Page 61 of Brutal Mate

Kane was already too far gone. His shift was already coming. He couldn't have stopped his wolf even if he had wanted to. And as he shifted, he easily slipped past Jack, darting from their hiding place before anyone could stop him.

“Fuck!” Jack exclaimed.

“Looks like we're going in!” Hanson added. For the newest member of their group, he was always the readiest to fight for the pack. And that was just what Kane needed right now as he was met in the yard by two enemy wolves who had charged off the porch, shifting as they went.

Yet more streamed right around the back of the building as if they had sensed the danger from a mile away.

One raised their head, howling at the sky, and Kane knew exactly what that sound meant. He was calling for backup.

Every second counted, and so he threw himself at the closest wolf, aiming directly for the throat.

There would be no time to waste, no opportunity to maim and injure rather than kill.

In a situation like this, it was kill or be killed. And so Kane snapped the neck of the first wolf just seconds before his companion landed on top of him.

He and Kane rolled end over end, clawing and biting at each other until Kane finally managed to get a grip on his throat, too.

The wolf whimpered as if begging for mercy, but Kane was past that. All he saw was red as he clamped down hard, feeling the breath caught between his jaws.

The second the wolf's body went limp, he turned to look for the next.

And it was then he was lost in a sea of opponents. Overwhelmed, he was pinned to the floor, the breath knocked out of him by the sheer weight of his enemies.

Still, he battled on, determined not to be stopped. For each one he managed to knock away, another one took its place.

It was hopeless. It didn't matter how much anger and adrenaline coursed through him. He couldn't fight them all on his own.

Then he heard the panicked howling coming from somewhere off in the distance.

The pounding of human feet slapping hard on the floor seemed to distract his opponents momentarily.

Kane took his opportunity and knocked a couple away with well-aimed blows from his paws before he grabbed a third by the throat and rolled, dragging the wolf beneath him to finish him off.

Several of the other wolves had already turned and fled by the time he looked up to figure out what was going on.

He chuckled a little when he saw Jack and Will's wolves chasing humans from the barn before they turned and came running back the other way, snapping at the wolves who had been hot on their heels, clearly displeased by having lost their terrified flock.

Kane took a second to breathe with relief. A distraction was just the thing they had needed.

Jack and Will letting the newly shifted out of the barn had worked to take the edge off, and glancing around, Kane saw that Hanson, Eddie and Zander were already making quick work dispatching those left behind by the wolves who were more interested in reclaiming their progenies.

Seeing that the enemies in the yard were being taken care of, Kane whipped around and continued on his way up the porch steps.

The commotion in the house had quieted. He was terrified for what might have become of Miley.

Throwing himself through the open door, he was met by several more wolves who had clearly hung back to defend the house.

Kane killed the first one easily, but the others were much more difficult.

There seemed to be an endless number of werewolves coming out of the woodwork of the house. He managed to kill only two before he was overwhelmed all over again, pinned to the floor by the weight of several wolves.

Feeling teeth meet in the back of his neck, he forced himself to relax, whimpering as if to surrender.

And when he felt the fangs loosening once more, he surged upwards, sending his opponent flying.

Just as quickly, another took his place. This one would not be so easily fooled, and though Kane fought hard, knocking the new wolf backwards several times, he was quickly overpowered by the other wolves coming in from all sides.

Just when he thought there might be no hope left, a streak of dark ash-blonde fur streaked past him.

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