To The Wolves: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Hollow Pack Book 1)

by Camille Rae

  I reached out and took his glasses off of his face, and he gave me a surprised eyebrow raise, reaching for them back.

  “Just checking if it’s a Clark Kent and Superman type of thing,” I said, appraising him without the glasses. Oddly enough, he didn’t look much different.

  “Who are they?” He asked, looking interested.

  “They’re…” I paused, wondering how to explain superheroes. “Well, it’s one man. He’s a legend where I come from. He’s a hero named Superman, but his alter ego is Clark Kent. I don’t remember why, but Clark Kent works at a newspaper. Oh, and Clark Kent wears a suit and glasses, but then he changes in phone booths to become Superman.”

  Silas looked thoroughly confused. “What’s a phone booth?”

  I shrugged. “That is a much longer explanation,” I said, laughing.

  “Your legends make no sense,” he said, chuckling.

  “They make for better stories than your Fifty Years War,” I groaned.

  “Hundred, Caia. Hundred Years War,” he chastised, and I chuckled.

  “Who were we warring with for so long?” I asked.

  “Hundell. To the North,” he said, his tone rather impatient.

  “Hundell for Hundred. Got it,” I said, giving him a cheeky thumbs up.

  “Oh, you think it’s cute not to know the history of your own country?” He snapped, and I sat up straighter, feeling a bit guilty with that remark.

  He was right. I had begged him to teach me more about Laeris, more about this world I was supposedly from, and now I was being a whiny brat.

  I rubbed at my eyes, exhausted.

  A part of me still didn’t believe I could be the Lost Princess. I was ready for them to realize their mistake at any moment.

  One week ago, I was just Caia, the girl with the dead parents, a kind of non-committed employee at a plant nursery, a friend who was planning a simple climbing trip. In fact, exactly a week ago, I was most likely sitting in my apartment, still wearing pajamas, shouting at the judges of a British reality baking show.

  I was comfortable in my lackluster little life. Sure, I had wanted more, but I thought that meant getting a better job or maybe switching to one of the more respectable dating apps.

  Not inheriting a fucking kingdom.

  I had been kidnapped, I had been knocked unconscious multiple times, my best friend had been taken, I had been held captive by four huge and strange warriors, a strange white witch had found me in the woods, I had been given a magic ring, a man had attacked me and had been killed, I had been told the four huge and strange warriors were now my protectors and not only were they protectors, they also changed into wolves on command, I had been told I was a fucking Princess, I was made to sit on a horse for days on end, and then I was introduced to the leader of the Rebel Army and technically my pack, who honestly gave me the creeps.

  The weight with which that list of realizations hit me felt like an entire avalanche had engulfed me and I couldn’t find a way out.

  I furrowed my brow, growing more and more upset as I thought about the situation. I could feel the tingles in my hands, the first sign of a panic attack for me.

  “Hey,” Silas said, his voice a little lighter. “Ky.” He reached out to me and scooted my chair closer to his. He gently patted my shoulder, as though I was an upset child or something about to explode if not handled with kid gloves.

  “I’m fine,” I said, my voice growing louder and shakier. I slammed the book on the table shut and stood. “I just need to get some air.”

  “I know what will make you feel better,” he said.

  “What?” I asked, my voice just a little too loud.

  We were met by immediate shushes and glares from those around us.

  I took a deep breath and murmured apologies to the patrons near us. “I’m sorry, Silas. What will make me feel better?” I said.

  “Do you want to go punch something?” He asked, wiggling his eyebrows, and I gave in and laughed, a bit shocked, but he wasn’t wrong. I desperately wanted to hit something.

  Ten minutes later, we stood in a gym of sorts, but if the gym trained assassins. It was a large, wide open room in the basement of the Citadel. There were still large windows, but only along one side that led out to a courtyard.

  There were large mats on the ground, and even two roped off areas that reminded me of boxing rings, but if boxing rings were narrow and rectangular. There were torches that lined the walls, with archery targets in one corner, a pair of punching bags in another.

  “Welcome to the Dungeon,” Silas said, grinning wickedly.

  He had dragged me here quickly after clearing off our table at the library. Sure, nearly everyone was looking at the freaked out Princess, and I was sure I’d hear rumors about me being just as unhinged as Elestra.

  I looked Silas over, appraising his build. While Cash was the beast of the group in terms of muscles, Loel and Lachlan were both pretty large and burly, as well. Silas was built more like a panther than a wolf. Lithe, but with a lot of hidden power, only visible when he chose it to be visible.

  “Alright, Caia, I want you to go get changed,” he pointed to some lockers along the wall and a small curtained area near them. “And then you’re going to punch me.”

  “Punch you? Not a bag?” I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

  “Don’t think you can?” He said, teasingly tilting his head.

  I jogged over to where the lockers were and found a pair of clothes and shoes in my size. He had explained that I’d be training in here in a few hours anyway, so Lachlan had already made sure I’d have the right things to wear. I changed, thinking of how my Graces would protest if they knew I was actually changing clothing without them, and then jogged back out to where he was, tossing my braided hair over my shoulder.

  “Okay, come at me,” he said, beckoning me forward with a gesture.

  I had never attacked anyone before, except for that time in third grade when a schoolmate called my shoes stupid, so I was a little rusty.

  I balled my hands into fists and ran towards him, swinging.

  He effortlessly blocked my fists and held me still. “No, again,” he commanded, pushing me away.

  I sighed, bouncing a bit to loosen up, and then charged at him again.

  Again, he blocked me, holding my fists as if it was easy for him.

  “No, again,” he commanded once more.

  We did that about four or five times, until I was screaming, swinging my fists like a maniac, frustrated beyond belief. I wanted to punch him so badly, but never even got close.

  He dropped my fists again, and was just about to say “No, again” when I swung my fist with every ounce of force I could muster, connecting my knuckles to his jaw with enough force to snap his head back.

  I froze, looking up at him with wide eyes. My hand was throbbing.

  He blinked, shocked, and rubbed at his jaw. “Damn,” he said, moving his jaw around and looking mildly confused.

  I took a step toward him, about to apologize for my outburst, when he pushed my shoulders, knocking me flat on my back. The wind left my lungs in a burst, and I struggled to take a deep breath as he stood over me.

  “Let the air out of your lungs first,” he said calmly.

  I did as I was told, then took a large breath as though I was suffocating.

  “Never put your thumb inside of your fist when you’re punching something,” he said, leaning down closer to me.

  He waited until I stopped struggling, lying still on the mat, then held out a hand to help me up.

  “I’m sorry I was a bit harsh in the library. I know this has all been a lot to take in,” he said, reaching to me and taking my hand.

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t paying enough attention during your lesson,” I confessed, giving his hand a squeeze.

  The doors burst open and Lachlan and Cash strode in, looking thoroughly confused when they saw me panting, holding my knees in recovery.

  “Seems like we’re interrupting someth
ing,” Lachlan teased, and Cash rolled his eyes.

  “I was only trying to punch him after he made me mad,” I joked.

  “You made her mad?” Lachlan said to Silas, and even Cash looked pissed for a moment.

  Lachlan was wearing workout clothes, shorts and a tank top, and looked every bit the All-American Quarterback.

  “It wasn’t on purpose. I was being a bit of a brat,” I said, shrugging. “Now I just want to punch something.” I was feeling much more cheerful now. I winked at Cash. “Or someone.”

  Cash raised one eyebrow, keeping the rest of his face blank, and I laughed again.

  “Well, Princess, if you thought we were going to go easy on you, you’re wrong,” Lachlan said, dropping his duffle bag to the ground. “Warm up starts now. Sprint to the far end of the room.”

  I laughed uncomfortably, looking to the end of the room. Surely, he was joking.

  “Now,” he growled, pointing.

  An hour later, I was regretting everything I had eaten in the past twenty-four hours, considering the contents of my entire stomach was in a trash can at the edge of the room. The men had been ordering me around, clearly taking delight in making me run sprints, ladder drills, and other basics they had obviously picked up from Prison Torture 101.

  Lachlan gave me a cup of what I assumed was water, but it turned out to be more like gatorade. It was sweet and syrupy, and I wanted to chug about a billion gallons of it.

  “Take a minute,” Cash said gruffly. “Don’t sit, try walking around a bit. The Revive will work soon.”

  My legs were made of jelly as I paced. “We couldn’t start with, like, a ten-minute light jog or something?”

  Lachlan and Silas chuckled, but Cash crossed his arms.

  Lachlan patted my shoulder and said, “You’re going to be leading an army, Princess. We will do whatever it takes to protect you, but you also need to protect yourself.”

  “Don’t ‘Princess’ me,” I said, shrugging off his hand. “I never signed up to lead an army, but I’m not totally athletically inept. Doesn’t this place have a climbing wall?”

  “What’s that?” Silas said, looking interested.

  “Like, a wall you can just… climb?” Lachlan said, pressing his eyebrows together in thought.

  I nodded eagerly.

  “Sure, we have something like that,” Cash said, and the three of us turned to look at him — Lachlan and Silas looked at him in confusion but I was nearly jumping up and down with happiness about the idea that there was somewhere I could climb.

  He led us out a door at the far end of the dungeon, near the windows, and we walked out into a courtyard. The sun was shining and the air was refreshingly crisp, perfectly autumnal in its chill, with the smell of damp leaves. Cash pointed to the three-story tall wall that surrounded the castle.

  Silas and Lachlan sighed, rolling their eyes and telling him he was an idiot. I walked closer to the stone wall and saw that it wasn’t like the stamped concrete, fake-brick structures that were so popular back home.

  The brick was much more raw and imperfect, as though each had been made by hand. I absently realized that it probably had been made by hand, but because of this, the imperfections left handholds and footholds and cracks a-plenty.

  I sure hoped it was smoother on the other side so that it could actually keep people out.

  “Come here and spot me,” I called out to the men, and they walked over, looking a bit skeptical of me and I ran my hands over the stone. I’d have killed for chalk, or even my rope and harness. I made a mental note to remember it next time. It probably wouldn’t be safe to hook anchors in the wall, but if I could just figure out a way to anchor my rope at the top, I’d be set.

  I knew I’d regret climbing in sneakers, but I was too excited. I didn’t even stare up and orient a route first. I found a low foothold, planting the ball of my foot on it as I angled my shoe sideways. My hands gripped around a hold, and then I was lifting myself, planting my feet, reaching.

  In my past life, as I had come to think of just a few weeks ago, I didn’t boulder much, which was climbing without the harness and ropes and relying on a mat to catch you if you fell. Even without a ton of experience, it felt so good to push and pull myself up that wall.

  When I was about ten feet off the ground, my foot slipped and I heard two gasps below me. I knew better than to look down, but out of the edge of my vision, I could see all three men immediately below me, ready to catch me.

  “I’m fine,” I said, resisting the urge to say any more.

  I only climbed about twenty feet because I realized I was feeling too tired, probably from getting sick and only having that weird Revive drink after.

  “Climbing down,” I called down, and then began to descend, picking my way slowly. I slipped in the same spot I had before, and before I could even yell or understand what was happening, I fell, scuffing my knees and elbows along the wall before winding up in Cash’s arms. He buffered my fall expertly, as if he had done it a million times before.

  He set me down on my feet and stared at me as though I was a bomb that might explode.

  Lachlan gave me a high-five. “That was awesome,” he said, grinning. “I want to try it next.” He rubbed his hands together, staring up.

  Silas was looking back up at the wall. “We should have you training the soldiers on proper climbing techniques,” he said, rubbing his jaw where I had clobbered him before.

  I glowed, and for the first time, felt like maybe life wouldn’t be so bad in Nos.

  Chapter 15

  Loel

  I sat in Theo’s Solar, nursing a glass of whiskey.

  He was going on and on about a new plan, but I was only half listening. I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing Caia in the alley.

  It was cheesy as hell, but some strange missing part of me had clicked into place with that kiss.

  I had finally found her.

  What would my next step be? Would I tell her about our bond, or let it happen naturally?

  I’d heard it said that when a shifter meets their perfect mate and they finally… well, mate… that the shifters power became stronger.

  How I longed for that connection. Years alone had dulled me to the ache, but the moment I had seen Caia—

  “Are you hearing me, Lo?” Theo said.

  Lo. Like my single syllable of a name was much too difficult to pronounce, he had needed to shorten it even more.

  I raised a brow. Although Theo was technically the Alpha of the pack, we didn’t abide by rules of Beta or Omega. Archaic, he had called it once upon a time.

  Instead, Theo was our leader. I was our highest ranking officer.

  That meant I could question anyone but Theo.

  It physically hurt me to question him. His rule over us made my chest ache and my shoulders stiff if I tried to overstep his authority.

  “Yeah, I’m listening,” I said.

  He was standing over a map, a strange maniacal glint in his eye. “Then you approve?” He asked.

  “Sorry, what? Approve of what?” I asked, sitting up straighter. I was letting Caia cloud my mind from what really mattered: The Rebellion. Taking back what was rightfully ours.

  “Spring,” he said, punctuating the word.

  “I think that’s a good idea. We’ll wait until the snow melts through the Hollow Wood, it’ll make getting our army through easier,” I said.

  “No, there’s no time for that. We need to leave by the end of March,” he said.

  “March? We’ll still be facing possible blizzards,” I said, raising a brow. “Why the rush? We need until at least mid-May.”

  “Why the rush?” He repeated, perplexed, punctuating each word with a stab I felt in my gut.

  I sighed. “Let’s pause this debate until after dinner,” I said, glancing at the clock on the mantel of the hearth. I wanted to take the urgency out of Theo’s plan and giving him a moment to cool down always helped him see clearer. Plus, I wanted to see Caia.

  The
o looked as though he was going to disagree with me, but then gave me a curt nod.

  Dinner that night was much less of a grand affair than the night before, but the hall was still full and the food was still plenty.

  Caia sat next to me on the raised platform. Silas, Lachlan, and Cash chose to sit in the crowd, most likely in order to better their chances of finding a woman to bed that night. It had been a long few weeks out in the woods.

  I sipped at my wine, watching Caia down hers in three gulps.

  I reached for her cup and set it back on the table with a wink, handing her a glass of water instead.

  Theo turned to us. “I hear you had an exciting day,” he said, giving me a forced smile.

  She nodded. “The Wolves have been extremely helpful,” she said, grinning out to where Silas and Lachlan sat at a table near the platform.

  Jealousy shot through me, and Theo, Silas, and Lachlan all gave me the same confused look.

  I hadn’t admitted my connection to Caia with any of them, though I also wasn’t good at hiding it. I wasn’t a people person, so when I was friendly and even considerate with someone, I’m sure the guys took note.

  “I’m sure they have been very helpful, indeed,” Theo said, shaking his head slightly. His eyes shifted over where Caia’s hands sat on the edge of the table.

  “I should like to meet with you tomorrow. I have a surprise for you,” he said.

  I pretended to be very interested in my steak. I knew what the surprise was, and the thought of it made me unsettled.

  Caia tensed almost imperceptibly. “A surprise?” Her voice rose higher in pitch.

  “Yes,” Theo answered simply, and took a large gulp of his drink.

  She raised my eyebrows, looking between the two of us, expecting him to go on, but he didn’t. Instead he stood, excusing himself from the table.

  “Loel, a word after you’re done with dinner,” he said.

  I nodded, unsure what word he wanted to tell me. I watched as he walked behind the screen that sectioned off the hallway to his quarters from the Great Hall.

  Lachlan and Silas approached the main table after Theo had left. No one dared moved into Theo’s chair, but instead, we just spoke around it, and they told Caia a funny story about a time I had fallen asleep on watch and Cash had tied me to the tree I was leaning against.