Page 2 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

No matter how hard I pushed, it didn't seem to be enough. It felt like time stood still as I desperately tried to get to my friends and family.

With every step I took, the sounds of fighting became clearer. I had to believe that was a good sign. After all, we were born warriors.

I latched on to that hope and didn’t let my fear take hold.

As the trees thinned, I almost shouted in victory.I made it!But the stench of copper hit my nose.

Blood.

The smell coated my throat, making it hard to swallow.

My feet stumbled, and I caught myself before I could fall to my knees. I didn't have time to come apart. I was an alpha, for God's sake, and my people needed me.

I opened my mouth and breathed without using my nose. The scent was still strong, but not nearly as bad. My wolf surged forward in my mind, helping me to remain emotionally strong.

As I got closer to home, modest brick houses peeked through the trees. I ran directly to the alpha house, its backyard connected to the woods. I had to find my parents and see what Dad needed me to do. He'd have a plan. He always did.

Needing to be as silent as possible, I slowed, not wanting to stumble upon an attacker. It wasn't as if they would be broadcasting their location to me.

The fighting sounded like a drum pounding.

Overwhelming.

Devastating.

Heartbreaking.

When I came close to breaking through the trees, an unfamiliar musky stench almost made me gag, stopping me in my tracks.

The attackers were definitely wolf shifters, but I didn’t know their scents.

I squatted and removed the knife that I kept holstered around my ankle. Having it brought me comfort, and I never left the house without the weapon. Not even when Zoe, my best friend, gave me shit, asking what kind of critter would be brave enough to attack us.

I bet she’d changed her tune now.

"The girl has to be here somewhere," a male whispered. "I think I've found her scent heading into the woods."

"Maybe she ran," someone with a deeper voice responded. “The alpha, Arian, may have told her to leave."

I peeked from around a tree and saw two men dressed in all black and wearing ski masks, standing in my backyard. They were both over six feet tall, like Dad, and were muscled and stout, even more than most shifters. Whoever these assholes were, they worked out a lot, which alarmed me. That could mean they’d been training intensely for something.

A shiver ran down my spine as I realized they might know what we were.

But again, that shouldn’t be possible. Everyone outside of our pack thought our kind had died off. Still… they knew my dad’s name.

Breathe, Sterlyn.If I let my emotions get the best of me, they'd find me and do who knew what else. I clutched the hilt of the knife, holding it so I could use the blade easily if needed.

I couldn't see anyone else from this position, which aggravated me. I didn’t want to shift—at least, not yet—in case they didn’t know what we were.Dad?I tried to link to him again.

Instead of a response, more screams filled the air, sounding like they came from the front of my house. The breeze changed direction, blowing against me and toward the two pricks.

Dammit, I had to make my move fast.

"Her scent grows stronger this way." The speaker lifted his black mask, revealing an auburn goatee, and stopped it at his nose. He sniffed deeply. "She smells like freesia."

"Are you being serious?" The other guy reached over and yanked the first man’s mask back down. "Freesia? What'd you do, go paint your nails with your mom before heading over here?"

My pack was being slaughtered by dumbasses who wore all black during the day and argued about scents.

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