Page 105 of Wolf's Endgame

“You fucked up,” Leo told me harshly. “The alpha’s angry. We can all feel it.” Gripping my bicep, he pulled me across the ground. “We stay low and we move fast.” He eyed me angrily. “Got it?” I nodded once. “You won’t give me any shit?” I shook my head, my throat too swollen with holding back tears. “Let’s move it.”

I followed Leo dutifully. I knew I’d fucked up. Cannon might never talk to me again, and I’d taken one of the pack’s prime fighters out of the fight. I didn’t lift my head, I didn’t turn to look at the melee, I just followed Leo’s lead.

We were hundreds of yards from the fight, almost clear completely, when I heard Cass scream.

My whole body whipped itself around, and I was running back to the fight, not hearing Leo’s savage curse or giving any thought to who could see me. Cass screamed again, and I shifted to my wolf.

I dashed into the fray, feeling the adrenaline surge through my veins. With each stride, a surge of determination pulsed through me, my shifter instincts heightening my physical capabilities, making me stronger and faster. Amidst the turmoil, the sharp odor of blood cut through the air, blending with the cries of my comrades and foes, only fortifying my resolve. My focus zeroed in on the sole objective: to get to Cass.

I felt others reach for me, but I was too swift, too evasive. I deftly navigated the battlefield with astonishing ease, skillfully evading any attacks that came my way.

I saw her ahead, in the doorway of the compound, on her knees with her father’s hand wrapped in her hair, holding her in place. Keeping her down. Beside her lay the unmoving body of her twin. Bale didn’t see me, his focus to his left, and when I looked, I saw the body of a broken tawny wolf.

No.

With a thunderous roar that echoed through the air, I sprang at Bale, unleashing my sharpened claws. I bared my teeth as I went for his neck. He turned just as I landed on him, jerking his head back, my fangs narrowly missing his neck. With a loud thump, we landed in a heap on the unforgiving ground, our bodies tangled together. I lunged for his throat, my claws tearing through his flesh with a sickening sound. As he shifted, the brute strength of the pack leader knocked me back.

Shaking my head, I got to my feet. We circled each other warily. Every movement was measured, every step calculated, as we assessed each other’s strength and determination. As we crouched in anticipation, our muscles coiled tightly like springs, every heartbeat seemed to resonate with the ancient, instinctual rhythm of the hunt.

Bale leaped forward first, and I surged to meet him. Claws dug into my side, and I bit into his shoulder, tearing at his fur. His hind leg dragged down my belly, slicing me open, and I yelped in pain. Agony ripped through me, but I refused to yield, my resolve unbroken even as my blood spilled freely. With a roar of rage, I fought back, driven by an unwavering determination to protect myself from his relentless attack. I fought on despite the overwhelming pain, refusing to let him get the best of me. Not again.

Bale’s teeth circled my throat, and he flung me aside, and I went crashing to the ground. He stood over me, saliva dripping from his fangs. I tried to push myself to my feet when the black wolf soared over me, knocking Bale off of me.

Cannon.

The black wolf pinned Bale to the ground, and in one sudden violent move, he ripped the pack leader’s throat open. Turning to look at me, Cannon had blood dripping from his mouth, and I fell back as all my pain came rushing back into my awareness.

Cannon rushed to me, shifting mid-run and landing on his knees at my side. “Kezia, you need to shift. You need to shift and shift again. Right now, Kezia.” He reached out to touch me, hand pulling back as if he was scared to touch my fur. “Shift now, Kezia.”

I felt the alpha’s Will and I screamed as the shift forced my human body to endure the immense pain.

Shift.

I did, with his help. My wolf was panting, my heart racing.

Again.

I was sobbing so hard I could hardly breathe. Blood poured from my human body faster than it should have.

SHIFT.

His Will once more surrounded me, and I was my wolf again. His hands were in my fur, his forehead against mine. “One more time, sweetheart, one more time,” he pleaded.

I shook my head and he gripped my fur tighter.

Shift.

The pain didn’t ease. It was still so much…so much. My fingers dug into the ground as I tried to crawl away from the intense agony.

“Shift again.” Cannon looked away from me for a moment. “Bring him,” he barked.

As my wolf, I tried to get closer to my alpha. A tight hold on my neck, he held me back. “Not yet, I need you to shift one more time.”

I could feel the healing power of Luna as I lay on the ground, but there was so much pain. It had lessened some, but not as much as it should have.

I shifted once more to my human form, the fight to shift taking more of my strength. I knew I was still bleeding. I was burning.

“She’s still bleeding,” he said to someone close by. “Why is she still bleeding?”

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