Page 5 of Oath of Revenge

It was his job to see the tribe through the winter. The Elders had said it was going to be the worst winter in centuries, and they’d been right so far. They still had weeks to go before spring.

Brody twisted and clamped down on his shoulder. The stupid pup wasn’t trained enough to manage a throat attack, but Wulfric turned and took advantage. His bloody teeth latched awkwardly onto the back of Brody’s neck and ripped the wolf off. Brody’s jaws tore a chunk of Wulfric’s fur and flesh as he went flying.

Wulfric didn’t whimper. He’d fought many wars over the years, not that he could remember any from the time before. Pain was as familiar as food and almost as necessary. Both would keep him alive.

He limped back, watching Brody warily as he mentally assessed both their wounds. His head pounded from where the wolf and his two friends had ambushed him with a club. One of them was dead and the other lay near a tree, staring silently as he either bled out or healed.

Logically, he knew he’d only been defending himself. But his chest ached at the deaths of his people, the betrayal, the confusion.

Wulfric focused on Brody. “But why?”

Brody shook his head, his eyes glowing with rage as he stalked back to Wulfric. “You don’t get it, do you? You walk around like a god, lording your power as alpha over the rest of us. We’re tired of it.”

A stab of anger made him growl. He played with the young ones, led the youths on hunts, trained the warriors, kept the peace with the other tribe leaders, and took care of the Elders. When had he lorded power over any of them?

He rolled his shoulders, testing his weight on his injured front leg. Pain stabbed him like a knife, but he refused to take his eyes off his opponent. “How was I abusing my power as alpha? Who thinks this?”

Brody howled, the sound echoing off the dark trees. “Butch, for starters, and now he’s dead, thanks to you.”

He winced and panted, staying as still as possible. He didn’t want Brody to realize how injured his foot was or how much those words hurt. He had worked for years to protect and honor the people who had taken him in and loved him unconditionally, if harshly.

He would not be goaded into feeling guilty. “Butch’s death is on your head. What did you expect when you ambushed the alpha?”

“I expected more than this!” Brody roared, blood dripping from his fangs as he prowled back and forth with hackles raised. “When I signed on to be a Growler, I expected more than this isolation and tyranny.”

Wulfric arched a bushy brow, the movement barely visible in their wolf forms. New Growlers were welcomed with open arms because it was an instant family. “What isolation? Our family is enormous. We fill the entire lower half of the Feral Forest.”

“And that’s the fucking problem,” Brody snarled, shifting onto his back legs as he prepared to pounce. “We’ve outgrown the forest. We’re bursting at the seams. And on top of that, we’re not family, are we? I miss my actual family, my flesh and blood. I’m tired of hiding, of giving up who I am.”

Brody lunged half-heartedly, testing Wulfric’s reaction times. “The time for hiding is over. Busparia’s defenses are in ruins, the soldiers have all fled back home–except for us! We want to go home!”

Wulfric jumped back, wincing at the pain as he balanced on three legs. “The Growlers are our home now. You knew that when you accepted the blessing of the Elders.”

Brody barked a laugh. “A blessing? Not if it keeps me from my family.”

Wulfric froze, confusion and blood loss making his head ache. “What family are you talking about?”

Brody didn’t give him time to ask more questions. He launched into the air with a roar, and Wulfric twisted to the side. A massive paw landed a lucky blow to his temple, sending him out of the controlled roll. Wulfric hit a tree and grunted in pain, coming up on three weak legs.

Brody prowled closer, drool dripping from his muzzle. “Busparia’s new queen has nearly destroyed the country, and we’re worried about our families. They’re no longer safe. Now is the time to strike, to save them, yet we can’t just bring them back here. We’re too cramped as it is, but in Busparia… they’re still waiting for us. The land is ripe for the taking.”

Something within him twisted at the mention of Busparia. Faint feelings of a past he no longer remembered threatened to drown him in sorrow. “No,” he said to the memories.

“No? That’s it?” Brody growled. “See, this is why you’re a terrible alpha. How I’ve survived five years like this is beyond me.”

“We’re not going anywhere.” Wulfric shifted to keep the tree on his bad side. It would help protect him. If Brody was smart, he’d attack the weak leg.

Wulfric tried to diffuse the situation. “We need to talk this through rationally.”

“There’s no more time to lose. Home is right there on the other side of the forest, and they may need us to save them from the queen or her monsters.” Brody’s mouth twisted in anger, his features harsh in the cold, crisp sunlight.

He snarled and leaped in the air, but Wulfric spun behind the tree, pain lancing through him. Brody hit the pine, the sharp whine of pain piercing his ears.

Wulfric winced, that sound an echo of his failure as a leader. He was supposed to protect them, not harm them. “Stop before you hurt yourself. Remember the gift and be grateful for a second chance at life.”

Brody snorted. “I know, I know. We were all dying soldiers who otherwise wouldn’t have made it home.”

Brody stopped, and his beady, black eyes peered into Wulfric’s gaze, the emotion and yearning making Wulfric’s breath catch in his throat.

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