Three more.
I can scent where they’re standing, about twenty feet from where Liam and the other wolf are fighting.
I snarl quietly at Ruby and Ilsa.
Stay here.
“You can’t go out there alone.”
I aim my wolfish eyes at Ilsa, staring at her intently. Her face hardens, and she nods.
“I’ll keep her here.”
“Mom....”
“You can’t do anything out there except get yourself hurt.”
I turn, no time to waste, my head rushing with the adrenalin of battle. My body feels like it’s getting harder than metal, the wounds pulsing as thoughthat’smaking me stronger. It’s my human, her closeness, triggering this type of change.
She’s made it so I can save us.
It’sher, always.
Outside, the men raise heavy weapons. These aren’t the small rifles of the other men. These are bigger, with a bandolier of thick chunky bullets. I’m not sure my body would stand up against those.
But it doesn’t have to.
I spring across the grass to the men on silent paws. One of them shoots, and it rushes past my ear, taking a chunk out of it, but then I’m on them.
I snarl and spin in a flurry of violence, lashing out with my paws, smashing my body into one of them. They scatter and land in bone-snapping heaps, roaring in agony.
I grab their guns and toss them away, spinning to them again, leaping at them, and driving them into the ground. I hear their ribs crack, and I know it’s what I have to do.
Hurt them badly, to make sure they can’t move.
Liam.
Bounding across the field, I judge the fight. The other wolf is rangier, all sinewy muscle, whereas Liam’s chunkier. Both of them have taken pieces out of each other, claw marks lashing through Liam’s silver fur. The other wolf has the worst of it; one of his ears is missing as he stumbles in a circle.
Liam snarls at me, not the other wolf.
Leave him. He’s mine.
He’s lost in the wolf, a rarity for Liam. It’s a life-or-death fight. He’d only let himself disappear into that place if he needed the wolf’s deepest ferocity, asanywolf would when facing another.
But there are two of us now. We’re a pack.
That’s what these hunter-wolves never understand. We’re stronger together.
No. I growl.He’s trying to hurt you.
It’s as simple as that. And with a grunt, Liam relents.
The other wolf spins, baring his teeth, suddenly emitting fear signals. He growls as if to call us cowards, but it doesn’t make any sense. He’s weaker than both of us. He’s trying to hurt Liam, my mentor, the man who raised me.
I leap at him.
He spins, lashing out, and Liam takes the opportunity to throw himself at the wolf’s back.