Page 45 of Kin of the Wolf

I would have gotten him, a clean and killing bite, but anotherwolf charged in from the side and knocked me flying. The one-on-one fight had ended.

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As I leapedto my feet, pummeled by lupine enemies as well as magical beams that tracked me no matter where I went, a great roar came from further up the driveway.

That was Duncan. Duncan as the bipedfuris?

Through the trees and ferns, I couldn’t spot him. All I could see were wolves trying to surround me and end my life.

I snapped left and right to keep them back and put my rump against a tree so they couldn’t come in from behind. Only the need to avoid the beams themselves kept my cousins from charging me as one unit and getting through my defenses.

Only that and Duncan. In his powerful two-legged form, he sprang into the fray, not caring a whit about the beams.

He picked up one of the wolves with his clawed hands, hefted him over his head, and hurled our enemy across the driveway and at a tree. No,intoa tree. I gaped as one of my cousins ended up dangling in the branches ten feet up.

The dark-gray wolf that was Augustus glanced at Duncan with shock and fear in his eyes. That didn’t keep Augustus fromlunging for me once more, determined to take me out before he lost the support of his allies.

Having no trouble reading his intent, I saw the attack coming. When he charged toward my head, I dropped low and lunged at him. My jaws clamped around his forelimb, crunching into bone.

He yelped and tried to pull away. I would have ground his bone to dust, but his gyrations pulled my head toward one of the beams. With purple flashing in my eyes, I released Augustus and dropped low. The beam skimmed past, searing my ear.

Another thud and yelp sounded, Duncan hurling another foe away. After that, he charged at one of the men—Orazio.

I rolled to my feet, ready for my cousin to attack again, but the beams vanished. Augustus glanced about, as if startled and betrayed by their disappearance.

I snarled, ready to charge him. He looked at me, at Duncan, and then backed away.

The yell of a man came next—a cry from Orazio. Something crunched. The magical controller he’d been holding. I sensed the power of the devices all around me diminishing.

I stepped into the driveway, expecting another attack, but my foes were backing away. With Orazio and the beams dealt with, Duncan sprang close, startling me. Fear swept through me as I remembered that he’d turned into an enemy at the potion factory. But he landed beside me, not in front of me, and he threw his head back and roared.

A tingle of foreign magic turned the air electric around us and made my hackles rise. Was it another security device that would strike us?

Duncan paused, head cocked, as if listening.

I snarled a warning, spotting another of my cousins in human form. Standing to the side of the driveway, he had a rifle in his hand, the weapon pointed at us. He wavered back and forth with his aim, as if he couldn’t decide if he should shoot Duncan or me.

Fury filled me. This had gone far beyond a duel, one-on-one or otherwise. Augustus had spoken of honor, but these bastards had none.

My armed cousin settled on Duncan, aiming at his muscled torso. Fueled by contempt and fury, I charged into the brush, running so fast that it surprised my cousin. His finger jerked as he pulled the trigger, and the bullet went wide. It left a silver streak in the air before it thudded into a distant tree.

I’d seen those bullets before. In the hands of enemies of the pack. How had my cousin gotten such projectiles?

Hardly caring, I sank my teeth into his thigh, biting deep. He screamed and slammed the rifle into my back.

Shrugging off the blow, I released my bite to whip my head around and catch the barrel of the weapon. The cold metal tasted foul in my mouth. I crunched down, tore it from his grip, and flung it into the woods.

My cousin cursed and crouched, arms spread, fingers curled. He appeared to be on the verge of shifting into wolf form, but he grabbed his wounded thigh and glanced at the driveway. Duncan hadn’t moved, but he roared again, arms spread and muscles taut, making him look impressive. And dangerous. But his furred face contorted, as if he battled an inner demon. Or a magical call?

My cousin looked at me. What he saw on my face, I didn’t know, but he didn’t shift forms, not with me so close that I could have taken advantage during the seconds he would be vulnerable. I could have killed him.

He turned and ran, limping heavily on his wounded leg.

When I looked around for more foes, I was surprised to find Duncan, still in the bipedfuris form, running down the driveway toward the road. There was no enemy chasing him, and he didn’t tear off at top speed out of fear. He loped away, as if called to start a journey.

Duncan looked back, his eyes aggrieved when they met mine,but he didn’t slow down. He turned onto the road and headed north.

For reasons that didn’t fully register to my wolf brain, he was leaving me alone.

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