The blond man laughed. "I think we should send her back to her mate the way the Katagaria send our mates back to us." He took a step toward them.
Bryani pulled the sword off her back and angled it at him. "Don't make me slay you, Arnulf. I brought her here for protection."
"Then you made a mistake."
Bryani was aghast. "We are human."
"Aye," he agreed, sliding a dangerous smirk toward Bride. "And I quest for vengeance same as you, my princess. My mate lies dead from their abuse of her. I say we return it upon their females tenfold."
As the men started forward, a howl rang out.
Everyone froze.
Bride turned to see the door behind her open. An old man stepped through it. His hair was white and he wore a beard that reminded her of an old ZZ Top video. By his side was a large brown timber wolf.
Like Bryani, half of the old man's face was covered with an eerie green tattoo.
"What goes here?"
"We beseech moral restitution," Arnulf said. "Your daughter has brought a Katagari mate into our pack. We want her."
The old man raked a censoring gaze over Bride, then looked to Bryani.
"I had to, Father," Bryani said as she lowered her sword. "There was no other way."
The old man ordered the others to leave them.
The men did so reluctantly. But before they left, some howled like animals. Others looked back with expressions that promised they intended to renew this discussion.
For the first time, Bride was scared. Something wasn't right about this "fantasy."
If she didn't know better, she'd swear it was real. But it couldn't be.
Could it?
Once they were alone, the old man led them toward the farthest table in the room; it stood high on a dais. Two chairs that looked like large, hand-carved thrones capped with wolfheads stood behind the table. "What are you thinking, Bry?" he asked her escort.
"I wanted to protect her, Father. Is that not what a Sentinel does? Are we not to protect the world from the Katagaria animals?"
He looked aggravated by her words. "But she is mated to one."
"They have not joined themselves. She is only marked. If we keep her here until the mark is gone, then she will be free of him."
The old man shook his head while his wolf came over to sniff at Bride.
Bride stared at it, wondering if it would stay a wolf or become something else.
"Why not just kill her mate?" the old man asked.
Bryani looked away.
The old man let out a tired breath. "I told you to kill them centuries ago, daughter."
Anger flared in her eyes. "I tried to kill him, remember? He grew too strong."
The old man made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "She is yours to guard. I will rally the others, and this time when he comes to us, we will finish what was started."
Bryani nodded, then motioned for Bride to follow her. She led her past the thrones, down a narrow corridor in back that led to a set of rooms off the hall.