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My wolf breaks free.
I lose my humanity to my savage beast.
This council will regret pulling this shit.
I’ll make them pay.
Chapter nineteen
Eliana
Caged
“They’renotgoingtolet you out until you return to your human form, my pet.” The masculine voice comes from nowhere and everywhere, wrapping around me like restraints. “Listen carefully. You need to do what the council wants. Be a good she-wolf. I’ll come for you.”
I freeze, my body tensing with annoyance. Whoever this fucker is he must be with the witches or whatever.
“They prefer to be called mages, but the council only has one. And if you want to go home, you need to listen to me. Calm down so they can speak with you, or they’ll do something rash. You don’t want to be on their bad side. Trust me.” A warm breath tickles my ear, and I swing my head and snap my teeth. I bite air. Nothing’s there, but I swear I felt another presence.
“Trust you? I don’t know who the hell you are.” I pace in a circle, trying to figure out exactly what’s going on. It’s too dark to see anything. Is it possible that I’m in a void?
“You’re in a magical cage. The only way you will be let out is if you transform. Do it now, she-wolf. I promise you will get out the moment you do.” Silence falls around me as the presence disappears, leaving icy air behind.
I don’t really have much to lose, so I concentrate on taming my wild wolf and bringing back my humanity. My muscles ache, and I manage to transform, planting my hands flat against the ground. The world shifts and spins, and bright light stings my eyes. Magic of some sort finally releases me from the strange world imprisoning me. Voices chatter, and I scramble to my feet.
A warm robe drapes over my shoulders. “It’s about time, Eliana.” The woman with white hair turns me around and gives me a once-over. “You’re making this far more difficult than it needs to be.”
Fury rushes through me. How dare she say that. They’re the ones making it difficult. I don’t know what the hell is going on, and there’s no way I’m going to just comply to these strangers.
“What do you mean I’m making things harder? You spelled me. I thought I was trapped in a void. What’s wrong with you? I didn’t do anything to receive this kind of treatment.” The words rush from my mouth, sending my heart racing. If I continue to think about it, I’ll lose my cool. It’s so messed up.
“If we hadn’t, you would’ve attacked one of us. We did what was necessary. As a new lykoswulf, you have a wild side that needs a bit of taming. It doesn’t help that you are unbonded. That will change, though. Don’t you worry.” The woman holds out her arm to me, silently commanding me to close the space to her.
I cross my arms and stride forward, looking at the door instead of anywhere else. I wonder where it leads, and if I run, if I could get out of here. My pack isn’t here. It’s just me and this woman I don’t trust.
“I know what you’re thinking,” the woman adds. “If you run, you will be spelled again. The pack alphas are on the other side of the door, and because you have not officially bonded with any of them, you will set them off. We don’t want that. We want this to be civilized. It is not Shadow Moon.”
Don’t know whether to agree with her or be pissed off. Because she’s right about Shadow Moon. The island is a fucking nightmare. She’s not the only one who thinks the lykoswulves are wild. I think so too. I know so. I’ve seen it for myself. But I hate the fact that she lumps me in with them. But maybe she’s right. I have changed. I’ve done some things I would’ve never done in the human world.
Shuddering, I exhale a breath. “Is that in their nature or just because of how you treat them? I never even knew that a council existed. It’s like it’s a secret. I just want answers. You know that I was kidnapped from the human world, right? I didn’t choose this.”
“Of course she knows, my pet. Who do you think helps the alphas choose?” The familiar masculine voice swirls through my mind, causing me to whip my head. “Careful now. She doesn’t know I’ve made contact with you. Let’s keep it that way.”
“I will leave this conversation for your alphas. It is not my place to intervene.” Pursing her lips, she snaps her fingers, calling my attention like an animal. “Now, if you show me that you can act like the human you were raised as, we can join the others. We would like to end this conversation as quickly as possible.” The woman waves her hand, coaxing me forward.
I relent and tighten my mouth, hoping she knows how annoyed I am by the lack of answers. I swear as soon as we get back to the Ice Meadow territory, I’m going to chain up both Ravi and Slater and demand they tell me everything before they’re ever released again. I’m tired of being brushed off.
“You also have more important things to think about than the pack politics or the ruling of Shadow Moon, don’t you think?” She surprises me by placing her hand on my stomach.
I startle and smack her arm away, jumping back protectively.
She doesn’t react and instead opens the door. “The fact that one of those fetuses is human complicates things. It will be another thing that must be discussed.”
I open and close my mouth, trying to think of a response, but she doesn’t give me a chance. She spins and strides away, leaving the door open behind her, expecting me to follow. I do. There’s no point in trying to run or stay here. If the pack alphas are out there, then that means I can return to Ravi and Slater. I need them by my side. They promised to protect me.
I follow the tap of the woman’s heels, keeping about a dozen feet behind her. Searching around, I drink in the sight of the grand room with glittering rock floors and high-vaulted glass ceilings that show off a cloudy sky above. The enormous space is decorated with clusters of furniture and a strange energy sizzles through the air. It takes me a moment to catch sight of the group of people in the far corner of the room, sectioned off with glass partitions etched with symbols on the surface.
It looks far more civilized than I expect it to. Everyone in the audience wears the same robes and there are three people that stand on a platform in front of them. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.
