The wind whipped through my hair, my ears fttened against my head. Still, evehe noise, I heard the beating of furious wings. Though the wind stung my eyes, I mao look up in time to see a massive golden dragon. The sight of it sent a bolt of fear rag down my spine. On reflex, my arms pulled me closer to the wolf’s back.

  The dragon’s massive head turned just enough for me to see its eye as it blinked once before speeding off. While its fast escape was a relief, nothing was as calming as the sight of Ginger riding on the dragon’s back. Before I could ask Liam about the dragon’s identity, the wolf sped up.

  Blurred shapes turned into smears of color as he moved ever faster. The tuook a matter of seds to cross. Its darkness ing and going without providing enough time for me to even really blink. Then the wolf started to slow down until it reached a light trot as roached the city.

  Guards bustled around the pce. It almost looked like someone came and kicked over a hor's . Given the giant dragon cirg toward the ground, I didn’t bme them. It nded o Liam. Ginger dropped lightly to the ground as the dragon was enveloped by a mist of light and mana. When it dispersed, the dragon was gone, repced with a clothed and serious-looking Pendragon.

  “I thought dragons didn’t let anyone ride them.” Liam’s voice caused his chest to rumble between my legs. The vibrations traveled up my body and soothed something deep inside.

  “And I thought wolves were the same way.” Pendragon shot back.

  “I wasn’t going to have her holding onto my tail at that speed,” Liam spoke as we walked towards the gate. The guards, while still a bit annoyed, looked like they were not as alert as before.

  “Well, unlike you, I don’t pn to let just anyone ride me.”

  “And what does that mean?” Ginger lightly spped his shoulder. Well, light to these people. With how his body shifted from the blow, I didn’t think it was all that light.

  Pendragon stopped the turn and shifted enough to pull her into his chest. While his voice was low and spoken into her hair, my suddenly attentive and focused ears were able to pick up what he said. “I meant that you are the only ohat will ever ride me. Whether that be while I am a dragon or a man.” My cheeks burned as the various meanings of his statement flit through my head. Judging by her expression, I wasn’t the only oher.

  Liam scoffed before speeding up his walk to a jog. That plus the fact that they had e to a stop to do whatever they were going to do, meant that we left quickly left them behind. No longer distracted by the overly affeate couple, I found myself looking around.

  The fact that people didn’t react to the fact that a giant wolf was slipping around them as it made its way through the crowd told me all I o know about this pce. Even if I didn’t notice it earlier, this city and its people were much more open and mixed.

  While going from the middle of the wildero the city took a minute or two, crossing the city took a bit longer. Still, we arrived at the dark spire to find a group of guards preventing anyone from entering or leaving the pce. One of them stepped forward at the sight of us approag and shouted, “Stop.”

  “Let us through,” Liam growled.

  The guards raised their right hands to their foreheads in a salute. Still, the first guard refused to move. “We are under orders to not let ahrough. No exceptions were given.”

  “Whose orders?” Pendragon’s voice cut over Liam’s ever-increasing growl as he and Ginger made their way out of the crowd.

  “Senator Ismail.”

  “Since when did a senator have power over the military or security?” While the dragon’s voice sounded calm, I could hear the anger bubblih the surface.

  A Middle Eastern voice cut over the noise as a man in a long flowing robe smoothly walked up behind the guards. “Sinone of you have mao stop the deaths of a strategic resource, time and time again.”

  Liam’s voice seemed to drop even further. “So your answer is to just bar us from doing our jobs?” As he spoke, my hand reached forward and started to scratch behind one of his ears. The effect, while subtle, was instant. I could feel it as some of his muscles released the tension that was building ihem.

  “We have a few people from one of uilds looking into the matter.” The man flicked a hand. “If you will give me your word that you will stay away from the Oracle se of the building, I authorize your entry. After all, we do still need you to do your other duties.” The man made it sound like he was doing Liam a favor but even I khat this was nothing but a power py. This man was showing Liam just how much power he had and that he was more than willing to use it.

  Now that the man had shown part of his hand, the question was, what would Liam and Pendragon do? I almost worried that one or the other would try to kill the guy. Thankfully, my stomach chose that moment to let out a furious growl. Almost as if I had eaten a wolf and now it wanted out.

  The sound seemed to remind Liam that I was here. Sure, he could fight but I would end up hurt or worse. Since he khat Xander had a o protect me, he didn’t want anything to happen to me lest he incur the man's wrath. “Fine, but I WILL be bringing this up with the assembly at the meeting.”

  “Go ahead.” While I didn’t know the guy very well, I was sure that he was smirking. As if he knew something or had some sort of agreement going on that Liam didn’t know yet. Something that made him fident that he would win this argument.

  But, with the verbal agreement, the guards moved out of the way long enough to let the four of us pass between them. Just as we were about to ehe building, the man spoke up. “I know I agreed to let the two of you eo do your jobs and I uand the need for the Foxkin to stay with her mate, but I don’t recall letting the Kitsuer.” My fur bristeled at his tone.

  Liam stopped mid-step and twisted his head to look at the idiot stopping us. “She is o this city and must be under a trusted shifter’s wattil her trol be ascertained as you well know.”

  “Are you saying that you have no other shifters that you trust?” Oh boy, even I khat was a bad question to ask anyone in a leadership role, let alohis alpha.

  “One, I don’t see any other shifters arouhat I give her to.” Liam’s voice grew cold as he tinued. “And she is also under Kai’s prote. He entrusted her to his sister when he was forced to leave town.”

  The man sneered as he looked me up and down. “I don’t see what he could see in this girl. She isn’t pretty or boasts anything one could call an asset. Unless he is into tails but if that were the case then he would only have to ask. I am sure that some of his animal-shaped fans would be more than willing to join him if he wanted pany for a night. And even if she did, she should not be out without something to hide her face. Especially around other men. Add to that the fact that she is out without a family member as an escort. She should be ashamed of herself fing shame on her family.”

  Ringing filled my ears, drowning someone's ranting. Instead, my mind spat sparks and sputtered as I tried to figure out what I was more upset about. The fact that he was implying that Xander was with me because I had animal traits or that I wasn’t pretty enough for ao want.

  As I tried to figure that out, my mind fritzed even harder as I realized, at some point, I had ged. Not even a couple of days ago I would have been freaking over his words for a pletely different reason. Freaking out over the remihat I was no longer a man or even huma I wasn’t. When had that ged?

  The st time I could recall freaking out about being female was when I ged into a fox for my first run. After that the man below me kept me distracted enough to not even notiaybe it was some sort of magic he was casting on me. Was it something pack-based to keep me calm? Maybe it was the power he, as the alpha, released without realizing it? I holy had no idea and that scared me. Was any of my thoughts mine or were they being influenced? I o get away, now, while I had the ce.

  “You seem busy. I think I will just head back.” The words e out in a rush, more of a courtesy than me asking him or out of obligation to keep him informed as to where I would be. Plus, while he might think that I was heading back to the shifter pound, I actually po wander around until I found the guild hall. Then maybe I could rent a room or something until Xander came back.

  Mentally, I called for my shift to a fox. As the transformation washed over my body, I realized I had fotten about my clothes. They were still on me and would tangle up my feet the moment I went to run. With hope and a prayer to the creator of the system, I tried th all of them into my iory. Thankfully, ead every pietered it without fanfare or resistance.

  With a twist of my body and a burst of mana, I turned a off Liam’s back. My aim erfect as my body sailed between two of the guards. As my front paws touched the ground, my back curved upward to allow my back paws to nd close to them. While I had expected it to feel awkward, I wao be as effit as possible so that I had some ce to get away. Too bad I wouldn’t find out.

  “Oh no you don’t,” Liam said as something cmped around the bay neck before my hi could nd. Whatever it was lifted me up and turo face to guards. Now, I know what yoing to ask. Why didn’t I just try and fight my way free? There was something about the way I was beihat stopped me from being able to do so. To say it was discerting to have no trol over my own body was a bit of an uatement.

  “You should have just let her go.” The man said from where he watched. All he got in reply was a growl that vibrated my whole body. Given that it emanated from whoever was holding onto my scruff, I was fairly sure it was Liam. God that guy moved fast.

  I let out a light whine in protest of his handling of me. His growling cut off in an instant as he sped up to a light t into the building. Two turns ter and I found myself pletely lost. Either this pce was a maze with curving walls or it was bigger on the inside because I was fairly sure we should be outside given how far we had walked.

  Unlike me, Liam seemed to know where he was going because he soon came to a stop near a door with his name on it. Well, I assumed his st name eddlefoot. Everything else on it matched. Still, the door was shut. One of us would have to switch back to get it open as I retty sure that paws would not cut it.

  Of course, Liam decided to prove me wrong. As if he had practiced many times before, the guy lifted a paw and slowly twisted the nob. Moments ter, the door popped open with a light squeal from the hinges.

  The inside of the room was fairly wo chairs faced a massive desk set in the ter of the room. On one wall a table filled with papers and items sat. While iher er, o an unopened door, sat a dog bed of all things. The damned alpha walked up to the dog bed and plopped me into its ter. “Stay here.” That was all he said before his hulking body vanished behind the sed door. Yeah, that wasn’t happening.