Page 3 of Revenge of the Blood Pack

“But, the Dursey’s…”

Simon sounds upset. I am too, but I made mom a promise, and I need to follow through with it. I need to trust her enough to believe that if we don’t do this, it’ll cost us our lives.

"Faster," I simply mouth to my brother and his girlfriend, and they obey, looking grim.

We're going as fast as we can, but not like we're racing. More like we're prey running from a ruthless predator, moving withstealth and care. Which I know is strange for all of us because wolves aren't accustomed to being prey.

But I sense we are now.

My heart's racing and sweat's rolling down my back. Somewhere in the distance I hear an unidentifiable roar that shakes the ground. I jump a little as birds take flight in every direction around us, exploding out of the trees. They caw as they do so, as if they’re messengers of death. Ofourdeaths.

Whatever my mom had seen coming for us, it's here.

We make it to a tiny alley between two houses and hesitate, all of us exchanging fearful looks, then we step out onto a street lined by houses and shops. It’s not a big road, but it is big for our town. It’s a street that will leave us out in the open.

Except, it's already in chaos.

My heart freezes as I take in the nightmare in front of me. More houses are on fire. More screams rise into the air, and people are running in all directions, panicking rather than thinking. I want to rally them all, get them to calm down, and get them out of here. But that will take too long.

Besides, the whole thing is damn strange. I don't see any enemies yet. There’s not any reason for the chaos other than the burning houses, and few people seem to be trying to put out the flames. So, whatarethey running from?

And then, I see... a wolf, an unfamiliar wolf with dark fur and white patches. He stalks out from an alley, then leaps through the window of the Kallen home, shattering the glass. Someone shouts inside, and I see the family run out into the street. Racing as if their lives depend on it.

But the wife, Emilia, barely makes it two steps before a bear leaps onto her from that same alley and tears her throat out. Inside, the children and husband are screaming, then… not.

I'm going to vomit.

Later, not now.But it doesn't change the fact that I can picture exactly what happened in that house.

I take several deep breaths, then motion for my brother and his girlfriend to follow me down another alley, away from the Kallen house, knowing we can't help. Knowing my priority needs to be getting us to safety, no matter how much the sob building in my throat hurts my heart. Scents explode all around me as I escape into the darkness. Wolves. Bears. Mountain lions. Panthers. And other creatures. Ones I don't recognize.

And magic.Darkmagic.

The scents tangle together as I run, all cloaked by the more powerful scent of the smoke that fills the air. I'm no longer worried about getting to the End as fast as possible. Things have changed. Our enemies are upon us. Now, I need to get my brother to the woods, and we need to get as far from here as possible before circling around to the End.

We just have to survive. Surviving is all that matters.

But when we have to cross the next road, pure panic fills me, and I hesitate in the shadows of the alley as everything seems to hit me at once. There are so many scents. It's overwhelming as I instinctually pick them out, separating them, identifying them. Blood hangs heavily on the air along with the scents of unknown people, more strangers than I ever imagined.

So many enemies.

I draw in a ragged breath. This isn't just an attack... this is war. Our own kind, shifter and supernatural, has declared war on us and we hadn't even seen it coming. Not by anything except a vision.

"Asha?" my brother whispers at my side, those pale eyes of his filled with worry.

I jerk back to reality, then look at him with a nod to show I'm okay. Simon doesn't do well when people start to freak out, so I can't. Not now.

Not until we're safe.

“It’s okay,” he tells me and then surprises me by pulling me into a hug. “We’re going to be okay.” He squeezes me so tightly that I feel a sense of calmness and safety awaken inside of me, like my brother is anchoring me back to this world, where I desperately need to be. Then, he releases me, and I take a calming breath. Simon isn’t the hugging type, but he must have realized I really needed it.

Now to get us out of here.

Inching forward, I continue through the alley until I reach the next open road. Then, I peek out at the street, not knowing what to expect, and feel the color drain from my face. I see a young girl of about five, slaughtered on the road, while a wolf feeds on her father's stomach beside her.

Damn it. Angelica and Seth.

Both are dead. Both.Dead. And now I desperately want to freak out, but Ican't. If I do, we'll die too. So, I curl my hands into fists and tell myself to stay focused. There's nothing I can do to save them, so I just turn away and take a deep breath, knowing I have to get my brother to safety.

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