Page 74 of His Mate

Silas was farther up, his rifle leveled as he took down wolf after wolf, his expression calm, almost cold. He moved with practiced ease, his focus absolute as he fired shot after shot, barely flinching as the wolves snarled and snapped, closing in on him. He caught my eye briefly, giving a small nod before reloading his rifle, shifting his stance as he funneled more of the wolves toward the courthouse steps.

All according to plan.

The wolves were relentless, but so were we. They were outnumbered, outgunned, and the Resistance fighters had closed in around them, tightening the circle, forcing them deeper into the heart of the compound. The wolves snarled, baring their teeth as they lunged forward, desperation in their movements now as they realized they’d walked into a trap.

“Push them forward!” Sorin shouted again, her voice sharp and clear as she fired off another round, hitting a wolf squarely in the side. It let out a howl, stumbling as the bullets tore through it, but it didn’t stop. It took three more shots before it finally collapsed, its body twitching as the last remnants of life faded.

The courtyard was a storm of gunfire, blood, and snarls, the wolves closing in but struggling against the Resistance’s unyielding firepower. One of them broke through, charging toward Kendra, its jaws snapping, eyes locked onto her with a murderous gleam.

“Kendra!” I shouted, firing at the wolf, but it barely flinched, its focus on her unwavering.

Without hesitation, Kendra raised her weapon, firing at point-blank range. The wolf took several bullets to the chest, its body jerking with each impact, but it kept coming, relentless even in the face of death. She fired again and again, her jaw set, her determination absolute. Finally, with one last shot, it collapsed at her feet, its body going still.

She glanced at me, breathing hard, and I saw the fierce resolve in her eyes. There was no fear, no hesitation. She was as much a part of this fight as any of us.

The wolves continued to advance, but the Resistance’s forces had driven them to the steps of the courthouse, the building looming over them, a symbol of the last stronghold standing. We’d forced them into a corner, but the battle wasn’t over yet.

In the distance, more shadows moved, and the night came alive with the sound of approaching footsteps.

Reinforcements had arrived and it was time for the fight to truly begin.

I let the shift roll over me, my skin stretching and tearing as bones cracked, my muscles rearranging, fur bristling along my back as I transformed. The pain was swift, familiar, and then I was on all fours, my senses exploding, the sounds and smells ofthe battlefield sharpened to razor clarity. My claws dug into the earth, every instinct ready for the fight.

I glanced over to see Silas, too, had shifted. His coat was a deep, smoky gray, his eyes hard and unforgiving as he lowered himself, every inch of him tense with restrained violence. Kendra’s black fur gleamed in the moonlight, her green eyes blazing with resolve. The three of us stood shoulder to shoulder, our bodies coiled and ready.

From the corner of my eye, I caught Sorin’s stunned expression, her gun lowering slightly as she took in the sight of Silas in wolf form.

“You’re a—” Her voice trailed off, her gaze flicking between us, a mix of disbelief and something dangerously close to betrayal. “Silas, you’re a wolf?”

Silas met her gaze, but there was no malice in his eyes. He let out a low growl, one that resonated with assurance. And then, without a word, he let out a powerful howl that echoed across the compound.

From the shadows, more figures emerged—Silas’s men, shifting as they stepped into the open, their forms morphing into wolves, one by one. Sorin’s mouth tightened, her fingers hovering over her weapon, but she didn’t raise it. She watched, tense and uncertain, as Silas’s wolves joined the Resistance line, forming a new front against the oncoming pack.

The wolves on the other side hesitated, just briefly, before charging again, their snouts wrinkling in a mix of fury and surprise.

Silas lunged forward first, his powerful form launching into the heart of the advancing pack, claws and teeth flashing as heripped into the first wolf that crossed his path. Blood sprayed across the ground as he tore into its throat, his movements precise, deadly. Another wolf lunged at him, but he dodged, his body twisting as he sank his teeth into its flank, bringing it down in a flurry of fur and blood.

I sprang forward, crashing into a wolf that was circling Kendra, my claws digging into its side as I sank my teeth into its shoulder. It twisted, snarling, snapping at me with its powerful jaws, but I held firm, using my weight to force it down. I could feel its hot breath on my fur, its body thrashing beneath me, but I didn’t let go. I bit down harder, feeling the crunch of bone beneath my teeth until its struggles finally stopped.

To my left, Kendra was a blur of black fur, her movements graceful but fierce as she fought off two wolves at once. She leaped, dodging one’s attack, and slashed at the other with her claws, her teeth snapping inches from its throat. She was relentless, every movement a calculated strike. The wolf on her left lunged, and she pivoted, sinking her teeth into its leg, and throwing it off balance before going for its neck.

A deafening howl erupted from across the compound, and I looked up to see one of Silas’s wolves—a massive dark brown male—charging into the fray, his jaws snapping around the throat of a wolf that had been closing in on Sorin. He didn’t hesitate for even a second, dragging it to the ground, his claws tearing into its side as he finished it off.

Sorin’s gunfire cracked through the air, picking off stragglers as Silas’s wolves and the Resistance fighters herded them closer to the courthouse, cutting off every possible escape route.

I snarled, baring my teeth as I lunged at a wolf that tried to break through the line. It met my attack head-on, its yelloweyes blazing with defiance as we clashed. I felt the impact reverberate through my body, claws slashing, teeth snapping, each of us fighting for dominance. But I was stronger, faster. I ducked beneath its swipe, sinking my teeth into its shoulder and throwing it to the ground. I didn’t give it a chance to get back up.

Around me, the battlefield was a storm of blood and snarls, the scent of iron thick in the air. Silas was fighting with brutal efficiency, his teeth flashing as he brought down another wolf, his gray fur streaked with blood, but his movements unyielding. Kendra fought beside him, her black coat gleaming, her eyes focused as she fought with the precision of someone who had been born for this.

The remaining wolves, desperate and panicked, surged forward, only to be met with a wall of resistance. Sorin’s rifle cracked again, cutting down a wolf that tried to break through the line. Her face was set in fierce determination, any doubt about Silas’s allegiance gone as she fought beside us, her gunfire precise and lethal.

I tore into another wolf, my claws raking across its side, feeling the warmth of its blood as it fell beneath me. We were winning. The wolves were faltering, their numbers dwindling as we pushed them back, step by step, forcing them closer to the courthouse.

And then, as if sensing their imminent defeat, a howl rang out from behind them—a deeper, more powerful sound that cut through the night like a blade.

A shadow emerged from the darkness, massive and towering over the other wolves, its eyes burning with an unnatural intensity.

The howl echoed through the compound, chilling and resonant, commanding every wolf in earshot. It had a power behind it that was unmistakable—an alpha’s call, one that froze the others in place, pulling them back from the fight. The wolves regrouped, their eyes flicking to the massive figure that strode forward, emerging from the shadows.

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