The Pack - Shadow Games by Jessica Sorrento Read Free Book Online Page A

as soon as the King pushed Calder away and raised
a hand towards me. His hand closed and the collar around my neck
started to tighten.
    No!
    "Obey your King or I will find someone who
will!" yelled the King.
    Calder dropped to a knee and bowed at the
King's feet. A moment later, the collar around my neck loosened and
air flooded back into my starved lungs.
    "Calder? What's going on?"
    Calder kept his head bowed while the King
spoke. "Go ahead First Fang. Tell the human what is about to
happen. Tell her what you're going to do to her."
    In a quiet voice, Calder told me. "I've been
ordered to take you to the gardens and remove your collar."
    Something's wrong. Why is he acting like this
is bad news?
    "So what is wrong?"
    "Go on, tell her Calder. Tell her what that
really means," said the King.
    "The collar does more than you know. It
protects you from this world. Without it, Thiea would flood you
with its magic and you would shift permanently. You would fade away
and become a beast."
    The horror of his words sunk into me. I'd
wanted to become a wolf my entire life, but not like this. "Please
Calder. Don't do it."
    "I'm sorry Miss Olivia," he said as he
grabbed my arm.
    "Please Calder! Don't do this! I'll be like
Aoife! Don't make me like her!"
    His grip on my arm loosened for a moment, but
the King coughed behind us and Calder pulled me to my feet. My
ankle burned as I stood but the pain didn't matter much
anymore.
    "Don't worry so much my girl," said the King,
"In a few days time, you won't remember any of this. You'll be
happy because you won't know any better, I'll be happy because I'll
have a werewolf in my private zoo, and Calder will be able to visit
you any time he wants so I imagine he'll be happy too. Isn't that
right Calder?"
    "Yes Sire," he said as he pulled me towards
the doors.
    "Ohh and Calder. When you are done in the
gardens, take a group and go visit Earth. I want you to raze Black
Bear to the ground. Too many wolves know of the Blood Rite now. Fix
the problem."
    "Noooo!" I screamed. I fought against
Calder's grip but his hand was like a vise.
    Calder turned back to face the King. "My
King, I swore that no harm would come to Olivia's friends if she
came peacefully. We've rooted out the traitors. None of this is
necessary!"
    "I don't care what you promised the girl.
I've given you an order. Obey it!"
    Calder's hand loosened as he squared his
body. "No."
    The King looked shocked. "What did you
say?"
    Calder turned his head and whispered, "Get
ready to run. I'm sorry Liv."
    But before Calder could turn back around, I
was lifted off of the floor with a startled scream as the collar
pulled me skyward. I held on tightly to the metal ring as the King
shook his outstretched hand back and forth, dragging me through the
air like a rag doll.
    "You forget that I can hear her thoughts boy!
But you're in luck. I've changed my mind. I think I'm just going to
kill your new friend instead. I can always get a werewolf from
Black Bear for my gardens."
    The King's hand closed and the collar choked
me again. With darkness clawing at the corners of my vision and the
sound of my own blood thundering in my ears, I watched Calder
charge the King with his sword drawn.
    The King dodged Calder's wild swings with
ease before knocking the sword from his hand and striking out at
Calder's chest with his spear-like fingers. The chest plate Calder
wore seemed to stop the blow for a moment, but only a moment. The
King's fingers sank through the metal and into Calder's chest as
the younger vampire screamed in pain.
    My body convulsed as I tried desperately to
breathe. My head pounded but through the pain, a single thought
formed as the darkness threatened to overwhelm me. I saw the
vampires from earlier stare in shock at my appearance. The
distraction that saved Calder's life.
    I filled my head with the thought of train
whistles and car alarms. Fire drills from when I was a child and
the sound of nails on a chalkboard. The King's hand slapped