Page 146 of Awakened
I leaned back to look them both in the face for maybe the last time. “I will do everything in my power to make sure you see tomorrow. I love you both.”
One more hug, and I slapped them both on the ass. “Get a move on, you two. Em, fill in that hole over there. Sarah, I want you in between the front line and the house. Grab a couple of other gammas.”
Emily gave me a little salute. “Aye, Aye, Cap’n!” She hurried down the line in between two new betas from Mississippi.
Sarah wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled loudly. Her face became more angular, a shift just under the surface. With a nod, she raced over to a group of three gammas and then led them next to the orb, exactly as I asked.
The sound of bullets flying stopped, and glowing eyes flashed at us from the tree line. Based on their heights, most had shifted to their wolf form, with only a handful remaining human.
I shouted down the line to be heard over the gusting wind. “Some of them have shifted. Shift if you feel more comfortable.”
Bodies contorted, clothes ripped, and my front line became mostly wolf. Bonnie and I stayed in our human forms. We could communicate with non-Amazons better that way.
Flexing my hands, I shook out my limbs and glanced back at Grandma Rose. With a small smile, she shifted her focus to Marie, and the heat disappeared.
“Get ready! It’s time!”
Moving forward a few feet, I stood alone, ready to lead my warriors. I held my hand in the air, waiting to give the order to move forward. A symphony of growls hummed behind me, vibrating through my body. In front of me, a couple dozen wolves came from the trees, led by none other than Matthew Stewart.
“Hey there, Celeste, how’s the weekend going? Lots of girl power?”
My lips twisted into a humorless smile. “It’s been great! Lots of pillow fights. We were just getting ready to do makeovers. You game?” Stroking my chin, I tilted my head and considered the asshole in front of me. “You’d look amazing without a neck.”
He laughed. “And that’s why I like you, Celeste. You have such a great sense of humor. You’ll need it when I’m done with you and your females.”
“Always making promises but never delivering, Stewart.” I leaned forward, ready to receive his attack. “You don’t want to leave us ladies waiting, do you?”
“Fuck you!” My Amazon sisters, still in human form, yelled, the wolves howling in chorus.
His smile sharpened as his teeth descended and his cheeks angled. I was about to face his wolf for a second time. The difference was I had three more months of training andtoughening up under my belt, thanks to the Howlers. I was sure to fuck his shit up.
From the tree line, a voice boomed, “Charge!”
Wolves and men poured from the forest.
“Hold your ground, let them come to you!” I projected my voice as far as possible, and the other betas repeated the order.
A wolf ran past Matthew, heading right for me. As it tried to wrap its mouth around my torso, I grabbed its head. Gripping its teeth, I pried its mouth open until its jaw snapped. Another quick strike with my claws to its hindquarters left the wolf twitching and whining on the ground. Not dead, but out of the fight for sure.
Looking up, Matthew was gone. “Shit.”
I searched the area for my target as two more wolves circled me. “It’s gonna be one of those days, isn’t it?”
The red wolf lunged at me, his teeth just missing my thigh as the blond wolf’s claw gouged my left arm. Jumping up, I landed on its back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He bucked, trying to throw me off, but with his dwindling air supply, his movement slowed until he was on his belly. Snapping one of the blond wolf’s back legs to immobilize him, I dodged the red wolf’s chomp.
Rolling to push off the ground, the red wolf pinned me down on my back. I pushed his chest, locking my elbows to keep his razor-sharp teeth just out of reach of my face. Hot breath fanned over my nose, and drool dripped onto my chin.
“Not cool. If you’re going to kill me, can you at least leave me drool-free?”
My arms shook against his weight. I was seconds from being up close and personal with some sharp-ass teeth. Summoning my last bit of strength, I managed to push him up a little.
As his chest left my hands, a man tackled him off my body.
Our reinforcements had arrived!
Jumping to my feet, I watched Zach easily snap the wolf’sneck. His eyes met mine, and his handsome face split into a grin. “Hey there, Sunshine! Looks like I’m just in time.”
I laughed, shaking some of the soreness from my arms, gently touching the open wounds there. “You could say that.”
