A knife came sailing by, impaling the wolf closest to me. He jerked, and his fetid breath reached where I sat. Turo stomped past, coming from the opposite direction, twisting the downed wolf in one beefy arm before jerking his knife out of the carcass. The other wolf reared back on his hind legs as Turo motioned him forward, his big body between the wolves and me. He grunted as the deranged wolf attacked, the small claws leaving a trail of blood across his forearm. And still I kept to my corner, motionless and quiet.
“You stay down and keep my baby safe. Fire at anything that looks like those fuckers. However, I’m gonna have your brother buy me the next box of bullets.” His gravelly voice was barely above a whisper. Turo leaped over the counter in one smooth move. Whatever had drawn his attention howled in pain and then went silent.
The sound of large claws clacking against the cement flooring had me swiveling to the left. I raked my gaze from the black claws of a male wolf up to the towering face of pure evil. He was clearly an alpha with no moral compass, and he knew exactly where I was. His eyes didn’t skitter back and forth searching—they just zeroed in on my hiding spot. I jerked back, hoping he didn’t see me, but knew it was useless as the sound of his footfalls came closer.
I jumped up, abandoning my sanctuary, with the AR-15 pointed straight at his chest, which was eye level with my head. Fuck, he was bigger than Kellen and Xan. Keeping my back to the wall, I looked expectantly off to the side. No savior in sight.
Two more leaped over the bar, startling me. The gun wavered, and then my will to live and fight kicked in. I smiled the same shit-eating grin that always got me in trouble, a look that set my brother’s back teeth on edge. The big bad wolf snarled while his two minions scrabbled for purchase. Lifting the gun to my shoulder, I fired, my aim true. The kick knocked me off balance for a moment, a distraction that cost me leverage. A rousing chorus of howls rent the air. My grip on the machine gun didn’t ease, even as the larger wolf jumped on top of me. With the barrel pointing toward the wall, I eased off the trigger, not wanting to accidentally hit one of my packmates.
His hatred for me was palpable. Blood dripped onto me from a wound in his side. I wanted to cheer at the damage I’d caused. “You’re a coward, wolf. You may be the alpha of your pack, but you will never be a real alpha. You can kill me, but what does that get you?” I spoke to the wolf, knowing he could hear and understand me. “I won’t turn my neck. You don’t deserve that distinction,” I spat.
Chapter Twelve
My heart was threatening to burst out of my chest. The Iron Wolves Club looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie. The truck I’d been riding in hadn’t come to a complete stop when I’d jumped out. The scent of death and blood assaulted my senses. Seeing the doors ripped off, the other men and I ran through, some shifted, others half-shifted. I searched for Lyric through the fighting. Kellen told me to follow my nose. I wasn’t sure what the other man meant until I’d come face to face with an onslaught of wolves I’d never met. Instinct and scent told me which were on our side.
I ducked as a wolf came sailing over my head. The lifeless body was one of our enemies, making me breathe easier. Abrupt gunfire brought everyone to a grinding halt. The sound was one I was familiar with from my combat days. I wasn’t sure who had fired the deadly weapon until the petite form of my mate was the only one near the sound still firing. She held the black gun, shooting at two large wolves as they charged her. My eyes widened when another wolf, larger than any I’d seen, leaped on top of her.
I would kill the wolf. I shifted, uncaring of my clothes ripping. The brown wolf had Lyric caged beneath him while she taunted him. Oh, I was so gonna spank her or bite her. The big gun looked ready to bend beneath the pressure of the wolf. A sinking feeling that I was too late entered my mind. I wouldn’t allow it. She’d saved me. It was my turn to save her. Then I’dbend her over my knee and spank her beautiful heart-shaped ass, after I made love to her.
My wolf pushed the human side of me back, snarling a warning at the larger wolf. With Xan coming at the wolf from behind, Lyric was in a very precarious position. I could see the metal giving. Her strength was no match for man or beast as she used the gun to keep the wolf from getting to her throat. And then she shocked me by shifting. The swiftness of the action startled the wolf as well, allowing Lyric a chance to shimmy out from under him.
Lunging across the space, I slammed into him head-on. The gun went off, causing everyone to jump except me. Blood oozed from wounds on the other wolf. The fucker swung his head back and forth, looking for a way out. With Xan blocking one end and me the other, he had no chance of escape. I flicked my wolven tongue out and licked my fangs, taunting the other beast. My focus narrowed down to what the other would choose to do now that he was cornered.
My opponent’s hind legs shifted, a slight twist. A bullet had hit him in the left leg, making the leap over the bar almost impossible. He looked to be thinking of trying, and then turned toward Xan, barreling into Lyric’s brother with all his might. The action was swift and vicious as he swiped a huge paw aimed to take out Xan’s jugular, but my mate’s brother was faster. Xan’s growl was chilling. He knocked the brown wolf to the side, falling into the pool of blood.
I glanced around to check on Lyric. Her wolf stood proud, shaking debris from broken bottles from her fur. Acceptance of what I had to do shone in her amber depths.
Stalking the beast that tried to kill my mate across the cement floor, I snapped my teeth, growling out a challenge. A huge man, with tattoos on both arms, and two other men, equally as big, blocked the door, grins on their faces that didnot make them look any less menacing. The brown wolf turned around, his gaze taking in what was left of his crew. A howl of rage flew from him. My howl was louder.
Not knowing the protocol on wolf fights, uncaring about how they should go, I charged the wolf. His injuries were too severe, and the brown wolf didn’t put up much of a fight. The light of battle had already begun to dim as I locked my jaws around the other’s throat. I took pleasure in ending the wolf’s life, not repulsed by the blood in my mouth. My wolf shook its head back and forth, making sure the enemy wouldn’t get up.
“You can let go now, my love.” Lyric stood behind me, her face streaked with grime.
“You, little missy, owe me an AR-15. Do you know how much they cost?” Turo walked up holding the pieces of his gun.
I wanted to smile, but, in my wolf form, found it probably didn’t quite look the same. “You scared of being naked in front of all these boys?” she asked, scratching my head.
Yeah, my woman was in so much trouble. I shifted, uncaring of my nudity. “I’ll get you the newest model.” I looked up at the man standing far too close.
“Rowan, this is Arturo, but he goes by Turo. Turo, this is my mate.” She shifted from foot to foot as she realized what she’d called me.
Her words caused my wolf to settle. “Dude, put some clothes on. You’re gonna make Xan jealous and shit.” Kellen slapped me on the back, a pair of sweats landing at my feet. They obviously kept supplies of extra clothes everywhere. My shoes were trashed, but I’d walked over a lot worse.
“Pretty sure I ain’t heard no complaints, bro. As a matter of fact,” Xan stopped talking, laughing as Lyric tossed a piece of metal at him.
“If you value your manhood, I suggest you don’t finish that.” Lyric glared at him.
Turo nudged Xan aside. “Shut it. This guy was just explaining how he was replacing my baby.” The light that shone in the otherwise harsh face was almost comical.
“I can get you a replacement. No problem.” I waved away his concerns.
I recognized the woman with flowing black hair that would stop traffic in any major city, strolling through the door. Her blue eyes reminded me of the clearest ocean. If I wasn’t already head over ass in love with Lyric, I’d have fallen in lust at first sight. As it was, my mate elbowed me in the side, a smile on her beautiful face.
“That’s my best friend, Karsyn Styles, Syn to her friends, trouble with a capital T to her brother, Kellen. Oh, and here it comes.”
I was going to question what she meant, but her meaning became obvious in less than twenty seconds. All the wolves in the room stopped what they were doing, stood straight, and stared toward the entryway. Kellen’s shoulders stiffened. His hands flexed into tight fists.
“Karsyn, did I tell you it was safe to leave?”
