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“Easy for you to say when you’ve got two hunters by your side.”
“Those hunters saved your lives,” I said back. “Go home, everyone,” I said, seeing the shifters on my side getting ready to jump into the fray. “We don’t need this escalating into something bigger that the humans will catch onto.”
“Who cares about the humans?” one shifter spat, his eyes narrowed in disdain. “This is about us, our rights, and our town.”
“Exactly.” I tried to keep my voice level. “But causing chaos won’t help any of us. It’ll just put us all in danger. We need to handle this rationally, not with violence.”
“Greenthorne knows what’s best for us!” a female voice yelled from the back. “He’ll lead us to greatness. Not like you, Ridge.”
“Greatness?” I scoffed. “You mean, tearing this town apart for his own selfish gains? That’s not greatness; that’s destruction.”
“Your words mean nothing!” another voice roared. “You’re just a puppet of the hunters, and we won’t stand for it!”
“Fucking enough!” I bellowed, my patience wearing thin. “We are all in this together, whether you like it or not. It’s time to put aside our differences and find a way to coexist peacefully. So go home, all of you, before you make things even worse.”
“Never!” someone yelled, their defiance clear as day. “Not until Greenthorne is free!”
“No more of your lies, Ridge Blackwood,” someone else added. “We deserve the truth. Humans should know we exist. This is our town!”
I clenched my fists as the crowd mimicked Christie Greenthorne’s words. I had to stay focused on de-escalating the situation, but it was getting harder with every passing second.
“Living out in the open will only make us targets, don’t you understand?” I tried to appeal to their reason. “It’s not about hiding who we are. It’s about surviving, about finding peace.”
“Ha, peace?” Christie spat from her cell. “You think we can have peace with the likes of you leading us? No, we need a new pack. One that won’t bow down to the humans or the hunters. One that will take back Blackwood Creek and return it to its former glory.”
“Dividing ourselves further will only weaken us,” I argued, my voice firm. “We need unity, not more conflict and chaos.”
“Unity under you?” Christie said disdainfully. “Never. We’d rather fight!”
“Then you’ll be fighting alone,” I said, hoping they would see reason. But as I looked around the room, I could see the determination in their eyes, the rage boiling beneath the surface. They were past the point of reasoning.
“Fine! If it’s a fight you want, then it’s a fight you’ll get!” shouted a shifter from the crowd, and suddenly, all hell broke loose.
Claws and fists flew through the air as the room erupted into chaos. The smell of blood filled my nostrils as I tried to dodge the flurry of attacks coming my way. In the midst of the brawl, I caught sight of Clawson trying his best to separate the angry shifters.
“Clawson!” I yelled, but my words were lost in the noise and confusion. “Stay back, let me handle this!”
But it was too late. A powerful blow sent Clawson crashing into a nearby wall, his body crumpling to the floor. It ignited something within me, a fierce protectiveness that demanded retribution.
I roared, my voice echoing through the room. “This ends now!”
“Make us!” someone taunted, their eyes gleaming with defiance. “You don’t control us anymore.”
Christie sneered. “Talk all you want. It won’t change anything. We’re done following your rules.”
“Then I’ll show you what happens when you turn against your own kind,” I growled. There was no other choice. I had to put an end to this madness before it destroyed everything I had fought so hard to protect.
“Bring it on,” Christie said, her eyes locked onto mine through the violence around us.
“Ridge, watch out!” Tori’s words rang out through the chaos as the Greenthornes’ followers converged on me.
“Come on, you cowards! All at once?” I snarled, fists clenched, ready for the onslaught. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, making my hands shaky. I was desperate to stop the violence and protect my people, but it seemed that the only way to do that now was through brute force. And I wouldn’t hold back.
“Ridge isn’t fit to lead,” one of them spat, lunging toward me with a wild swing.
“Is that so?” I countered, dodging the blow and landing a powerful punch of my own, the crunch of cartilage beneath my knuckles satisfying me. “I suppose you traitors are a better option?”
“You failed us!” another shouted as he attempted to tackle me.
