Page 42 of Dead Wolf Rising (Bad Moon Academy 3)

“You didn’t think we’d let you go alone, did you?” Everett’s lips quirk. “What kind of harem would we be if we did that?”

I smile. “Not a very good one, I think.”

“You don’t have to do this,” Adler says, pulling me against his body. “We can protect you.” His heart is pounding. He’s afraid.

“I have to do this. This is my pack,” I remind him, leaning back so I can meet his amber eyes. “It’ll be okay. Once he’s taken care of, we can go see Lou.”

“If something happens to you—”

“It won’t,” I cut him off. “You heard Blaze, he’ll step in if he needs to.”

Adler’s face clouds with frustration. “I’ll kill Peter before he even gets a chance to get there.”

I run my hand over his scruff. “Thanks, baby. Now let’s go show him exactly who he’s dealing with.”

Chapter 16

RAVEN

As soon as we get outside, Joan forces a shift. I don’t get upset with her, because I know she’s worried about the angry alpha wolf pounding toward us. Peter’s wolf is huge and his fur is dark gray with white speckled throughout his coat.

We raise our head and release a warning howl, filling it with luna power and one simple command.

Stand down.

The dry grass breaks under our paws as we start at a slow lope down the driveway. Peter snarls, spittle flying between gleaming teeth. Our hackles rise, and we growl, leaning low toward the ground. He runs through the gates, paws slamming into the gravel so hard it has to hurt, but he doesn’t notice. His glowing yellow gaze is dead set on me, and there is no mistaking the gleam of death in his eyes.

He plans to kill me without asking for an explanation.

Our power threatens him.

Good,I tell Joan as she braces for impact.

Our heart thrums in our chest like a ticking time bomb, beating faster and faster, louder and louder. Boom, boom, boom. Peter’s paws punctuate the beating of my heart. He doesn’t stop. He bends his legs and lunges for us.

We don’t move, and I scream at Joan to do something. Right before he can slam into us, we snap our jaws at his front leg, catching it between our teeth and tearing through fur and muscle. An angry growl rips from his mouth, and he curls his body in, shoving into us on impact.

Together we roll in the dried lawn, tumbling over one another until we come to an abrupt stop. Using the momentum, we land on our feet, beating Peter to rising. Without wasting a second, we jump toward him, but he rolls to the side and swipes his back paws across our flank. Something like a scream pours from our mouth at the deep gouge, but the pain only makes us more determined to get to him.

Jumping again, we manage to knock into him and tear into his side with our front paws. Our claws dig through his skin like a hot knife through butter. Peter doesn’t even yip in pain, he comes again with gnashing teeth, swiping claws, and vicious snarls.

I’m terrified, but Joan isn’t shaken, if anything she’s angrier than she was before.

A minute passes and all we manage to do is beat each other up. He’s strong. We may have underestimated his strength, but his back leg is slightly curled in as he walks. He’s hurt. Then again, so are we. Blood drips from our body in rivulets, the copper scent tanging through the air and mingling with his slightly bitter blood. A gash on our ribs pulses and echoes of agony run through us.

We prowl in a circle, watching as Peter does the same. His head is lowered to the ground, though it’s not in submission. He’s poised to attack. Poised to make us hurt. Poised tokill.

Not today, Satan.

Let’s end this mother fucker,I scream at Joan.

Your wish is my command.

Faking a limp, we whimper. His eyes flit to our back leg, and saliva drips from his mouth as he plans our end. We launch at him while he’s distracted, surprising him into a startled yelp. He tries to stumble back, but we crash into him and knock him to the ground. We snap our teeth in his face, growling at him and lowering our face toward his neck. Flailing around in a desperate attempt to batter us, his claws gouge our underbelly, chest, and legs. Jerking toward him in a rush of sharpened teeth, our mouth is inches from his throat when his claws sink deep into our gut. We whimper in pain, this time for real, and yank free of his hold.

His claws drag further through our stomach when we recoil, and a strangled sound comes from us.

Moons.

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