Page 117 of Mates: Posy

I'm going to shift,Cole said.

It was a good idea. We might need someone who could communicate outside the mind link, and, of all of us, he was the best at fighting wolves in human form.

He shifted quickly, then went to Cove, Emerson's wolf, and pulled a pair of shorts out of the saddlebag. He'd just tugged them on when a line of twenty or so male shifters bled out of the trees.

One stalked ahead of the rest, their obvious leader. He held the elbow of a brown-haired girl wearing torn and bloody clothes. Her left cheek bore a red handprint and her right eye was bruised and swollen. As the shifter pulled her along, she tripped and fell to her knees, and he dragged her along behind him until she could scramble to her feet.

It made me angry to see, and Quartz let out a sub-vocal growl. As his anger rose, I knew this would be the first test of our new pact.

I glanced over my shoulder to check on my mate and saw Bay, Crew's wolf, nudging Lark under River, Tyler's wolf. She was so small, she could stand up beneath him, and River used that to hide her as well as prevent her from seeing what was happening.

I nodded at them both, then turned my attention back to the intruders.

A few seconds later, the lead shifter saw us ranged in a line along the border. His eyes widened. Growling, he wrapped his fingers of his free hand around the girl's throat. She choked and clawed at his hand, but he only tightened his hold.

"You had one job in exchange for your life, witch." He shook her like a rag doll. "Alpha told you to hide our scent and take us toher, not to the alphas of Five Fangs!"

He threw her limp body to the ground and stomped on her twice. As she fell unconscious, something twinged in the air, releasing the smell of Tall Pines wolves and the distinct tang of magic.

Mate!howled Creek, Tristan's wolf.

He stayed true to his charge of sticking by Posy, but his eyes were locked on the brunette. He whimpered as she lay quiet and still on the grass.

Jayden?Quartz's whole body quivered with rage.Permission?

Pride filled me.

Not yet. They haven't crossed into our territory.

Four men walked out of the trees, each pair carrying a giant duffel bag that sagged in the middle. They swung the bags back and forth twice, building momentum, then heaved them toward us. They landed at our paws, and Cole swiftly reached down to unzip the closest one.

Staring up at us was a guy's battered and bloody face. He looked about my age, maybe a little older, and I could smell his beta blood. Cole crouched down and laid his fingers on the dude's neck.

Still alive, at least at the moment, he told us.

He went to the other duffel, too, and found a second guy in the same beaten condition, and we were surprised to see he was identical to the first one.

Twin betas. Hmm. Maybe they had tried to claim Luke's abandoned position and Alpha Halder hadn't liked it? Or maybe they were relatives of someone Alpha Halder wanted to punish?

Not important at this time, Quartz rumbled, then nodded at the duffel bags.Now there are Tall Pines wolves on our territory. Permission?

My clever wolf had a point, even if it seemed wrong to use them to legitimize a fight. Regardless, I got the feeling we needed to hear what they had to say.

Not yet. Let's find out what they want.

"We bring a warning from Alpha Halder," shouted the leader. "Turn Lilah MacGregor over to us, or more of her friends and family will suffer the same fate or worse."

Permission?Quartz whined.

For their own safety, I alerted my boys that I was about to let my wolf come out to play.

We need at least one alive for questioning, Mase reminded everyone.

And don't kill them if they submit, Cole added.Most of them look barely older than pups.

Quartz?I grinned.

Yes, Jayden?

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