Lady Greenwood led me through the maze of halls and to another winding stone staircase that looked out of place in the modern portion of this strange, huge building. We walked down the stairs twenty feet to the first lower level, though the steps continued deeper the bowels of the hill. We stepped out into a new hallway, and I sidled up beside her.
"Mind telling me exactly what this place is?" I questioned her.
She shook her head. "Not at all. This is a part of the Old Den. The part we just left, where you were taken, is a part of the New Den."
"'Den?' Like a wolf den?" I asked her.
The corners of her lips twitched. "Yes, precisely that." She turned slightly towards me and her eyes looked me over. "You didn't believe my husband when he told you we were werewolves, did you?"
I snorted. "Why should I believe anybody who tells me that?"
"Because it's true," she replied.
I raised an eyebrow and gave a little more room between us. "So you're telling me he wasn't lying?"
"Correct."
"Uh-huh. And what's a bunch of werewolves doing in a-" I waved my hand at the walls "-place like this?"
"Surviving."
I didn't have time to ask her for an elaboration before we rounded a corner and found ourselves beneath an arch. Before us was a large, semi-wild garden. Thick, wild vines climbed the stone walls that stood on either side of us, and their long trains blanketed the ground above their roots. A stone path lay among wild ferns and branched out in two directions in front of a central fountain. The fountain was two-tiered, with the larger pool on the bottom. Water ran over the top bowl and gently splashed into its lower brethren. Lilly-pads floated atop the water, and there was a perfection reflection of the sky in the clear pool. Atop the fountain was a statue of a seated wolf. Its head was tilted back and it appeared to howl at the moon.
The stone paths wrapped around the fountain and reunited on the other side. The single trail wound its way through a small forest of willow and oak trees until it disappeared around a bend. Stone benches and small bushes lined the path, and I saw there were purple lilacs like those that adorned Lady Greenwood's head.
Moonlight streamed down from the clear sky and wrapped us in its cold embrace. I cringed when the fire in my right arm was reignited where lay the new tattoo. I clutched the strange image and turned away from the light. The pain subsided.
The woman stepped out into the garden and turned to me. Her blond hair turned to silver beneath the moonlight, and she appeared to glow with an unearthly light. She held out a hand and smiled at me. "Don't fight it."
"Fight what?" I returned.
"Your new nature," she told me.
"New nature? What the hell are you talking about?" I growled.
"You're a werewolf now, like the rest of us," she revealed.
I scowled at her and stepped back into the darkness of the hall. "You're crazy if you think I'm going to believe that bullshit," I spat back.
She took a step towards me with her hand still held out to me. "Please. Trust me."
"You've taken me for a long enough walk. I want answers. Now," I demanded.
Lady Greenwood dropped her hand, but her smile never faltered. "I see. You will take that path. That's just as well."
"The only path I'm taking is the one out of here," I bit back. I glanced down both ends of the hall, but didn't see another exit. "Just as soon as you tell me where it is."
"That is a question I won't answer," she replied.
I rolled my eyes. "Fine, then tell me where this 'Den' is."
"It is on Wolf Island."
"Of course it is. Where's Wolf Island?"
"If you seek escape, the nearest human settlement is a hundred miles off through thick woods and rough roads," she warned me.
I frowned. "That's for me to decide. Where were all the other girls taken?"
"Each was given a husband who best suited them and they were taken to his house," she explained.
Damn it. We were separated. "Where are these houses? On the island?" I guessed.
She nodded. "Yes, and on other islands on the lake. Our pack is quite large."
I waved off the last bit of info. "All I want to know is how to make it a dozen people less. Now, how do I get to one of the houses? The one with the youngest girl?" Lillian would be my first rescue.
Lady Greenwood closed her eyes and shook her head. "I won't help you to separate them from their husbands."
I stepped back so I stood completely in the hallway. "Then I guess I'll have to do it on my own."
I turned and ran to the left where we'd come. My nose collided into the firm chest of someone who was a head taller than me. I fell back onto my rear and looked up into the frowning face of the young man from the banquet hall; Lady Greenwood's son, and my husband.
He gave me a derisive look and turned to his mother. His voice was firm and clear, and there was a tense edge to it. "What are you doing here?" he questioned her.
The depths of her eyes showed amusement. "Merely showing your betrothed her new home," she told him.
One corner of his lips curled up in a sneer. "I have no betrothed."
Lady Greenwood nodded at me. "She begs to differ."
I struggled to my feet and stumbled away from him. "No, she doesn't," I retorted.
Lady Greenwood ignored me and returned her attention to her son. She stepped up to him and set a hand on his shoulder. Her voice was a ghost of a whisper as she gazed into his stern face. "Whatever put the idea into your father's head, don't blame your mate for his actions."
He scowled and shrugged off her hand. "He has attached a human female to me against both our wills, and yet you agree with this?"
She smiled and shook her head. "You know me better than that, my son."
"Then you agree with his decision to shackle me to a worthless human?" he growled.
For the first time I saw a look of anger pass over the lady's face. She stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her. "You forget that I, too, was once a human female, or does your mother repulse you so much?"
The man's face fell and he bowed his head to her. "I'm sorry. I forgot myself."
She nodded to me. "Then at least remember your mate. She stands there in those filthy clothes while you complain about her past when her future is so cloudy to her. Teach her, train her, and, perhaps, learn to love her." Lady Greenwood turned and swept down the stone path.
The young man watched her leave until she was out of sight. He sighed and hung his head. Now was my chance. I tiptoed backwards. My path led me along an unknown hall, but it led me away from him.
"You are headed the wrong way," the man spoke up. He hadn't so much as flickered his eyes at me, but he did now. "Follow me." He turned his back to me and strode down the hall.
I made a break for it in the opposite direction. My bare feet pounded the rock floor worn smooth by countless years of wear. I pumped my arms and kicked my legs forward. My eyes zoomed in on the nearest corner. If I could just reach that.
A wind blew past me and I rammed into something hard. Again I fell to the ground, and again when I looked up there stood my new tormentor, the young Greenwood.
I glared up at him. "How'd you do that?" I questioned him.
"Follow me and I will tell you," he replied.
I snorted. "You sound like your mom."
His reply was to lean down and grab the front of my shirt. He pulled me to my feet, spun me around and pushed me down the hall. "The room is this way, now move it."
I glared at him over my shoulder. "How'd I get stuck with you?" I growled.
"My sentiments are the same," he quipped.
CHAPTER 6