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Wolves tore through the undergrowth after me, but I didn’t stop to look. They let me run, probably toying with me, but I didn’t care. If I could get to the gun, I might turn the tables.
My heart sank for a moment when I saw two wolves racing toward me. Then I caught sight of the white crescent moonmark on the darker one’s forehead. The white wolf beside him blurred through the undergrowth past me, his speed so great that I could feel the wind against my skin.
A symphony of menacing growls, snapping jaws, and vicious snarls echoed through the forest as Heath and Flint tore into my pursuers, but my original plan didn’t change. If I wanted to help my packmates, I needed weapons.
Heath and Flint’s sudden appearance kept the Frost Fang wolves distracted while I made it over the rocky terrain to the incapacitated van. I quickly retrieved my trusty blade, and Gage’s heavy gun from the ground. I did a basic check of the much bigger gun, then rushed right back toward the sound of growling wolves — time was of the essence.
Flint and a Frost Fang wolf were locked in a snarling, growling wrestling match, biting and kicking with powerful teeth and claws. When I saw another wolf circling him, I took aim and fired… almost dropping the gun thanks to the stronger recoil. Fortunately, the wolf went down with a yelp, and I managed to recover from the recoil without disgracing myself. My attack startled the rest, which Flint and Heath used to their advantage, killing their opponents. Heath didn’t hesitate to rush over to the one I’d shot, tearing out their throat as well.
My two protectors looked toward me, their beautiful coats covered in the blood of our enemies. I expected to feel fear or disgust, but the emotion that hit me first was pride. My inner wolf reveled in the sight of her mates’ victory.
“Let’s go help Gage,” I told them, and they fell into step beside me as I ran back toward the clearing.
Fear closed my throat when I saw Gage’s massive wolf go down underneath four smaller wolves. Despite his size and power, they outnumbered him, and I could tell by the way the other wolves moved that they were coordinating their attacks through their pack bond.
I didn’t wait to see how many more might pile onto Gage. Instead, I raised the gun and fired into the air, getting everyone’s attention. Gage used the distraction to shake free of his attackers, snarling and biting until all four paws stood firm again.
Heath and Flint lunged into the fray, attacking the closest two small wolves before they expected it.
With everyone in motion, I was afraid to shoot at anyone, for fear of hitting one of the Howling Echo wolves. Unfortunately, we were still outnumbered, and the tide was turning.
From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of two wolves charging toward me. I brought the gun up and fired, but a voice from behind me startled me, and I missed.
“Unless you want to get shot in the back, drop the gun,” Karina growled.
When I looked over my shoulder, I saw she had her own weapon trained on me. From the look in her eye, I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to shoot me. So I leaned down and let Gage’s gun fall from my fingers, clattering on the rock underfoot. Then I straightened, with my hands out, palms open.
“Surrender,” she yelled. “Or I shoot your precious fuck-toy.”
My stomach knotted as all the wolves froze. One by one, Nira and her wolves shifted back into their two-legged forms, and the Howling Echo wolves followed suit.
A few Frost Fang wolves headed back into the woods, then returned with clothes that they distributed amongst themselves. Nira pulled on her shirt, her expression thunderous.
The Howling Echo was outnumbered and surrounded, but none of my men looked defeated. All three stood naked and proud in the middle of the enemy. Gage’s brows lowered, his lips twisted in a snarl of rage as he glared at Nira. Flint’s cool expression revealed no outward sign of concern with the situation. And Heath smirked at one of the wolves he’d been fighting, as if to say, ‘You wouldn’t win in a fair fight.’
In that moment, I realized how much I’d come to care for my little pack of outcasts. My heart felt too big to fit in my chest, and I ached to set things right, to get us out of here. Or to turn back time and tell Gage not to chance it, not to meet Ingrid again.
What I wanted more than anything was time — the chance to get to know my pack, the men my inner wolf called her mates. I didn’t know how things might shake out between us yet, but I wanted the chance to explore our connection and find out.
And right now, Nira stood in the way of that. She was a power-hungry alpha who clearly didn’t care about anyone but herself. She’d used Gage to get closer to the top of the hierarchy, then jumped ship to his brother. And then killed him once she had what she wanted — pack alpha status.
Now she was intending to take over Ironwood as well. For all I cared, she could have my old pack. The assholes deserved a pack alpha like her, though I hated the thought of my adopted mother and my friend Willow suffering under her rule.
All of the stray thoughts in my mind silenced when Nira turned to me and said, “Fight me, Freya, and show Gage how unworthy you are to be in his pack.”
Chapter 26
Gage
When I went down beneath the pile of smaller wolves, my greatest regret was that Freya had come back and I would be unable to defend her. Seeing Flint and Heath to either side of her stirred something within my wolf. When she fired her warning shot, I gratefully shook free of my attackers and got right back into the fight, my blood hot.
For a moment, everything felt right as my packmates and I fought against our old pack, the ones who’d cast us out. As my fangs sank into another wolf’s fur and flesh, my wolf felt proud to fight for Freya. She’d come back for me, a thought that was so shocking I nearly lost my grip on the other wolf.
Strong mate,my wolf reminded me even as he snarled at the enemy.
I felt like I’d seen a new side to Freya, or perhaps that inner strength had been there all along, and I’d only just noticed it. She couldn’t shift, yet she’d returned to fight alongside us as best she could. My heart filled with pride and love for her, and I made quick work of my opponent. I fought my way toward her, hoping to do what I could to keep her safe.
Through the pack bond, I felt Heath and Flint’s determination to do the same, even as other wolves surrounded them and separated them from Freya. We were toooutnumbered, leaving her undefended. All the fight went out of us when Karina threatened her.
