To The Wolves: A Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Hollow Pack Book 1)

by Camille Rae

  “Everything,” I said, only slightly aware that my voice was rising in pitch until it was cracking in hysteria.

  Loel and Silas exchanged a look. Loel took a deep breath, rubbing at the stubble of his jaw. “It’s hard to explain,” he started.

  “Who was this man?” I persisted, figuring if I asked a direct question, it might be easier to answer.

  “This man is from a clan in Laeris. A very old clan,” Silas said.

  “And what did he want with me?” I asked.

  “He thinks… or knows… who you are,” Loel added.

  “So, then why did he call me his queen?” I repeated.

  A matching look of uncertainty crossed everyone’s face. Even Cash, whose uncertainty mingled with a severe case of grumpiness. Lachlan turned and left the circle, his tail sagging between his legs as he went.

  Loel shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable, and then exhaled. “I can’t tell you everything,” he said. “But I can tell you that you’re very, very important to Laeris and I’d die to protect your life.”

  I was taken aback by his vulnerability. His eyes shone as he said the words, but his voice didn’t falter.

  “Die to protect my life? Why?” I asked, unnerved by the confession.

  Lachlan returned in his human form, wearing a pair of slacks and pulling a t-shirt over his head.

  “Because you’re one of our pack now,” Lachlan said.

  He had mentioned the pack connection earlier, but I didn’t take him seriously at the time. I stood, looking between the men’s faces for a hint of smile or teasing. “But I’m not a shifter.”

  “I don’t understand it, either. Whatever spell Flora made when she gave you that ring bound you to us,” Lachlan said. “We all felt it.”

  I swallowed, looking to Loel.

  He nodded solemnly, as though he didn’t want to admit it.

  “Does this all have something to do with the Queen?” I asked tentatively.

  The men all looked shocked that I had been so blunt.

  “Yes,” said Silas, wearily.

  “And what exactly does it have to do with the Queen?” I asked.

  “You might be… the Lost Princess,” Loel said, raising his eyes to meet mine. His eyes narrowed as he said it.

  I raised a brow, not sure whether or not to believe him.

  Silas exhaled quickly through his nose and rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine. Context. Long ago, there were two Princesses. Twins. One of the Princesses disappeared. It’s rumored she was kidnapped and killed,” he explained.

  No.

  They didn’t.

  They couldn’t possibly.

  They thought I was that girl?

  “What?” I squeaked, my mouth suddenly very dry. “How do you think I could be her if it’s rumored she’s dead?”

  “There was a prophecy,” Loel said, joining in.

  “That the Lost Princess was to return on the 326th moon,” Silas continued.

  I looked at each of their faces, even turning to see Mika standing near us, eyeing us warily.

  “I found you the afternoon of the 326th moon,” Loel said.

  “And you bear quite a resemblance to the Queen,” Lachlan said, his voice raspy.

  Cash muttered something under his breath. I heard him say the word, “Understatement.”

  “The Queen being the Princess who didn’t disappear? My would-be sister?” I asked.

  They all nodded.

  “We weren’t sure until Flora found us and gave you that ring,” Silas said, meeting my stare. “But if Flora can find us, and this Cascan man can find us, so can others, and you’re a hazard to be smuggling.”

  “Flora was her Guardian, so she might have found us through the shared connection,” Silas countered, looking to Loel.

  “What’s a—” I started.

  “All royal children have a dedicated servant called a Guardian,” Silas said before I could even get the question fully out.

  “So then how did I manage to disappear even though I had a Guardian?” I asked.

  “No one knows,” Silas said.

  “Holy shit,” I whispered, blinking, trying to take in all of the information they had just dumped on me.

  “Good Gods, Silas, fucking tell her everything why don’t you,” Loel said, but I was staring at him, and his mouth didn’t move. His voice had been so clear to me, though.

  So, they thought I was a Lost Princess.

  Except, I really was starting to believe in all of it. Laeris. Flora. The ring. Magic. The wolf pack.

  After all, what choice did I have?

  It was clear that now the best way to survive in this strange place and get Jude back was to stay with the big wolves magically sworn to protect me.

  Right?

  Chapter 10

  Caia

  We left camp quickly that morning, knowing that if the Cascan man could find us, so could anyone.

  Finally, in the fading light of the afternoon, we crested a hill to find the city of Nos. Though I was horrifically sore from the horses, I was glad the journey was hastened by their very fortunate procurement.

  Finally, I’d meet Theo and get some more answers, because I sure as hell had a lot of questions for him.

  From what I could see, the mountains flattened out into a large valley below us. Nos was nestled in the center, tucked between a lake and a winding river. The city split where the river met the lake, and on one side of the river, there were large houses and buildings. On the other bank were smaller buildings and what seemed like very small houses, almost huts. A tall, stone wall encircled the entire city, and a large, gray castle-like building surrounded by another wall was off to one side.

  It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I tried to estimate where we might be if we were still in the universe I knew. Steamboat Springs? Pagoda? By my estimates and the sun, we had been traveling almost due north of where I’d been found. And where, in comparison, was Queen’s City? I glanced to Silas, remembering he had promised to help me learn more about this land.

  I was riding with Cash, since I was so sore that I could barely walk. I was sitting across his thighs as though I was riding side saddle on the horse. I had loosely wrapped the rope around our bodies to keep me in place so I wouldn’t have to try to hold onto him so tightly.

  The closeness was unnerving, but not nearly the same as how I felt riding in Loel’s saddle. I was grateful for the break in tension.

  “Have you lived in Nos long?” I asked, trying to make small talk.

  He made an affirmative sound. Or, I may have just imagined it to be affirmative. He could have just been clearing his throat, for all I knew.

  We might have been close in terms of proximity, but we were still so far apart in terms of knowing much about one another. Rather, he knew a lot about me and I knew very little about him.

  “Why did you come here?” I asked.

  “Same reason as everyone else,” he said, not looking down to me. He clicked his tongue to get the horse’s attention, guiding her off the path.

  “To fight a revolution?” I guessed.

  He shrugged. “To get away from the Blues. They don’t dare come here,” he said.

  “Why did you have to get away from the Queen’s Army?” I asked, turning my head to him.

  “Same reason as everyone else,” he said, not meeting my eye.

  I was confused and furrowed my brow.

  “I’m trying to understand,” I said, biting at my lower lip.

  “The Queen rules by making non-shifters distrust shifters. She makes her people afraid of us by hurting us and blaming the destruction on our kind,” he said, not meeting my eye.

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  He said nothing, but steered the horse through a copse of trees, cutting a straight path for the city’s walls.

  Loel cleared his throat and I shifted my gaze to him to see him shaking his head slightly. He must have overheard the conversation and was trying to send me a hint.<
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  Cash unwrapped the rope holding us together and put it in the saddlebag. “Wouldn’t want anyone to think you’ve not come on your own accord,” he explained.

  I raised an eyebrow and said, with as much sarcasm as my voice could muster, “No, we wouldn’t want that.”

  We paused, staring down at the city’s walls and gate. The walls were towering and my hands itched to climb them. They were made of stone with plenty of handholds as far as I could tell. The gate was made of wood and metal, standing two stories high. Men were dotted along the top of the wall and gate, staring down at us in the same shade of beige and browns that the guys wore.

  “Here, Red, do me the honor of riding in with me,” Loel said, and I was passed from Cash to him like a doll.

  I rode normally in Loel’s saddle, his strong arms wrapping around me as we began the short journey into the city.

  I focused on staying still in order to not throw the horse off balance as it picked its way through the rocky hillside we had begun to descend.

  As the city walls came into view, I noticed archers on guard near the gate. They held arrows at the ready until we came into sight and they realized who the men were. Their curious looks only became more obvious the closer we came.

  We walked through the empty gates and it was as if I had walked into a fairy tale world.

  You know, all over again.

  There were blacksmiths and food vendors and children running under foot and people yelling to one another. I was well aware that my mouth hung wide open as I took it all in. Torches were ablaze as the last hints of sunlight began to fade.

  People stepped out of the street to get out of our way and stared at us walking past. There were humans, but there were also animals of all shapes and sizes that seemed oddly sentient. A tiger, a coyote, a group of crows.

  “Do people know who you four are?” I asked Loel, pressing back into him.

  “They know we’re in Theo’s pack,” was his only reply.

  “Do they know who I am?” I asked, growing concerned.

  “They only know who you resemble. But you’re not entirely like her,” he said.

  I relaxed slightly at this knowledge.

  His grip around my waist tightened. “You’re much plainer,” he whispered with mock sincerity.

  I elbowed him.

  My stomach grumbled at the smell of cooking meat, and I leaned in the direction of the food, desperate for anything besides the dried meat and veggies we’d been eating.

  “We’ll have food at the Citadel after you’ve met Theo,” Loel said, pulling at my shirt.

  Lachlan caught my eye and we exchanged a disappointed look. I patted my stomach with an exaggerated frown and Lachlan nodded in agreement.

  “Dramatic,” Loel said, clicking his tongue. I looked over my shoulder to him and could tell he was hiding a grin.

  We walked through the cobblestone streets, our horse’s hooves clicking with each step. We must have looked like quite a sight: four warriors, one Queen-resembling woman, and four Queen’s Army horses. It was a wonder we were even allowed through the gate.

  We wound through the city streets up towards the Citadel and came to an open market where the smell of food was so strong that I tried to throw myself from the horse, but Loel noticed at the last moment and pinched me so hard that I yelped.

  “What did I just say?” He reprimanded.

  “Can’t fault me for trying,” I groaned.

  “I can fault you for not obeying me,” he said, his eyebrows raised in skepticism.

  “You picked up the wrong girl if you want to be obeyed,” I snorted, rolling my eyes.

  “This I’ve realized, Spark,” he said against my ear and electricity shot through me.

  I sat up straighter and cleared my throat. “Just get me there so I can meet this guy and then eat,” I said. “Or maybe eat while meeting him. Can it be a dinner meeting? How much pull do you have on the contents of this feast?”

  He sighed, looking upwards. “What have I done to offend the gods?” He said dramatically, a twinkle of amusement in his eye.

  Lachlan rode up beside us, holding out a warm biscuit with what seemed to be honey dripped over it.

  “An offering,” he said with a grin, then winked at Loel.

  “You’re my favorite,” I told Lachlan, greedily snatching the gift out of his hand and taking a huge bite. I moaned, falling back against Loel’s chest. “Oh my god, this is so good. This in the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my life,” I said with full cheeks, stuffing nearly the entire thing in my mouth at once.

  I felt Loel sigh beneath my weight.

  We finally made it to the Citadel, passing through another set of gates, and climbed out of our saddles. My legs were stiff from the journey, and I rubbed my ass with one hand, licking the honey off my fingertips with the other.

  A groomsman eyed me warily, and I realized what a fantastic first impression I was making, albeit a little late.

  The men encircled me, leading me up the Citadel’s steps. I tilted my head back and saw the grand facade — it looked like a fairy tale castle, but with modern touches. There were huge panes of glass on the walls facing the city, and as far as I could tell, less ominous towers than I’d have expected from a castle.

  We were greeted at the top of the steps by a herd of people — from what I could assume, they were staff. Two women hooked my arms in theirs and began to lead me away from my guys.

  I looked back, helpless, and Loel, Lachlan, and Silas each gave a small wave.

  “I’m Maisy,” said the woman with light blonde hair.

  “And I’m Alivia,” chimed in the woman with dark hair.

  “I’m Caia,” I said, and both women giggled.

  “We know who you are,” Maisy said.

  “We’re your Graces,” Alivia said.

  “My what?” I said.

  More giggles. I glanced back over my shoulder again to try to beg my guys to take me away from these giggling women, but the men were out of sight.

  “We’ll help you wash, dress, fix your hair, and generally get ready to meet Himself,” Alivia said again. She was giving me a patient smile, though her grip had tightened. She had evidently realized how much I wanted to bolt away from her.

  “So, you’re like Ladies-in-waiting or something?” Though I had no royal knowledge, I tried to fake it by drawing on my experience of binge-watching The Crown on Netflix.

  “Sure, whatever you want to call us,” Maisy said.

  They lead me into the Citadel and turned immediately down a bare, stone hallway, then down another. We went up a flight of stairs, then turned once more.

  “Well, I’ll certainly never escape if that’s the only way out,” I grumbled as we came to a room.

  Maisy opened the door and I stepped in, my mouth once again hanging slack.

  There was a gigantic bed on one wall with thick, emerald curtains surrounding it, drawn open and held with ribbons. A fire blazed in a hearth across the room, and a small sofa and two chairs sat in front of it. A vanity was angled in the far corner with a giant mirror above it.

  I caught sight of my reflection and gasped. I looked awful. There was mud on my face and my hair was frizzy.

  “You do look as though you’ve been outside for a time,” Alivia said, watching my surprised expression. “But don’t worry, Mistress, we’ll get you taken care of.”

  There was a large ceramic bathtub in a corner of the room and above that, a series of pipes that folded out from where they were tucked against the wall. I watched as Maisy fitted a cloth sheet inside of the tub and then Alivia expertly swung out the piping and placed the end inside of the bath, turning a knob on the pipe. Floral-scented water sprung out in a burst and began to fill the bathtub. The smell reminded me of gardenias. I grinned, wondering if Loel would also end up smelling like gardenias after a bath here.

  “That’s pretty ingenious,” I said, pointing to the piping. “I thought we’d be boiling water over the fire for ages.”


  Maisy laughed and shook her head. “Why would we ever do that?”

  “Well, I just didn’t expect things like indoor plumbing, I suppose,” I said, shrugging.

  “We have what is necessary,” Maisy said, glancing to Alivia, who nodded.

  I was still trying to pin down exactly what Laeris was. It wasn’t exactly like the Medieval ages of my world but there were so many similarities that I couldn’t help comparing it and making assumptions.

  I looked over the dresses that the women wore, loose silk gowns draped over their small frames. Maisy wore green and Alivia wore gold, complimenting their fair skin. I wondered idly for a moment what they’d dress me in.

  Alivia opened a closet door and gathered towels and cloths in her arms.

  Maisy reached for my jacket and I stepped out of her reach, determined to undress myself. If two women were going to bathe me, I was at least going to reserve some dignity and get out of my disgusting leggings myself.

  I belatedly realized I didn’t know where my day pack was. Maybe Loel had brought it in for me?

  “I’ve been bathing myself for almost my entire life, I think I can manage,” I told Maisy, who was now backing me up into the tub.

  Maisy reached out and began to say, “Oh but Mistress Ever—”

  Alivia gasped and Maisy stopped speaking, pressing her mouth together. “Ever, what?” I asked, confused. Alivia shook her head quickly at Maisy, and both women turned from me. The two began to stir the water in the bathtub, checking the temperature and dropping in what I could only guess were essential oils.

  “Mistress Caia, I do apologize for misspeaking,” Maisy said, and gestured towards the tub. “It’s ready for you now.”

  I felt self-conscious stripping out of my underwear and bra, but after what those garments had been through in the past couple of days, I wasn’t sure I ever wanted to see them again anyway.

  “Would you like to take off your ring?” Maisy said, pointing to my hand.

  “It doesn't come off,” I said, showing them my meaning by tugging on it.

  “Very well then,” Maisy shrugged slightly and gestured for me to get into the bath.

  I stepped into the tub, savoring the warm water. “It’s perfect,” I said, sinking down to stretch out my legs. The water was the exact right temperature: Not too hot to scald me but warm enough to feel absolutely luxurious. After sleeping on the ground and riding on horseback, I wanted to spend many, many hours in this bathtub.