Page 7 of Eclipse of the Pack

“Worried he won’t fuck you once he finds out you’re one of us?” He retorted through sharp teeth, nodding towards where Jon sat against the wall.

Ivy’s reaction was immediate, her index finger lengthening into a claw before slicing across the wolf’s eye. He howled in pain as he tried to escape the attack.

“I may be a meta, but I amnotone of you,” she spat. “You’re going to tell me why you’re meeting with PEACE agents, and you’re going to tell me what Malcolm has to do with it.”

If the rumors she’d heard were true, then Malcolm was plotting against Griffen to help instigate conflict between humans and shifters rather than resolve it.

It was an impossible notion to Ivy, but the wolf in front of her gave her all the evidence she needed to believe that things had changed for the worse.

“Go to hell.” The wolf growled.

“I’ve always relished a challenge,” Ivy replied, grinning back at him. She had been impeccably trained, and was able to fell shifters and humans alike with a few well-placed blows. A tied-up underling was child’s play.

Ivy laid into the wolf, striking methodically, careful not to allow the wolf to lose consciousness or his ability to communicate.

She had become adept at ignoring the softer parts of her that resented the violence around and within her- there was no time to be squeamish, not with so much hanging in the balance.

“It doesn’t matter what I tell you,” the wolf gasped through dried blood as his skin stitched itself back together. “He’s already done it.”

“Who’s ‘he’?” Ivy demanded. “Malcolm?”

The wolf nodded in response, spitting blood onto the floor. “The war has already begun. You can either take what is yours by birthright, or burn with the rest of them. We won’t grovel at the feet of weaker beings any longer.”

“Why war? The High Elders know we can live in peace, that’s the point of all of this.” Ivy responded. “Malcolm might be on thecouncil, but he doesn’t have nearly enough sway to declare war, especially not on his own.”

“The High Elders are gone, girl. Nobody’s coming to save you.”

Ivy caught a familiar scent a few seconds too late, and whirled to find Jon behind them. She had no idea how much he’d heard, how many pieces he’d begun putting together.

“Your friend is fine.” She said as she strode past him. Jon hesitated for a second before catching up to her, keeping pace as they made their way to the factory’s exit.

“How do you know?” Jon asked.

“It’s a tactic shifters use- they can smell your pheromones, basically your emotions. He could tell your friend was a weak spot, and he used it to his advantage.”

Jon fell silent, and Ivy’s heart rate spiked. She was waiting for him to indicate he’d overheard the conversation, or to ask her what the wolf was talking about, but they were interrupted by motion outside the door they were headed for.

Jon reacted first, grabbing Ivy’s hand as they broke out into a sprint towards a side exit, making it into the alley just as the factory floor was swarmed.

12

JONATHEN

Jon may have been running for his life, but he was far more focused on the feeling of Ivy’s hand in his than on the fact that they were being hunted.

He couldn’t wrap his mind around how such small, delicate hands could inflict the type of damage he saw on the wolf’s face.

Jon never would have guessed that the lithe, beautiful woman running alongside him would’ve been capable of the ferocity he’d seen in the warehouse and that it’d be so… hot.

He shook his head as if he could shake the thoughts free- it was not the time for this train of thought.

“We’re on the edge of the warehouse district, if we cut through alleys headed east-”

“We’re not going east.” Ivy interrupted. While Jon had been daydreaming, she’d steered them west, towards the city. She had a firm grip on his hand, and it took more strength than Jon was willing to admit to break her hold.

“Well, we’redefinitelynot going back into the city!” Jon said as Ivy whirled on him. She had a hard glint in her eyes as she strode towards him, reaching for his hand again.

“I know you’re scared, but we’re going back into the city. It’s the best choice.”

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