The Alpha's Prey [Alpha-series (I)]

Chapter 21

“Uhm … Would you mind lending me some of your clothes as well?”, I asked the other Luna.

We were about to head out of the house, yet they had only handed me a pair of sneakers and a sweater to put over the shirt. I knew I was being picky here, but taking care of my appearance had long become part of my daily routine, a habit that was hard to shake off. It gave me the confidence to face even the sneakiest journalist or talk show host. No matter what bullshit they would throw at me, at least I looked dashing as they did so. Here there was no such thing to fear, of course, but the fact remained that I was a hostage after all – and that, no matter the seemingly friendly circumstances, was never a good premise. So, an extra shot of confidence couldn’t hurt.

To my surprise, it was the Alpha that answered.

“I fear that’s not possible for now.”

He sounded firm, but his features held guilt. It took a moment until it clicked in my head.

“The wolfsbane … it’s in the clothes, isn’t it?”

Giving me wolfsbane in liquid form and thus let it enter my bloodstream would be way too dangerous, and I wasn’t shackled or anything.

The look he gave me was answer enough.

“It was the only way we could think of to keep Alpha Caleb from immediately finding you”, he explained.

“Because when there is no wolf, there is no telepathic connection”, I understood his reasoning.

“Let me show you around the pack as planned, and as soon as you saw what you needed to see, you can get your clothes back and connect with your mate”, the Alpha requested. “Can you give us that time?”

Of course, his question was nothing but a formality. He wouldn’t allow me to change, even if I insisted on it. The moment Lucy was back, she would get into contact with our mate, and then it would be only a matter of hours until a raging Caleb accompanied by a whole bunch of warriors would storm this pack.

“I guess it can’t be helped”, I sighed. “So, let’s get this over with.”

Sorry, Lucy, I apologized, sending the words into the direction I normally would when talking to her, hoping they somehow got through. My wolf might be caged again, yet as I knew from experience that didn’t necessarily mean she could see and hear nothing at all. I’ll try to make this as quick as possible and keep you updated once in a while.

There was no response at all, which didn’t come as a surprise, but I could swear my heart suddenly felt a little lighter.

It turned out the house was bigger than I had thought it to be, about the same size as Caleb’s and my cabin. But I couldn’t spot any other houses.

“Look up.”

Gaby pointed to the treetops and I followed her gaze. There, hidden in the branches, were dozens of small treehouses. Each one looked unique and inviting. Some were connected by hanging bridges or stairs, others occupied a tree all on their own.

“Since a lot of wolves are afraid of heights, we found it gives the men a sense of security”, Laura explained.

“By the way: How did you manage to stay undetected all these years?”, I wondered.