Of course.Bart answered immediately.What’s wrong?

Whoever was working with Dick is here.

Shit.Bart sighed.I’ll get Cyrus and the pack, and we’ll be there shortly.

I hated to be that person, but I had to ask.Are you sure bringing Julius is the right thing? If he knows the attacker...I trailed off, trying not to say too much.However, my lack of words probably spoke volumes.

The one time I’d called my brother by his birth name, he’d flipped out on me. Yet, Bart had been calling him Cyrus since we’d first met him at my old house. I tried not to let it bother me, but I was slightly jealous that they’d gotten closer while my twin didn’t seem to want much to do with me.

Look, I know things are strained between the two of you, but he’s changing.Bart’s voice softened.I promise, if I see any hint of him going out of line, I’ll deal with him. He still hasn’t been able to control his emotions and thoughts very well when situations get intense, so I’ll know.

Even though I wanted to push the conversation further, we didn’t have time to argue. The longer we took to spring into action, the more people would get hurt.Fine, just…be careful getting here.

We’ll take the woods,Bart replied.I’ll let you know when we’re near.He ended the connection between us.

The new land Dad had purchased for us was even closer to Shadow Ridge than my hometown was. I couldn’t help but wonder if Dad had thought the same thing I did when we were found—hiding wouldn’t get us far. The closer proximity made me think that he had, that he was working on a strategic plan to announce our presence.

The best way to fight an enemy was to come out of hiding. That had taken me a moment to realize, given we were being attacked right now. But at least it was all coming to a head instead of the small attacks they’d been focusing solely on me.

I linked with Killian and Griffin,They’re on their way.I ran outside after Killian with Griffin cursing behind me.

My steps slowed as I took in the horror. At least twenty enemies were trying to get to the house. Killian was fighting a sandy brown wolf who appeared to be almost as strong as he was.

I scanned the area, trying to determine who needed the most help. Two bear shifters were in animal form, fighting four guards in human form, while the rest of the fighters were wolves. A few of our guards had shifted, and the ones who had remained human were using their guns to fend off the bears.

My wolf surged forward, and my clothes ripped from my body as I landed on four legs.

Damn it, Sterlyn,Griffin said angrily.This has to end.His bones cracked as he followed suit, shifting into his animal form.

Weshould’ve taken Dick’s warning more seriously.This was partially my fault, but remorse could be felt later. Right now, I had to focus on the matter at hand—kicking ass.

Sierra shrieked as a sable wolf attacked her mid-shift, the wolf taking advantage of her moment of weakness.

I’ll help her.Griffin ran in her direction.

That was for the best because I wanted to help the human guards with the bears, who were large and not the easiest to injure. Only two other races were harder to fight, which were angels and dragons. However, Dad told me that the fae dragons kept to their realm, and the few that had moved to Earth had disappeared a long time ago, even before the birth of silver wolves.

Pushing off my paws, I reached our guards in record time. All of the enemy wolves were engaged in battle, and our people seemed to be holding their own.

A black bear threw his head back and roared as he stood on his back feet. The four guards paid attention to him, as hesounded like he was going to attack. But as they raised their guns to fire at him, the brown grizzly charged forward, using the other bear as a distraction.

The grizzly used its speed as its biggest asset.

The moon was near full again, and I tapped into my moon powers, tugging on them harder than ever before. My wolf raced across the small clearing, and I reached the grizzly just a few feet from his target. I bit into his shoulder as his head swung in my direction.

“Sterlyn!” the tallest guard yelled, aware of what was happening. He pivoted his gun toward the grizzly, but sharp teeth slashed into my side before he fired.

I whimpered, and my jaw slackened of its own accord. White-hot pain stole my breath, forcing my mind to race.

The bear released me, but his dark, soulless eyes stayed locked on me. Blood dripped from his mouth as he raised a paw to claw at my other side. He was purposely not going for kill shots, which petrified me.

Whoever was leading them still wanted me alive. I could only imagine why, and every possible thought churned my stomach.

A gun fired, and a bullet plunged right between the bear’s eyes. The grizzly stumbled as the realization of what had happened settled over him. He crashed to the ground, causing the earth to shake. My side throbbed, but I didn’t have time to focus on that. There were still so many shifters left to fight, and I could hear more battles farther away, which meant more enemies were coming.

The tall guard who had just protected me yelled to his friends, “The black bear is charging. Get a tranq and shoot him.”

I climbed back to my feet and turned in time to watch the black bear sink its teeth into the thinnest guard’s arm. The guard’s blood-curdling scream churned my stomach.