Page 66 of Fated to the Warrior Wolf

Shay bolted ahead of him, already fully in her shift.

I held my breath as the three wolves attempted to circle Dirge, who dropped into a crouch and moved to keep them in front of him.

One lunged in first, jaws wide, and he defended with a claw to the throat. The gray wolf yelped and dodged, but while Dirge’s focus was split, the other two charged him at once. One aimed for his throat, the other his already-wounded flank.

Dirge leapt into the air, using his superior size to clear thewolf that charged him head-on, landing on the other wolf’s back and latching onto his back with deadly sharp fangs.

The wolf beneath him howled in agony and collapsed as the other spun to charge again. But Dirge charged free and spun toward his remaining attackers, still moving quickly despite the blood trailing from his open wound.

I wanted to cheer as the wall slid open, Shay arrowing out like an avenging angel intent on destruction. She barreled into the side of one of the wolves before they knew what hit them, sending him tumbling paws over tail, and leaving Dirge to focus on the only wolf left standing.

They pounced in unison, each of them downing their wolf with ease. I looked away when blood and fur started flying.

They’re okay, and that’s all that matters.

When the room fell quiet again, I looked back up to see Dirge leaning into Shay’s side while she licked his muzzle.

I was sure he was mentally chastising her for risking herself, but the bond between them was obvious from outer space. It sent an ache through my chest as I thought of Gael.

Would we ever get to that place? That level of inherent trust and devotion?

I hoped so.

Both wolves on screen perked up, sinking into defensive stances as the sound of wolves running down the hall reached us over the speakers.

But the sound of scraping stone over stone drew my gaze away from the distant threat and to the more immediate one. I scooped up the gun once more and hollered over my shoulder, “Everybody into one of the side rooms. Lights off and lock the doors.” I used my alpha bark, cocking the gun in my hands and sighting it on the section of stone that was swinging slowly inward.

I heard the sounds of obedient feet racing toward the bunk room and the bathroom, but Ivy jogged to my side instead,shooting me a wicked grin as she stripped off her borrowed clothing. I only spared her a short glance before focusing back on the threat.

“I’m not afraid to fight.” She shifted at my side, and a small part of me was glad to have her. I didn’t know her like my girls, but I liked her immediately. And she must have been pretty damn strong to ignore my alpha command.

“If they come in one at a time, stay next to me so I’m free to shoot. If they come in a pack, try to stay off to one side.”

She yipped her agreement a second before the door stopped moving.

A blood-soaked darker gray wolf I didn’t recognize burst through it, arrowing toward us with his maw stretched wide, sharp canines glinting under the LEDs.

I didn’t hesitate and pulled the trigger. It hit him in the shoulder, but he kept coming. Ivy rocketed forward as a second wolf ran in, bulldozing into the darker gray wolf at the lead and knocking him clear so I could take aim at the second. I’d only gotten off one shot to his chest when the sounds of many, many running feet echoed off the stone hallway beyond the opening.

Shit, shit, shit!

I was a decent shot for a target head-on, but I had no hope against as many as I heard coming. I dropped the gun on the chair and shifted, bursting out of my clothes in a flash. Ivy had already finished off the first wolf, his naked male form now lying bloodied in front of one of the gun cases.

Snarls and the sounds of fighting reached us just before the third wolf burst in. Ivy and I were like a well-oiled machine, each of us splitting off to come at the gray wolf from opposite sides. She hit his flank at the same time I latched onto his throat, his claws grinding uselessly against the stone as we both tore chunks out of his hide.

His blood filled my mouth, my wolf reveling in the cruelefficiency of the kill. Ivy peeled off to tackle the next wolf as I shook him, cracking his neck.

I dropped him when he went still, turning to see if Ivy needed backup.

She was going to have to figure it out for herself, I thought grimly as five more wolves in varying shades of gray poured in to circle us. She dispatched her target and then backed up to me so we were tail to tail, covering each other as the five enemies circled.

This wasnotgood. I wasn’t a trained fighter, and even if I were, more than two-to-one odds weren’t great.

One of them shifted, shaking his head as he stood tall.

“It’s only a couple of bitches, and neither of these looks like the Alpha’s mate. Aren’t we supposed to be looking for a white wolf?” the man asked the wolf closest to him.

Why are they attacking us if they don’t even know who we are?

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