her fingers trail in the water. "Calian...if I were to see Ryden, would everyone in Lykos hate me?"

I raised my eyebrows, sitting up. "That's not really the question I was expecting."

Which was true. I was expecting more about taking off her shackle or leaving Lykos.

A hint of disappointment rose in me.

So I'd misread her openness and willingness to help me with my pack, misinterpreting kindness for interest...it was Ryden she was interested in.

"There was a female Claw who didn't seem very happy about me being here," she admitted. "And it seems like people expect me to be like this Tyra..."

"That was Sorana. There are very few female Claws. She and Tyra are both...ambitious." That was a nice way of putting it. Both had made no secret of their designs on Ryden. "And once everyone knows you, they'll see you're nothing like Tyra."

Ayla flicked the water, sending droplets flying onto the edge of the fountain. Her dark hair had spilled forward, hiding her face.

"But if I were to see Ryden, wouldn't that be proving that I'mexactlylike Tyra?" she asked dryly.

---