Page 4 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

"Sterlyn!" Dad called.

His comforting voice snapped me back to the present. I turned to face him…and almost wished I hadn't.

Blood stained his white shirt, and he clutched his side, grimacing with every move he made toward me. "You need to gonow." His normally silver eyes looked more like steel, and his hair appeared a tarnished gray. The handsome man that I'd seen earlier today looked old.

"What?" I jogged toward him, not wanting him to hurt himself more. "No. I need to help protect our pack."

"Look." He reached out a hand slicked with blood. "They're here for you, and I can't let them take you."

"For me?" My brain fogged. "Why?"

"I think they want to force you into a mate bond." He glanced over his shoulder.

My gaze followed his…and my world crashed around me. I couldn't breathe as I tried to make sense of what I saw.

Bodies littered the ground. All from my pack.

Dad and I used the thick trees of the forest to hide us over a hundred yards away as my best friend Zoe army-crawled across the road onto the grass, trying to get out of the way of the attackers. Blood poured down her arms, and I could tell she was using all of her strength to survive.

A man dressed in black ran to her and placed a gun to her temple.

I have to stop him. I moved to intervene, but warm, strong hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me backward. Dad placed his hands on my shoulders and got in my face.

The loud blast of the gun made my stomach revolt.

The spicy scent of fear wafted from Dad as he jerked. "Sterlyn, focus on me."

"But—" I pushed against his arms.I have to save them.

He groaned in pain. "Those men have no intention of letting any of us live except you. There are too many for us to fight off. Most of the pack connections are now cold. Almost everyone is dead."

"What?" My body froze. "Mom?"

"Yes, and I'll be following soon." He nodded toward his side.

Now that he wasn't holding it, I could see his wound. The gash was so deep that the muscle was visible, and the way the blood was pouring from it, I knew they had to have hit a main artery. Even with shifter healing, no one could survive that. "No. I'll take you to the hospital."

"I'm barely hanging on as it is." A tear trailed down his cheek. "I had to keep it together long enough to find you. You have to run. Go to Shadow City. The alpha, Atticus Bodle, will protect you, but trust only him with what you really are."

"Dad, how do we know it’s not him attacking us?” My voice cracked. Atticus was the only person outside of the pack whoknew of our existence, so it would make sense if this assault had to be on his orders.

“Atticus is a good man. I have never sensed any negative intent in him. I’m certain he isn’t behind this, but be careful, and don’t trust anyone else. One of the attackers said they’re here to find you. We can't let them catch you.”

"I... I don't want to leave you." Not only did he expect me to leave him behind, but he wanted me to go to a city I knew very little about.

"Baby girl, I love you, but you have to." He kissed my cheek. "They're gathering a small group to search for you. Go. Before it's too late."

"The alpha is missing," someone shouted from not too far away. "He may be searching for the girl."

I looked at my father one last time, trying to remember his smell, his face, his touch. "Daddy."

"I'm sorry, but I have to protect you." His eyes glowed a brighter silver as he called his last bit of strength. Alpha will laced his words. "Leave. Now. And don't come back."

My wolf howled in protest as I turned and my feet moved on their own accord, following our alpha's command. I glanced over my shoulder to look at him once more. "I love you, Daddy." I placed the knife back in the holster on my ankle and took off as I heard him drop.

"He's here," another guy yelled.

My wolf surged forward, helping me run as sobs racked me. I didn't want to leave, but I could not disobey my alpha.

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