Page 61 of Witch's Wolf

SAM

Our boots hammer against the hardwood floor as we tear down the hallway. The gate looms ahead. We don’t stop. No hesitation as we emerge into the forest. Smoke is cloying on the air, assaulting my sensitive nose. In moments the fire is in sight. Beyond the last homes of town, yellow flames devour the trees, licking high above the rooftops.

Thunder rumbles through the valley, the ground trembling beneath each growl as forks of lightning slash across the sky. Rain breaks, crashing down in sheets, soaking the earth, but it won’t be enough. The fire rages on as does the rage in my head. The beast within me erupts.

Humanity shreds away in an instant. White fur spreads across my back, muzzle pushing forward where my lips were. My vision sharpens, eyes glowing red in the dark. With a flick of my tail, I launch forward, galloping down the hillside. Raul’s beast surges ahead, his massive form cutting through the storm.

No voices fill my head. No woman. No witch. Only one command pounding through my veins.

Kill.

Kill the ones who set this fire. Kill the creatures who threaten my town.

Lightning explodes across the sky, illuminating chaos. My paws slam into the mud, each bound driving me faster. The slope fuels my momentum, I tear past the tree line. Shapes of houses flicker between branches. Raul’s snarl rips through the downpour, and I know his mind burns with the same need.

Bite. Rip flesh. Spill blood.

For years, no one has dared to ruin the pristine greenness around Dawson. No one has been foolish enough to set fire to our land. Until now. I stride onto the main road, smelling the stench of fear that is thick in the air.

Vehicles sit abandoned on either side; drivers frozen as they watch the flames devour the trees. Women shout at their children, urging them inside. Others are throwing belongings into their cars, convinced the town is doomed to burn.

Raul races forward, quickening his pace. I lengthen my strides to match. Mud clings to my paws, flung loose with every step as I race past homes. My focus locks onto Kyle Richardson’s cabin, it’s the one closest to the town’s edge. Lightning flashes and in its brief, electric glow, I spot our enemy.

A blonde woman stands near the burning trees. She’s cloaked in purple and looks directly at me. Her lips curl into a wicked smile. The heat of the flames lick at my face as I propel forward. I launch myself over the cab of Richardson’s black Ford Ranger.

Her grin widens as she lifts her hands from behind cloak. They’re not empty. In each, she grips a severed wolf’s head. A bolt of ice shoots through my veins as I recognize them.

Shane Porter’s grayish snout. Karen Locksmith’s amber-furred face.

No!

“Welcome, dogs!” she barks, letting the heads drop. They hit the ground with sickening finality. “Let’s see how strong you really are!”

She snaps her arms up, palms facing Raul and me. Her fingers twist left arm jerks to the side and the air splits open.

A force slams into me, ripping my paws from the dirt. A stunned yelp tears from my throat as the world flips. Sky, trees, ground, all merging into a sickening blur. Raul’s cry echoes through my skull.

I crash hard. The impact knocks my wind out and sends shockwaves up my spine. Mud smears my fur as I roll, slamming against the earth again and again until at last I come to a jarring stop.

Pain screams through every nerve ending but the wolf won’t submit. I lurch upright, shaking my head, a snarl curling from deep in my throat.

She will pay.

“Tell me, you miserable filthy mutt,” she growls, striding through the tall grass, her voice dripping with malice. “How would you like to die? By fire? By the sword? How about both? Should I burn you and then cut your head off?”

“Stay away from them, you bitch!” Helena’s voice slices through the night, clear and certain.

She appears five yards from Raul’s fallen form with her staff raised and eyes burning with fury. She thrusts and a deep-red orb erupts from the tip of the staff. It crackles through the air and slams into our attacker.

The force hurls the other witch backward. She tumbles towards the roaring flames. Slamming into the mud with a strangled scream, but not one of pain. The sound is surprise.

“Should I end you myself?” Helena taunts, stepping closer, power radiating. “Or should I let the wolves tear you apart first?”

I move to Helena’s side ready to fight, but then the other witch vanishes. One moment she’s on the ground. The next, she’s a blur racing through the space between her and Helena. Too fast. Too damn fast. When she stops, her fingers are wrapped around Helena’s throat.

“Boys, don’t!” Helena chokes, legs kicking as she’s lifted off the ground. “Stay where you are!”

“A wise choice,” the witch purrs. “You have my daughter. Unless you want me to raze this accursed little town to the ground, send her back to New York and leave her alone.” She tightens her grip. Helena’s face shades purple as she claws at the hand on her throat. The witch is savoring the moment. “I’ll be back in two days. If I so much as smell her here, I’ll burn you all alive.”

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