Slaved By The Moon God

29

I’d make sure that Mira was safe, but everyone else could go to hell, for all I cared.

"I can hear your heart racing from over here," Kaden said. "Have you come to a decision? I do hope it’s the right one.” He leaned against the cell bars casually, but there was menace in his voice. “You can either join us in taking down the other packs, or I’ll send you back to the Leos in a gift-wrapped box. You can be their problem, not ours. I don’t have time to torture you, anyway.”

I pushed away his cruel words and glared at him with defiance. “As long as you help me get vengeance on the Leo pack for killing my brother, I’m in. I don’t care about the rest of them.”

“Good,” Kaden rumbled, the word sounding like more of a growl than anything else. "Put these on."

He threw some shoes at me, and I quickly slipped them on my dirty feet. Then he opened the door of the cell and stepped back. Just like that. I blinked at him, hesitant that he’d try to punch me in the gut the moment I stepped out. Kaden made a frustrated noise, jerking his head for me to come out.

I stepped out of the cell, bracing for an attack. It didn’t come. I glanced up at Kaden. His face still revealed nothing. The other two shifters didn't move either.

I stopped in the doorway, squinting in the sunlight. It felt like ages since I’d looked up at the sun, and I had to hold my hand in front of my eyes, blocking most of the light for several moments before I could even take a few stumbling steps forward. I was still missing most of my strength, apparently. Everything that had happened the night of the Convergence had been healed, but my body needed more time to recover from it. My soul, on the other hand, might never recover.

I took in my surroundings as my eyes adjusted. The sounds of a small town rushed in, replacing the overwhelming sensation of being outside again. I could see a few stores and what must have been the town’s version of a main street, along with rustic houses in neat little rows, surrounded by tall trees on every side. It looked picturesque, like something I’d find on a postcard depicting a woodland town couples visited for romantic weekend trips. I could hardly believe the most feared pack lived here, of all places.

What was most surprising was the smell of the forest all around me. I took a deep breath in, noting how pure the air was. I closed my eyes, soaking in the summer sun and the fresh air.

When I opened them, Kaden was watching me, looking almost smug. “Welcome to the Ophiuchus pack lands."

Kaden and the other two shifters I’d nearly forgotten about all but herded me to a large house on the edge of town that looked like a lodge in the middle of the woods. It was all dark wood and natural stone, very masculine, yet inviting and warm too. The kind of place you'd want to stay in during a snowstorm, sitting by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. The border of the forest crept around the edges of the house as if trying to subtly suck it back into it, making it disappear forever.

As I was looking up at it, Kaden came to stand beside me, and I tensed. He’d said he wouldn’t kill me, but that didn’t mean we were friends, and I certainly didn’t trust him any further than I could throw him.

He either didn’t notice or chose to ignore my response. “This is where you’ll stay for now."

“For now?” I asked.

“Until you either prove yourself useful to me, or I decide to get rid of you.”

"Right." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“You’ll have a roommate since space is always an issue for the pack, but she's about your age. Try to get along with her.”

I nodded and bit my tongue before I could say anything back. No need to antagonize him and make him tear out my throat. There weren’t any bars keeping him from launching himself at me now.

“The pantry is well-stocked, and you’re free to go anywhere in town. Clayton or Jack will have to be with you, of course,” he said, jerking his head to the two males who stood behind us. “Don’t try to leave town.”

“I’m not quite that stupid,” I couldn’t help but quip. Before Kaden could growl something at me, I quickly asked, “Where are we? Canada, or the United States?”

“You don’t get that piece of information yet,” Kaden said, and I fought the swell of frustration in me. “You’ll have to become a full member of the pack for that to happen.”

My mind shuddered to a halt. Wait, what? “Are you serious?” I asked, looking over at him, trying to find any hint of a joke on his way too handsome face. “Is that even possible? I thought the only way to join a pack was to be born into it or mated to someone in it.”

“The Ophiuchus pack has taken in other rejects before,” Kaden said. “After all, we’re the outcast pack. Most of us know what it’s like to be rejected and unwanted."

I certainly knew how that felt. Hope began to rise within me. I couldn’t help it. Was this the answer to my silent plea to the moon goddess? I looked away as we continued walking closer to the house until we stood right next to the porch steps. Could this lost pack provide me with the home I’d been searching for my whole life? A place where I would feel accepted, not shunned for being different? "How do I join?"

“If you want to be a part of this pack, you’ll have to follow my orders and prove yourself to me. Loyalty is earned, not given.” He crossed his arms. “Your training starts tomorrow, and every day you will prove your usefulness to the pack by cleaning a building I assign to you.” He smirked as if it brought him joy. “From now on, you’ll be the pack janitor.”