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He winced as he straightened, and we surveyed the damage: bruises everywhere, cuts on his arms. His shirt was so torn it practically fell off him. Slash marks covered most of his body. Face, neck, chest, stomach. They looked deep and oozed red. The skin around the wounds separated when he breathed. She’d wanted to make it slow, which I supposed I ought to be grateful for. It kept him alive for me.
“Oh my God,” I whispered, wincing in sympathy.
He shook his head. “It’s already better. Now that she’s stopped, it’s better.”
“You should lie still for a while.”
“As long as you keep me company.”
I smiled. “Okay.”
The noise from the pack—ugly, wet noises—had stopped. The wolves remained. Most had Changed to their four-legged selves, pushed over the edge by the blood and violence. But they were all calm now, lying down, licking their paws, or each other’s muzzles. A couple of human forms sat among them, watching them. Their arms were bloody.
There was no sign of Carl.
The wolves gathered around me and Ben. The whole crowd of them, over a dozen, formed a circle around us. When they noticed me looking at them, they glanced away, bowed their heads, laid back their ears, lowered their tails. All signs of submission. All body language that said, You are the leader now.
“I’m not ready for this,” I whispered into Ben’s neck.
“Didn’t you say you wanted kids?”
Not like this. One kid, maybe. A child of my own flesh and blood. Not . . . not a dozen killers. Still, I giggled, high-pitched and nervous.
“O alpha, my alpha,” Ben said, and I punched his arm—very gently. He kissed my forehead.
Shaun hadn’t joined the others in the kill. He’d stayed back, near me. Watching over us.
“You okay, Ben?” he asked.
“Getting there.” He showed no inclination to try the next step of struggling to his feet, but that was fine. We could stay here awhile. We were safe now.
“What are you doing here?” I said, choking on the lump in my throat. “All of you.” A couple of the wolves had perked up their ears, listening to us.
“Mick was watching the house, but when the cop got there he went into the hills. Lost phone reception, so Becky and Wes came looking for him. They caught Carl and Meg’s scent and followed them. Then Rick called me about Ben and Dack. He said he sent the cops here as well. They should be here any minute.”
I let out a bitter laugh. Rick probably thought calling the cavalry made up for sending Ben into danger in the first place.
“Thank you,” I said, instead of swearing a blue streak.
“You looked like you were doing just fine,” Shaun said.
I shrugged. To be honest, I was glad to not have to shoot Carl in the end. I didn’t regret not being the one to pull the trigger on him.
“Wolves hunt in packs,” I said, and left it at that.
Police sirens howled, far at first, but quickly growing closer. Sounded like three or four cars.
I sighed, resigned. I didn’t know how I was going to explain all this.
“Wes!” Shaun called out to one of the pack who was still human. The man stood, displacing a couple of wolves who’d settled in near him. Wes trotted over. “Help me clean up.”
Before moving off to where Meg lay, Shaun said to me, “We’ll take care of it.”
The two men pulled Meg’s body off the ground, hoisting its arms over their shoulders. Meg’s long, dark hair fell forward, masking her face. Quickly they dragged her into the hills, out of sight. There were places they could make bodies disappear. The pack cleaned up its messes. I watched her go, surprised at the hate still welling in me at the sight of her. Gone, she was gone, I had to remind myself. She couldn’t hurt us anymore.
Ben brought me back to earth.
“Nice of them to give us some warning,” Ben said. “It’s Detective Hardin, isn’t it?”
