Chains

Chapter 17 - The Silver Moon Pack

Lucy

Within a two hours of turning off the road we'd been following; I became aware that we were being followed by another group of wolves. So far, they hadn't shown any aggression towards us, but we were clearly trespassing through their territory. After about 10 minutes one of the wolves peeled away from the others, heading directly across our path. We had no option other than to stop when he passed right in front of us and came to a halt and shifted to his human form. He was very large, probably over 6'5", with broad shoulders and rippling muscles that bulged everywhere on his body. He didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable standing right in front of us stark naked.

"Who are you, and what are you doing trespassing in Silver Moon territory", he demanded in a commanding voice.

Both Jax and I also shifted, and immediately put on clothing from our carry sacks. Neither one of us nearly as comfortable naked in front of others as the man standing in front of us was. I wish I could have stepped behind a tree to shift but I didn't want to antagonize this wolf.

"My name is Lucy Archer and this is my brother Jaxon", I answered as soon as we were dressed. No point in trying to maintain the fiction that Jax was female, they'd seen him naked when we shifted.  

"I apologize for trespassing, we didn't realize that this territory was occupied. We're just passing through on our way to Bellevue", I informed him.

"Well, you're trespassing in our territory. I apologize, but you're going to have to come with us. Our Alpha likes to keep track of all wolves who pass through our territory and you're going to have to meet him before you can continue. If everything is as you say, you'll be allowed to continue on your way." He said, his tone halting all further discussion.

Three wolves surrounded us and they didn't bother to shift. Our captor introduced himself as David James, chief scout of the Silver Moon pack. He lead us through the woods at a quick pace to what we could only assume was the packs Alpha.

David didn't seem interested in conversation; ignoring my queries as we walked on this unplanned side trip. Not that time made a lot of difference on this journey, we weren't in any hurry. We weren't expected by anyone there either, so there wasn't anyone to be concerned when we didn't arrive within a specified time.

The Silver Moon pack's territory seemed to be quite large; it took us over an hour to make our way from where our captors had intercepted us on our journey. The first thing we saw as soon as we left the woods was a large community with homes spaced out regularly stretching out for quite a distance; we couldn't see the end of it from where we were standing. This pack looked to be quite large and prosperous. David led us through the town, greetings various curious folks as we passed by.

We walked another 10 minutes before we turned off the main road heading in a new direction. Within a short while we saw what can only be described as a mansion standing before us. It was literally gigantic; the biggest residence either of us had ever seen. White stone walls covered in Ivy, three stories tall, dozens of windows on each level, massive columns on either side of the porch, a door large enough a truck could easily have passed through. Beautifully manicured gardens surrounded the building, with a fountain surrounded by a reflecting pond where the driveway wound past the entrance. It was utterly breathtaking. Both Jax and I stopped in our tracks, stunned by what we saw in front of us.

David gave something of a chuckle, saying: "It's quite the show stopper, isn't it? Alpha Kale is aware we're here and is waiting to greet you in the Drawing Room".

 He led us into the building, which was bustling with enough people to fill a small town by itself. The majority of people seemed to be occupied with some task or other; it surely took a small army to maintain a pack this large, not to mention the building itself.

Jaxon was looing around, his head turning from side to side. He appeared to be sniffing the air and whatever he smelled, was making him more and more nervous with each passing moment. We passed through several rooms filled with people until we got to a huge room furnished with beautiful couches, chairs and side tables. There was a huge fireplace taking up the center of one wall. It was obviously a room meant for meeting important people, of which we didn't qualify. There was a plate of sandwiches set out on a silver platter, a gorgeous china tea set and another tray filled with a variety of mouthwatering deserts.

Sitting in front of us was the most handsome man I've ever seen. Green eyes, jet black hair, wide shoulders with muscles showing through the shirt stretched across a wide chest. He stood as soon as we entered the room, looking right at Jaxon. Jax was staring at him in absolute terror, then his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor unconscious. I distinctly heard him utter the words: "Mine".