Captured - Cara Wylde Page 0,56

the others… they belonged to werewolves.

“Rogues,” I whispered between gritted teeth. “Those bastards are back.”

“We should’ve taken care of them when we had the chance,” Reid said. “They have her.”

“Fuck.”

“Fuck indeed,” Thorn said, staring me down with pure hatred in his eyes. “It’s your fault.”

“She’s alive,” I tried. My voice trembled, though.

“If those filthy beasts sacrifice her to their fabricated moon goddess, her death is on you,” Reid said. “Fresh human blood. She fell right into their lap. It’s like you offered her to them on a silver platter.”

That pain in my chest again. The sort of pain that didn’t leave visible scars but could ruin a man forever.

“No,” I said. “They won’t harm her. They won’t touch a hair on her head.”

Thorn nodded. “We need a plan.”

We needed a good plan, not just any kind of plan. The rogue pack had camped at the edges of our borders before, and we’d chased them away. We should have eliminated them. They were an abomination. They hated humans, and all they believed in was the cruel moon goddess they worshipped. They called her the Pale One. And according to the fake, stupid legends they believed in, the Pale One loved human flesh. Isabel was the perfect sacrifice.

I’d broken her heart and her mind. I’d pushed her too far, and now I was going to lose her forever. We had to act fast. We had to save her.

Nineteen

Isabel

The home of the Redwood Pack was very different from what I’d seen in the village of the Woodwards. It was an encampment more than anything else – brown, sturdy tents clustered together in a small grove on the other side of the Black Diamond Lake. As soon as we reached the encampment, the three male wolves left me in Mona and Callie’s care.

“We need to make sure the pack is safe from the Woodwards,” Milton explained. “Don’t worry. Just stay with the girls and everything will be fine.”

His words dissipated the incipient joy inside me, and I realized I’d disturbed the peaceful life of these people. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to make a note of it, not in front of Milton, at least. Instead, I nodded and followed Mona and Callie into a smaller, empty tent. There was a tiny but comfortable bed, and a small tub. Mona found me a change of clothes and offered them to me, while Callie began filling the tub with water.

“I know you probably want some privacy right now,” she said in an apologetic tone, “but you look kind of tired. So just this once, let us help you wash up.”

Right now, I had mixed feelings about modesty and nakedness. The Woodward Pack had seen me bare countless times, and I’d stopped thinking about it in a desperate attempt to not let it bother me. I wasn’t sure I’d have cared if Callie and Mona had just stayed without asking. Still, it was sort of nice of them to acknowledge the fact that I had the right to privacy.

“Thank you,” I said. “But you don’t need to worry about me. I’m sure I can handle things on my own.”

Mona shook her head. “It’s the least we can do after some of our own kind have treated you so horribly. Go on now. Get in the tub.”

Her tone left no room for protest, so I discarded my clothes and obeyed. The water was lukewarm and felt like heaven on my sore, exhausted body. For a few minutes, silence fell in the tent. Callie started washing my hair, while Mona poured an herbal-smelling liquid into the water. They didn’t touch me in any other way, and I soaped myself up alone. It was nice, comfortable. It reminded me a little of better days, when I still lived under the illusion that my family was perfect, that my parents loved me unconditionally. I shook myself and chased away the horrible memories now bubbling at the back of my mind. There would be time aplenty to think about it later. I had to focus on the here and now.

“I’m sorry for messing things up for you,” I said. “Will you get in trouble because of me?”

“Trouble?” Mona repeated. “What do you mean?”

“Well, your brother seemed concerned. He mentioned the Woodwards might be a problem for the pack’s safety.”

“It’s not like that,” Callie replied. “Our pack… Well, we’re not like the Woodwards. We don’t have territory of our own. We’re nomad wolves, and we go wherever the moon guides us. But sometimes,