Page 118 of A Wolf's Heart

He transitioned before me, the process faster than I would have thought possible with the silver now coursing through hisbloodstream. And then he burst through the door, tearing into the guards before him and creating a path for me.

I had no time to think about what he had just told me; I had to move. I had to make sure I didn’t waste his sacrifice.

With the feeling back in my feet, I ran from the stairwell and into the open. Some of the guards had knelt down, lowering their heads to Malcolm, those still loyal to him. I prayed they could save him in time. Weylin had lived when he had a silver bullet in him. I hoped Malcolm would too.

I followed the light, leading me towards the open doors and outside.

I didn’t know what I had expected to see when I walked out. Maybe chaos and destruction. Bodies of the dead lost in battle, houses on fire and burning down. Instead, there were groups of who I assumed were shifters from Ophidian Pack sitting down together. Black wolves that I recognized from Cridhe paced around the groups, keeping them in line. Gammas in tactical uniform and holding guns walked around in between the groups. Ophidian shifters were outnumbered by at least three to one.

“Told you I’d always find you.” The sound of his voice was both painful and confusing. Painful, because it reminded me of all I had endured at their expense. Confusing, because, despite the trauma I had gone through, my wolf still found solitude in the sound.

I stared at Weylin, standing twenty or so yards away. He wore the same tactical uniform as some of the other gammas and held his gun with both hands across his body. Beside him, the beast snarled and snapped, saliva dripping. I could see the restraint and struggle it took to stay where he was.

On the other side was Kage. His black fur, with white frosted tips here and there, stood on end. He wasn’t looking at me, though; he was looking past me. A low warning growl started,and the crackle was the only thing I needed to push forward towards them.

The enemy of my enemy was my friend, and I didn’t want to stay in Ophidian any longer. I wasn’t fast enough, though. The prod came out, hitting me in the back of the neck. I cried out, quickly reaching up and ensuring the collar was still in place, the strap now burned. I held the box to me, afraid to let go.

At the same time, the beast launched himself, barreling towards us with a speed both uncanny and impossible. I turned, backing away from his target as he threw himself at the guard, his jaws opening over his head and crashing down, snapping the guard’s skull and shaking it, blood and brain matter splattering around us.

I kept backing up to get out of the line of fire, almost making it off the front steps before someone hooked their arm around my neck, dragging me back.

“No!” I screamed. I could smell Markus all around me.

“I was going to be alpha, me! It was my turn!” Markus shouted.

The growl that ripped through the air had my heart stopping. Kage ran at us, his sights set on Markus.

“They stole from me. I will steal from them!” His fingers slipped into the already broken collar around my neck, yanking it until the fabric came undone, followed by the familiar sound of compressed air releasing. The pinprick was small, but it burned, spreading like wildfire through my neck and down my body.

Markus pushed me forward, and I staggered, trying to focus on Weylin running at me as Kage ran right past me. I collapsed, falling into Weylin’s arms as he slid onto the ground to catch me. My shoulders and head resting on his thighs, he bent down over me, his hands framing my face as his thumb stroked my skin.

Weylin’s scent fell over me, and tears rolled down my cheek as I stared up into his eyes. “Say something,” he begged.

“Wondered when you assholes would show up,” I struggled to say.

His lips twitched, the worry on his face relaxing just a fraction. “Love you too, babe.”

“’S’not what I said.” My body began to shiver.

Weylin frowned, turning my head to the side and pressing his fingers to my neck. I winced. “What the fuck?”

Kage was now in my line of sight. He had shifted into his human form, grappling with Markus and slamming him down to the ground. Markus scrambled back and transitioned to a wolf. Flawlessly, Kage was a wolf, the two of them attacking one another, teeth bared, blood flying.

Kage was…terrifying. I’d known his transitions were fast, but I never could’ve imagined he could change in and out of human form while in battle. One minute, two wolves were ripping one another’s throats out, and the next, Kage had his massive arms wrapped around the wolf’s neck, slamming him into the ground, and then he was a ball of black fur again.

My body was becoming more and more cold. “He’s so sexy.” I couldn’t take my eyes off Kage. “I loathe him so much, I don’t know whether to kill him or force him to deal with me every day of his life.”

“Medic!” Weylin yelled. “I need a medic!”

I turned my head towards him. “I hate you too. I hate what you did to me. I hate that you tricked me. I hate that you took Max away.”

Weylin pressed his lips together. “It’s the silver talking, babe. We are going to help you. We are going to save you.”

“Don’t bother.” I looked back to Kage’s fight. “What…is even…the point?” The shaking began to increase.

Weylin turned to his mic. “I need a goddamn medic! Bring me the doctor!”

Kage was human again, holding the wolf in his hands by his fur and staring him down. “Change,” he ordered, but half alive, the wolf did nothing. “Change!” Kage demanded.

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