Page 46 of Seduced Wolf

But something changed. It was corrupted, twisted into what it is now. By whom?

I’ve just been encased with the shadows of trees and twilight when I stop. Someone’s watching me.

"You're getting good at this."

I turn slowly, every muscle coiled. Bane is here, stepping out from behind a thick trunk.

"Is there ever a moment when you're not a pain in the ass?" I growl.

His red eyes shine. "I promise this will be worth it."

As if on cue, I hear the rushing of movement in the distance.

Wolves.

Bane sighs. “This isn't the usual way that I do things. But orders are orders.”

I count at least eight as they prowl through the trees. The wind rustles through the woods, carrying with it a scent that forces tension down my spine—the unmistakable, otherworldly scent of canine and human. The shadows seem to dance, concealing the figures that prowl around me, their eyes gleaming with a predatory light.

Bane's red eyes hold a mixture of amusement and intrigue, as if he’s trying hard to savor every moment of the impending chaos. "We always find ourselves in the most interesting situations, don’t we?" he muses, his voice carrying an almost musical quality. “The difference is this time, we’ve learned.”

Growls rumble through the trunks, and I make out the beastly eyes of my assailants, some gray, some blue. The shifters are closing in, their movements calculated and coordinated. Their forms flicker between man and beast in a mesmerizing dance of shadows and twilight. Night Fang learned from its failure in the alleyway.

This is no gang of thugs.

"They won’t lose this time." Bane's words drip with a twisted sort of satisfaction, as if he is relishing the unfolding spectacle. “That will be you, Chase.”

The wolves circle, their eyes fixed on me, their lips peeled back to reveal sharp, glistening teeth. Adrenaline surges through my veins, heightening my senses. The odds are overwhelming—eight against one. Even as every muscle twitches and coils, a calm settles over me.

Bane can watch as much as he likes. He’ll find out that after I dispatch these wolves, I’ll be coming to rip him apart.

None of the shifters that surround me step up to fight first, simply circling me, trying to gauge a weakness. They’re about to find out I don’t have one.

The first wolf lunges and time seems to slow down. Instinct kicks in, my body moving on its own as I sidestep, narrowly avoiding the snap of jaws. The others leap, a whirlwind of motion and violence. My hands move, grab and tear, their movements little more than a blur. They become weapons once more, my claws cleaving, ripping through with the sharpness of a blade.

The world narrows down to the clash of bodies, the snap of teeth, the rustle of leaves. Their claws are sharp, their growls are harsh. Yet I can sense their fear. Almost taste it.

But there’s no pity, no time to go easy on them. They should've known who they were dealing with. I wasn’t named after legend and folklore without good reason.

With a burst of sheer force, I unleash a flurry of strikes that leave the wolves disoriented, their formation momentarily broken. Bane remains on the periphery, watching with an intensity that borders on fascination. His red eyes follow every move of mine with an eerie focus.

The weaker wolves fall first, even as I ensure there’s no final blow. I don’t want them dead, no matter how much the wolf in me calls for it. I can’t give in to him. That’s not who I am any more. I just want them to get the fuck away from me.

Another wolf drops, bleeding and broken, when a thunderous roar behind me drowns them all out.

"This seems to be quite the mess that you've got yourself into, Bane."

Everybody freezes.

I use the opportunity to turn and look up. A man is straddling a silver wolf with blue eyes on roof of the Wild Heart building, as if he fucking owns in. Garbed in black and a featureless black mask, I can barely make out what his eyes look like. The two holes seem to be a gateway into an abyss that has every intention of staring back.

Bane slices a hand through the air. “Everything is under control.”

“Tell that to the poor fools getting their asses kicked,” the masked man scoffs, his eyes falling on me. “We finally meet, Chase.”

I stay silent, listening to the absence of movement behind me. No wolf intends on twitching until this bastard gives the order.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m the leader of Night Fang, as you no doubt guessed.”

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