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

by Camille Rae

  I pushed back, trying to visualize sharing my thought with Loel. I located the spark and focused, trying to surround it with my light.

  Loel gasped and I opened my eyes to see him step back.

  “That was… weird,” he echoed, running his fingers through his hair and messing up his auburn curls.

  “What happened?” Silas asked, ever the scientific observer.

  “It was as though my power was being consumed. Not to snuff it out, but to…” Loel paused, looking up, lost in thought. “Enhance it, if that’s the right word.” He looked perplexed.

  I looked to Lachlan, then Silas, then Cash, and all four men just stared at me in wonder.

  “I wonder what that’s about,” Silas said, rubbing at his chin.

  “That’s a side quest,” Loel said. “We need to show Caia how to shield her mind.”

  Silas quickly nodded. “Right. First thing’s first,” he said, taking my wrist.

  I felt a sense of pressure against me, almost as if I was being pushed upon by a strong wind, though there wasn’t even the hint of a breeze.

  “Close your eyes and picture your mind again,” Silas continued.

  I did as I was told, and I was surprised to see a red, thin glow swirl and surround my golden one.

  “Did you see anything?” Silas said.

  “Yeah, red,” I said, and I could hear him chuckle.

  “I’ve never thought of it having a color before,” he said.

  “Okay, Loel, try to connect,” Silas instructed, and I saw a white spark coming from seemingly out of nowhere, floating slowly toward my golden light. It bounced off of the red surrounding, unable to connect.

  “I can’t,” Loel said finally, after a moment.

  “Good. Now, Caia, do you still see this shield?” Silas said.

  “Mmhmm,” I said, keeping my focus steady on it, though I was quickly becoming mentally exhausted.

  “I want you to take it from me,” Silas said, his grip on my wrist tightening.

  “What?” I said, opening my eyes. “How?”

  Silas sighed. “That’s the question,” he said.

  “I’ll try,” I said, and found my glow once more. Silas’s shield came over it, and I took a deep breath, drawing energy to push against the barrier without overtaking it.

  I could see the red fade in color. Then, a spark of light circled my glow and swirled for a moment before sailing straight through my defenses.

  “Dammit,” I said, opening my eyes.

  “That was really close,” Loel said. “It took me a moment longer than usual to connect.”

  “Can we take a break? I think my mind is melting,” I said, holding my temples. Loel and Silas nodded, looking exhausted, too.

  We walked on in silence and I visualized how to take his shield. If I surrounded it with my own glow, like I had with Loel’s, maybe the powers could be enhanced in some way, and I would be able to leverage them.

  Or perhaps I could create my own shield, visualizing a barrier. If I was this tired now, though, how would I ever keep this up every moment of every day?

  Was it even possible?

  We walked in silence for an hour or so, moving quietly through the Hollow Wood. Cash and Lachlan shifted back into wolves, moving in front of us to keep guard.

  I was considering begging the men to stop for food when a prickling feeling raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

  Mika’s low growl was the first hint that something was very wrong.

  Loel slid a sword from his belt, the movement completely fluid. He stood beside me protectively.

  I crouched, pulling a small dagger from my boot, wishing I had my powers under control so I’d have something to actually protect myself with.

  You know, besides four wolves.

  Something I could do myself, if it came down to it.

  I heard a small whistle, and then nearly a dozen men stepped out from the trees, surrounding us, staring at us in unsettling silence.

  Judging by their rustic, dark clothing of animal skins and furs and not a hint of blue or beige on them, I guessed they were part of the Cascus. Or that the Queen’s Army or Rebellion were dressing incognito.

  “We don’t mean to harm you,” one man said softly, stepping forward from the group of men.

  “And what exactly do you mean to do?” Loel said, his grip flexing on the pommel of his sword.

  “We only mean to ask you a few questions. Are you the leader of this group?” The man said, his tone steady and sure.

  “If you’re meaning to rob us, we don’t have a penny to our names,” Silas said.

  The man laughed. “No, gentleman,” he said, and gave a quick nod to me. “And lady. We do not mean to rob you. We only mean to inquire about the beautiful woman you were escorting a little over a month ago.”

  Silas winced, a small moan escaping his lips.

  The leader of the Cascans — at least, I was fairly certain they were Cascans — took a step toward Silas, his eyes narrowed. “You’re a very impressive shield,” he said.

  Silas closed his eyes, his brow drawn as if he was in pain. I felt an ache in my chest at the thought of them hurting a member of my pack.

  I could feel my heart beat as I swallowed, forcing myself to keep a calm appearance. So they had been tracking us. Did they know about the Cascan man we had killed by the creek when he had attacked me?

  “She’s in Nos,” Loel said, looking bored with the conversation. “We’re just the finders.”

  “And who have you found here, then?” The Cascan man said, taking a step toward me. He looked as though he didn’t buy a word Loel had said. I remembered how the Cascan man from before had known my true identity, as well. Could these men see through the disguise? They were far more powerful than I understood.

  His eyes raked me up and down, and I narrowed my gaze at him, but stayed silent.

  “Let me guess,” the man said, after a full minute of silence. “If you told me who you were, you’d have to kill me.”

  The men surrounding us began to laugh, the noise enveloping me, haunting and hollow.

  The leader stepped towards me and touched a gloved hand to my cheek, then let it slide over my jaw until his grip was around my shoulder, his finger pressing painfully into my skin. His eyes flashed with something villainous. “Thanks for the find, then. We’ll take the princess from here, boys,” he hissed.

  “I don’t think so,” Loel growled.

  “I don’t think you have much choice,” the Cascan leader said with amusement.

  He grabbed my wrist and I felt overwhelmingly compelled to obey him. I stared down at his hand in horror, trying to understand his magic. It was as though I was shackled, unable to move.

  “Where are you taking me?” I asked.

  “Someone very important would like to meet you,” he said, looking down at me with a bright smile, as though he had just told me extremely good news.

  Three things happened simultaneously.

  First, Loel held his sword to the leader’s throat.

  Second, the group of Cascans advanced on us.

  Third, Cash went berserk.

  I heard his growl before I noticed he was moving with the dizzying speed of a tornado, his claws and teeth at the ready.

  Apparently, the Cascus were also a bit thrown off by that strategy, because they began to scatter.

  Pandemonium ensued.

  Silas grabbed me and pulled me from the chaos, dragging me from the fight until I could move my limbs again away from the leader’s powers.

  I looked over my shoulder to see Cash taking on four men at once, his movements swift and sure. Loel was struggling with two of his own, and Lachlan had a man’s arm in his mouth. Mika had launched herself at a man and was biting out the flesh of his neck as he flailed under her, his blood gushing over her snout. I watched as the man crumpled to the ground.

  The Cascus were incredible fighters, but what worried me were their powers.

  I watched one man at th
e edge of the fight, his eyes closed in concentration. He was facing Cash, and then putting his hands out to the side as though calling some kind of elemental power.

  When we were roughly twenty feet from the group, Silas drew Lachlan’s bow from around his neck and nocked an arrow, pulling back and letting it fly with seemingly effortless grace. The arrow sailed through the air and stuck into the arm of the Cascan man I had just been watching. He shrieked in pain, then turned and began advancing on us.

  The shouting was what I wasn’t prepared for. Cash, still possessed, was roaring with abandon. Men who were being stabbed were screaming and crying out, and I was shaking, watching it all with an enormous sense of helplessness.

  Silas launched another arrow at the man coming for us, hitting him in the neck, and I watched Loel stab a man straight in the kidney, his knees folding under his dead weight.

  I forced myself not to break down, watching men I loved and cared for kill others in order to protect me.

  I focused on my shield, knowing that the Cascans had incredible psychic powers. If one of them saw us, they didn’t seem to notice.

  I heard shouting in the distance, and then another group of men in brown crashed through into the clearing.

  Theo’s men. The Rebellion.

  The Cascans turned on them immediately, unwilling to give up their prize so easily.

  My Wolves were sprinting towards where Silas and I hid in the woods. I was dragged along for a moment before finding my footing, and then I sprinted alongside them. Mika, Lachlan, and Cash ran through the trees on either side of us.

  We zigzagged through the forest, and tears streamed from my eyes as my lungs burned.

  I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going, desperate to get away from the horrific scene behind us. I hated seeing my men fight that way, even though I knew they were trained specifically to do so. They were to protect me at all costs.

  The smell of campfire piqued my internal alarm and we all skidded to a stop.

  “I’ll go check it out. Silas, Mika, stay back with Caia,” Loel said, and Silas nodded, holding the bow with an arrow nocked.

  I had a terrible feeling, suddenly. A premonition of something bad about to happen. Was I still just being too emotional about the fight? I swallowed down my fear. My warriors could get out of anything. I trusted that completely.

  Yet, still, something clenched in my chest.

  “Loel,” I whisper-yelled, and my voice carried through the silent wood with stunning clarity.

  He glanced back over his shoulder toward me and gave me a small smile.

  “Everything’s fine,” he said through our bond, and then a Blues soldier appeared immediately behind him.

  Silas grabbed my cloak, pulling me back to hide behind a tree.

  “Hello, Lieutenant Sutherland,” the Blues soldier said.

  I recognized him as Captain Ferrick, the man who Cash and I had hidden from only a few days before.

  Lieutenant? I remembered Loel telling me about being in the Queen’s Army, but not that he was a ranking official.

  “You’ve returned,” Captain Ferrick said. “I’d heard talk that you never would, but I didn’t believe them. And here you are.”

  Five or six other Blues soldiers appeared, and my instincts screamed at me to run. Instead, we stayed perfectly still in our hiding spot.

  “Who is back there, calling your name a moment ago?” Captain Ferrick said.

  “My wife,” Loel said loudly without hesitation.

  The record player in my mind came to a screeching stop. His wife?

  What was going on?

  Bringing them the pack? Was Loel a spy for the Blues? My breath became short as panic rose within me.

  No, that couldn’t be right.

  Loel had regained his stoic appearance, his face completely expressionless.

  Captain Ferrick seemed to consider that answer and peered my way again.

  “You can come out now, Spark,” Loel called over his shoulder.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Silas asked through the connection.

  “Trust me,” Loel replied.

  Silas dug his fingers into my arm as though he didn't want to let me go, but then he sighed and pushed me out from behind the tree and I stumbled into sight of the soldiers.

  He shifted and ducked back into the trees as I stepped up to the Blues, my heart pounding so loudly in my chest that I was sure they could hear it.

  “It is an honor,” I said to the Captain with a small curtsy.

  “The honor is mine,” he said back, though there was zero hint of kindness in his words. “Your name is Spark?”

  I smiled. “It’s only a nickname,” I said, feigning embarrassment. So far having two names seemed to be confusing enough, and adding a third into the mix would really throw me off.

  My mind went blank, and the only name I could recall was my mother’s. “You may call me Ana,” I said, cringing inwardly.

  “How nice to meet you, Mrs. Ana Sutherland,” he said, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles.

  Captain Ferrick ran his eyes over my body and Loel caught his eye, giving him a tight smile.

  The Captain straightened. “And the… girl?” He continued.

  “That, my friend, is why we’re here. It’s is a long story. One that I think will best be told with whiskey in hand,” Loel said, clapping the Captain on the shoulder.

  The Captain looked at Loel with a lifted brow.

  “Let’s go back to the camp and make a plan, shall we? One that includes your speedy arrival back in Queen’s City, or else I’m afraid the Queen will have my head on a platter,” Captain Ferrick said with a chuckle, and two sets of guards stepped on either side of Silas, Cash, and Lachlan.

  Captain Ferrick and Lieutenant Sutherland, my Loel mere moments ago, strolled in front of us as though they had all the time in the world.

  Walking into the camp felt as though we were walking into a lion’s den.

  Mika, Lachlan, Cash, and Silas were nearby. I could sense them. They stayed out of sight, but they were watching.

  Why would Loel do this to me? There had to be a reason — I trusted him with my life, and yet… he had led us straight into the most dangerous place I could be.

  Chapter 27

  Loel

  I had panicked the instant I saw the Blues uniform.

  When I had joined the Rebellion, I was deserting my post in the Queen’s Army. I had been assigned a special mission to infiltrate the Rebellion.

  Then, I had met Theo, and the rest was history.

  Except now.

  I had a part to play to keep us all alive. If they thought I was truly with the Rebellion, they’d have killed me on the spot and then hunted down the rest of them, including Caia. The Queen’s Army was ruthless. Captain Ferrick even more so.

  The “wife” lie was purely to protect Caia. Women were few and far between in the Queen’s Army, and I knew Caia would draw attention that I wouldn’t be able to handle.

  As it was, I’d have to keep an eye on her almost every moment. “Wife” or not, I didn’t trust these men.

  The upset and confused look on Caia’s face when she thought I had been lying to her felt as though an ice pick had stabbed into my heart. I didn’t blame her for her reaction, but did she truly believe that I was a spy for the Queen’s Army?

  If I was, why would I have bothered taking her to Nos instead of handing her over the first time we had met Blues?

  She would have to be less emotional and more rational to survive in the world we had just stepped into. I could only help her so much. I loved the intensity of her feelings, but she couldn’t act on those now. Not if we wanted to live.

  The camp was set up exactly how I had remembered it. Rows of tiny pup tents for the soldiers, nicer tents for the officers.

  “I promise we’ll be okay,” I told the pack, and I felt grumbles of dissonance but none dared to challenge me.

  I didn’t know if Theo was our Alpha, or if I
had stepped into that role. I didnt feel any different. But that didn’t matter now. My pack trusted me.

  “How do we get you out?” Lachlan asked.

  “We’ll escape when the time is right, but they’re going to be keeping a close eye on us. You might have to secure passage across the water on your own and meet us in Queen’s City,” I explained.

  Caia stared up at me with a mixture of hurt and distrust. She was led to a tent, but the Captain pulled me in the opposite direction.

  “Don’t let anyone near you,” I told her.

  She glared at me, then turned, walking with a guard down a lane of perfectly symmetrical white tents.

  She was safe for now, and that fact made me feel as though we could get through the setback. Somehow.

  Chapter 28

  Caia

  Loel stumbled into the dark tent, reeking of alcohol. I had been staring up at the dark ceiling for hours and hours, waiting for this very moment so I could strangle him in private.

  I could smell whiskey and wine on him.

  Since we were supposedly a married couple and Loel was a ranking officer, we had the luxury of having our own accommodations.

  From the brief glimpses I had seen, I could tell that the camp was a smaller unit, with only about twenty soldiers and five tents.

  It was the first moment Loel and I had been alone since he’d had gotten the two of us stuck in a Blues camp.

  “What the fuck is going on?” I hissed, sitting up in the small cot.

  He shushed me loudly, his body swaying as he held a finger to his lips.

  “Your wife?” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

  Loel grinned idiotically at that and sat on the edge of the bed.

  “You’re safe. It was the only way I could keep you safe,” Loel said, leaning into me, but he was putting too much of his own weight on me.

  I sagged backwards and pushed him off of me.

  “I’m just trying to keep you safe,” he said, looking at me earnestly.

  “Safe? We’re in a camp full of men who have been trying to capture us. What about this situation makes you think this is safe?” I said, lowering my voice but taking no measure to reduce the anger in it.

  “They won’t hurt you if they think you’re my wife,” he said, and he looked pained.