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He opened his jaws but snapped them shut again as a force impacted him from the side and he hit the ground. Hunter was younger and slimmer than his opponent, but his training made him a far better fighter. He didn’t wait for Carter to recover from his attack, bending down to quickly rip Carter’s throat and let him bleed.
Sarah watched the whole thing in horror, terrified for her son.Be careful!
I’m fine. Can you get up?He turned his back to her, ready to defend her from the next strike.
The impact and surprise had knocked the wind out of her, but Sarah found that her body was cooperating now.I’m good. You need to get out of here. This isn’t your fight.
The hell it isn’t! I was forced to grow up without a mother because of these assholes.Hunter looked off to the right.I think Conner needs help.
Go! I’m all right.Sarah pushed herself to her feet and shook out her fur. She may not have to fight Carter anymore, but this battle was far from over. A short distance away, she heard the terrified scream of a wolf. She charged in that direction, ready to help, but she stopped short as a ball of fire exploded in the ground right in front of one of the Greystones. Sarah looked back toward the house, expecting Dawn or Joan.
Instead, it was Ava. She stood in her human form, her hands and fingers working quickly as wolves fought all around her. A blast went up just in front of a Greystone guard, sending him reeling backward. Frank charged at the girl, determined to be rid of the problem he’d been stuck with for so long. He had to pay for his arrogance when he ran forward despite the constant barrage from her magic. Dirt kicked up as a column of fire spouted up in front of him. There was no time for him to dodge out of the way.
There you are!
Sarah heard Gina’s voice inside her head and instinctively dodged to the side. Her aunt’s attack missed, but she easily swung around and came back for her.I’m so sick of having to deal with you, you little bitch!
I guess you don’t have a choice now.Sarah felt her body tiring already. Even in wolf form, she wasn’t ready for this. But she’d fight until there was no breath left in her if it meant a safe future for her children. She swerved to the side as Gina approached her again, looking for an opening.
But her father’s sister was much more prepared for this than she was. She’d come at Sarah offset, like they were two knights in a jousting tournament. Just as Sarah thought she was about to pass her by, Gina thrust her paws into the dirt and shoved her shoulder into Sarah’s side. Sarah crumpled to the ground, and Gina pounced.
Sarah fought to protect the most vulnerable parts of her body, but her aunt was everywhere. Her claws scraped and her teeth gnashed as Sarah squirmed beneath her. If she rolled over and got to her feet, she’d expose her back, and Gina would be all over her again. If she stayed where she was, she risked Gina getting a hold of her throat or ripping her belly open. Blood trickled through her fur.
As she struggled, Sarah’s mind retreated from her body. She was back at the Greystone packhouse, but not as a captive. This was even longer ago than that, back when she was just a child.
“You’re a meek little bitch just like your mother,” Gina had said, a half-burned cigarette hanging out of her mouth. “I’ve never liked her, and I don’t really care for you, either.”
It was a ridiculous slight. It shouldn’t even matter, considering Sarah hadn’t been fond of Gina even before that time. But she was just a little girl.
The icing on the cake was the laughter she could still hear ringing through the living room after Gina’s cackle: her father’s.
Sarah returned to the present moment as though she’d fallen back into her body. A renewed energy flowed into her muscles, ignited by the way she’d been treated. She shoved her paws up into Gina’s stomach.You’re my aunt! You should have looked out for me! You should have cared for me.
Gina tossed her head back in surprise but quickly regained herself, twisting her head to the side and snapping her jaws too close to Sarah’s throat.You always were a whiner. That’s fine. We’ll take care of you and the rest of these freaks. We’ve got more silver collars at the packhouse for anyone left alive.
Not if I have anything to do with it.Her claw raked through the thin skin near Gina’s flank, sending out a warm spurt of blood.You’ll never do that to me or my children again.
Gina moved her back paw, twisting away from the writhing wolf beneath her to keep the wound from tearing further open.No, because we’ll kill you and then we’ll kill your Glenwood-spawned brats. I’ll gladly do it myself. Slowly.
Sarah shoved her back paw upward once again, thrashing against the open wound. Gina sidestepped, and Sarah saw her opening. She thrust herself upwards. It was her only shot. Her jaws closed around Gina’s throat, and she yanked her head to the side.
“Stop!”
Sarah lay panting in a pool of blood. Gina was dead, as were several others, but there were still so many Greystones in the field adjacent to the packhouse. She had to get back up and keep fighting. She rolled to the side and hoisted herself to her paws.
“Stop!” the voice called out again, and this time Sarah recognized it as belonging to her mother. She watched as Janice walked into the field in human form. She held her hands clasped behind her back, completely defenseless. Sarah’s heart lurched to see her there.
“As your pack Luna, I command you to stop fighting!” Janice lifted her chin as she strode through the field. Her shoulders were back, her eyes resolute as she moved toward the very center of the battle.
The Greystones paused, confused. The Glenwoods stopped as well, waiting. They watched her warily while keeping an eye on their erstwhile opponents.
Edward, in the center of the fray, stepped back from the Glenwood brothers and shifted back to his human form so that he could speak to her. “What the hell is this, woman?”
“I’ve come to put a stop to this,” Janice announced. Her eyes met Sarah’s for a brief moment before she looked back at her mate.
He laughed at her. “Are you kidding me? This doesn’t have anything to do with you. Go home where you belong.”
“I won’t.” She lifted her chin higher. “Edward, what you’ve done is wrong. You’ve led this entire pack in the wrong direction simply because it suited your own purposes. You mistreated our daughter and granddaughter, and you forced everyone else to follow along with you lest they face the same consequences.”
