Page 25 of This Pack of Ours

I struck mercilessly, going straight for the nearest target; the groin.

He was too fucking fast, arm snapping down and diverting my blow, which just clipped him instead of pulverizing.

I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. I’d seen the flash of a gun as I’d lunged, so I needed to keep him from grabbing that.

It was the focus I needed to keep going.

Groin. Eyes. Neck.

Twist, keep moving, weak point is between the thumb and forefinger, bite and fucking punch?—

I jammed my fingers in his eye socket, and he let out an agonized scream, dropping to his knees.Fucker,I thought, and bit down on his face. His neck was open, unprotected, and I hit as hard as I could, dragging the barbs down, aiming for that steady, bounding pulse?—

There was blood everywhere, and he fell, letting me go, clutching at his neck. As I stood there, panting, I turned around because there were more, weren’t there? Sostupidof me to forget. But why hadn’t I been torn away, or stopped with the cold butt of a gun?

I turned and saw another alpha down, blood pooling underneath him.

Down?

And then I smelled it. Morning frost.

He flew past me, and I just stared as he smashed into another alpha.

I didn’t think I would ever be so relieved to see fuckingVander.

FIVE

VANDER

Two down. Two to go. I’d feel bad for them if they weren’t worth less than the dog shit I’d scrape off my shoe.

I was so fucking angry.

Let’s see, there was the whole farce of the coffee date.

Getting a fuckingmate.

Having shitty coffee spilled all over me.

Being ordered to follow Juniper.

These alpha scum who’d hunted her.

And the headliner on my list of reasons: Juniper herself.

Walking carelessly through the Gritch district smelling like a cherry sex bomb.

Being stupid enough toattackthese alphas.

There had been a split second when she leaped at them, where all I could picture was her body, collapsed on the ground, the fire slowly draining from her dark eyes. Andfuck herfor the sheer, cold terror that had gripped me in that moment.

I couldn’tnotstep in. And fuck her for that too, because I was going to get in shit for it.

I could almost hear Jhin’s calm, tired voice lecturing me.At leasttrynot to kill them,Vander.

Yeah, never been very good at that. Especially when I was up against guns. Blood was pumping through my veins, my aura out, every sense on alert. I felt alive again.

The third one fell, and I spun, because there had been four.

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