Page 64 of Wolf Forsaken

“I’ll draw his attention to me.” Eli started to move away, and I grabbed his arm.

“That’s not what we discussed!” Panic welled up inside me and I gasped for air. “Oh my God, what if he has an automatic rifle?”

This wasn’t some video game where I’d have health regeneration or a reset button. There was a possibility someone might die.

“Look at me.” Eli touched my cheek, and I met his brown eyes that were molten with concern. “We can jump on the quads and go. He left the den. That was the goal.”

I sucked in a breath. “No. We have a chance to take care of him for good.”

He started to speak again, but the sounds of off-road vehicles came from the direction Dante would be coming from. Just as we expected, he wasn’t going to shift because he was armed.

We separated, me hiding behind a tree and the other three spreading out. I felt sick to my stomach but had no choice now but to follow through with what I’d set out to do.

I pulled an arrow from my quiver and got it ready.

They came to a stop right where we had been gathered. Our scent was strongest there, but then we’d split.

“Come out here and fight me!” he bellowed, his voice echoing in the forest. “Get him!”

Eli, what are you doing?

They weren’t firing their guns yet, and I shut my eyes.You can do this, Ivy.

I moved out from behind the tree at the same time Dante turned. I lifted my bow and fired.

The arrow sliced through the air, landing right where I intended. He screamed as blood blossomed from his crotch. I stalked forward; another arrow ready to go. Shots were fired not far away.Please be safe.

"You fucking bitch! I should have shot you in the head!" His words were laced with pain and he reached behind him.

I let the next arrow go, aiming for his arm. He bellowed, the gun he was reaching for falling to the ground. He dropped to his knees, yanking the arrow out of his forearm and then yanking the one from his groin. A feral growl left him, and he shifted, ripping the arrow from his shoulder.

Fuck. I couldn't shoot an animal.

What the hell was I even thinking? I'd just shot a man in the dick.

With whatever strength he had left, he jumped forward. I released my last arrow, straight for his chest. His yelp hurt my heart, and he fell to the ground, the arrow pushing deeper as he landed.

Rolling onto his back, he howled the most pitiful sound I'd ever heard. A part of me, for whatever reason, mourned the loss of a pack member.

But he'd tranquilized me.

Bound me.

Muzzled me.

Threw me in the river to die.

Harmed my mates.

I approached cautiously, ready to shift if needed. He stared up at me, tears soaking the hair around his eyes. "Shift," I commanded.

He whimpered and then shifted, hair still covering his arms in patches. He gritted his teeth, which were bloody. His hands went to the arrow in his chest. Gurgles came out as he tried to speak.

"You don't deserve to die with the honor of being in your wolf form." I wasn't sure what moved me to say those words, but they felt truer than anything I'd ever said. "Things could have been different, Dante."

Footfalls came from behind me, but I didn't look over my shoulder.

Dante reached out and grabbed onto my ankle. "I... will... haunt... you..."

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