Page 136 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

Unpredictability was the thing Dad taught me to be wary of the most. Opponents like that were either unsure how they felt or were completely unhinged. Sometimes, they were one and the same.

I had a feeling Julius was the latter. He wanted to keep his emotions in check, and right now, they were riding a tidal wave, pulling him under.

A feeling I understood all too well—but I had my father’s teachings whispering in my mind. He anchored me even in death. Who knew whose teachings were going through Julius’s head.

Rosemary killed the crow, so we’re making our way in right now.Griffin had a calmness to him that I hadn’t felt since last night.We’re getting your ass in the car and taking you home.

Ah... Taking action appeased him. I put a foot on the first step, moving slowly but steadily. I didn’t want to stall so much that I made Julius suspicious, but I wanted to give Griffin and the others as much time as possible to reach me. If Julius got me into the next car, there’d be no going back.

I could feel it in my bones.

Deaths would be rampant, and the thought of who might be willing to die to save me didn’t sit well in my stomach. If anything happened to Griffin, it would kill me. Even injury or death to Killian, Sierra, and Rosemary would hurt like losing a pack member.

All of those walls I’d been determined to keep intact had crumbled all around me. Not only had I let Griffin in, but the other three as well.

Julius huffed. "Get your ass moving,now." He shoved between my shoulder blades, forcing me to fall forward. My hands were still cuffed behind me, so my chin hit the steps; the pain shot through my jaw and teeth. I had to get out of these handcuffs. I’d been moving my fingers constantly, trying to help keep my blood flowing. Being able to move my hands comfortably to fight as soon as I broke free would be necessary for our survival.

The copper taste of blood filled my mouth, making the smell twice as strong. My stomach roiled as I got on my knees and slowly stood again. "You push me like that one more time, and I’ll kick your ass." Just because he couldn’t handle ourconnection didn’t mean he got to be a bigger bully and asshole than he already was. I could be complaisant, but I refused to be his punching bag.

"Oh, really?" He snorted. "What are you going to do about it?"

Yeah, okay. I was close to the top of the stairs, and he was being cocky as hell.Please tell me you guys are ready. I’m about to kick someone’s ass.

What do you mean?Anger laced each one of Griffin’s words.

Forcing myself not to turn, I took another step toward the main floor. There were only three steps left until I reached the top, and the front door was only about twenty-five feet from there. I could be outside in less than a minute.How long until you get here?I didn’t have time to answer all his questions. It was time for action.

We’re almost there. Killian and Rosemary are taking out two wolves who were running the perimeter. Sierra and I are coming through the woods in front of the house. A Suburban just arrived with at least four additional guards.

Okay, so they were pretty much in position. None of the wolves here were alarmed, which meant the two Rosemary and Killian were attacking either weren’t part of the same pack or they’d taken them down before they could alert anyone. Either option was fine with me as long as no one was aware that an attack had already begun.I’m kicking ass, starting now. I’ll be running out the front door soon.

I spun around and kicked Julius in the stomach, channeling my wolf and alpha power.

His eyes widened in shock as he fell backward. He reminded me of a bowling ball taking down pins as he tumbled against the guards behind him. All five of them slammed down the stairs, and I pivoted toward the door, taking the last three stairs in one leap.

As I landed on the main floor, I tugged power from the moon and jerked apart my wrists, shattering the handcuffs that had bound me.

"How the hell did you do that?" Hyena's mouth dropped as he stared at the shattered metal on the ground.

"A full moon is rising." I gestured out the window where the moon peeked between the trees. It was twilight, just when the sun and the moon swapped spotlights.

The dumbass turned to see if I spoke the truth, turning his back to me.

Maybe these guys weren’t as well trained as I thought. That would be beneficial.

I charged at him before he could spin back around, elbowing him hard on the neck. He dropped and grasped his neck in pain.

However, he didn’t go down as I’d hoped. Instead, he rolled his neck like he was working out a kink and lowered his body. Then he ran straight at me.

Hunkering down, I braced for impact. I forced myself to wait until he was about a foot away before moving into action; I didn’t want to give away my plan. I pivoted, bringing up my leg and then snapping my foot out to kick him in the stomach. His weight almost knocked me over, but my wolf surged, harnessing my strong magic. His body flew into the wall behind him, and he dropped, groaning.

Footsteps raced up the stairs toward me. Now I had to get the hell out of here. I swung the front door open and paused.

Six men turned toward me. Frosted Tips, Scrawny, and four new enemies dressed like the men who’d attacked my pack that day. All in black and with ski masks.

Scrawny blinked and shook his head. "That shouldn’t be possible."

"Well, it is, dickwad," Frosted Tips growled. He grabbed a pistol from his back pocket and pointed the barrel at me. "But itends now. One wrong move, and I’ll shoot your ass." He shook his head as he chuckled. "Dumb bitch."

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