The moment I cross the tree line, I shift into wolf form, bones cracking and twisting as my wolf surges forward, fur ripping through my skin in a rush of primal power. The forest blurs around me as I tear across the terrain, paws pounding against the earth.
The pack link buzzes with chaos.
“Three demons down, but they’re rising again!”comes Damian’s voice.
“Another one moving toward the ridge!” James, his beta, roars through the mind link.
“Watch your—” A roar rips through the connection as someone’s voice cuts off abruptly.
My wolf snarls, and the scent hits me seconds later.
Rot.
Sulfur.
Death.
The clearing ahead explodes into view just as one of the demons lunges for James. The creature is taller than any man, its limbs twisted at unnatural angles, skin like charred leatherstretched across jagged bone as it mimics the shape of a wolf most horrifyingly.
I launch myself at it without slowing, my jaws clamping around its throat. Black blood sprays across the grass as the demon shrieks. It fights like a cornered beast, claws slashing across my flank before Dedrick barrels into its side.
The demon collapses under the combined assault. But even as it crumbles into dispersing smoke beneath my claws, something inside me twists violently.
Something about this fight is wrong. The demons aren’t pushing deeper into the valley, or charging toward the wolves, but they’re scattering.
They’re running as if they’ve already accomplished what they came for.
My heart lurches.
The cabin.
Annika.
The realization hits me with such force that I nearly stagger. This wasn’t an attack. It was a distraction.
“Back to the territory!”I snarl through the link, already moving in that direction. My wolf bolts through the trees faster than I’ve ever run before.
Every instinct screams the same horrifying truth.
Too late.
Too late.
Too fucking late.
I’m the fastest on my paws, rushing forward as if this is a race against the others, too focused on what’s ahead ofme to care to look back. When my cabin finally comes into view through the trees, my heart nearly stops. The front door is splintered, a massive shadow crouching in the doorway. A demon’s clawed hand is pushing against the frame as it tries to force its way inside.
Rage explodes through me, and it sends me reeling into a fury of madness, causing me to shift mid-stride, bones snapping back into human form as I charge forward. The demon turns just in time to see me, but I’m already on it. I slam into its back with enough force to drive it into the dirt.
“You will not touch her!” I roar.
The demon shrieks, twisting violently beneath my grip, its vile claws raking across my chest. Pain tears through me as blood pours down my torso, but I barely feel it the way I should.
All I can see is the open doorway behind the creature. All I can think about is Annika inside.
The demon lashes out again, claws slamming into my ribs hard enough to knock the breath from my lungs. Stars explode behind my eyes as it throws me across the yard.
I crash into the ground, barely managing to roll before the creature lunges again. It’s stronger than the others. Faster. And I’m already bleeding too much to remain strong enough to keep fighting.
