In a split second, I shifted and lunged. I knocked the alpha back, and Wesley snatched the opportunity to escape. He stumbled, picked himself up, and ran towards our friends. Immediately they circled around him, becoming a wall of fur and fury. I knew he would be safeamongthem.
But my quick attack left me open for retaliation. The alpha I’d knocked over got back on his feet and snapped at me with slavering jaws. I dodged by leaping backwards, but I ran into a bigger problem. Gunner stood behind me as a wolf once more, spitting and furious. He slammed a paw into my side hard enough to send me sprawling across theground.
“Ken!” Wesleycried.
He tried to rush towards me, but Tyson stopped him. His wolf cut in front of Wesley and said, “Wesley, youcan’t!”
“I don’t care!” Wesley cried, beating his fists into Tyson’s fur. “Letmego!”
The small alpha wolf just shut his eyes, taking the blowssadly.
A heavy weight slammed down the side of my head. Gunner’s huge paw pushed me into the ground. I knew he was too strong; there was no way I couldoverpowerhim.
“I should kill you right now for lying to me,” Gunner growled, crushing his claws intomyhead.
“You won’t get away with any of this,” I said as calmly as possible. “The rest of our pack will never letthisgo.”
“Your pack doesn’t have to know. Not if I kill each one of you heretonight.”
My friends snarled at his comment. There was no way they would go down without a fight, I knew that. But I didn’t want it to end this way; they had their own families, their own children. I couldn’t let this go on anylonger.
“Just take me,” I said. “Please.”
“Ken!” Wesleyscreamed.
But Gunner just laughed. “I don’t care what happens to you, and history won’t either. Once that omega’s pup is born, it will join my army knowing only me as its father. Nobody will ever remember a Ken Hart.” He leaned down and growled into my ear. “And then when you’re dead, I’ll have your omega all tomyself-“
I twisted out of his grip and snapped my teeth into his throat before he could finish his sentence. I gripped as hard as possible, my jaws straining with theeffort.
The forest erupted into chaos. Wolves from both packs attacked. All I could hear were snarls and growls and snappingfangs.
Flint and Jericho launched themselves each at nearby Scarlet Ridge alphas, taking them down and going straight for their throats. Mason and Charlie worked together to attack a lone alpha, using their smaller size and agility to dodge his attacks. David - the biggest alpha out of all of us - was fighting two Scarlet Ridge wolves at once. He fought ferociously - he was clearly skilled incombat.
I barely had time to register the fight breaking out when Gunner lunged at me. He was heavy and powerful, but that made him slow. This time I managed to slip out from underneath him, then jump on his back and sink my teeth into the back of his neck. But there was too much fur - I couldn’t get to hisflesh.
Gunner shook me off and I landed a few yards away on my feet. He ran towards me like a furious bullet - and I waited to leap at the last moment and jump on top of him again - but instead of attacking me, he leapt right overmyhead.
In my confusion, I whipped around and saw what he was reallygoingfor.
Wesley, at the far end of the forest clearing, with Tysonguardinghim.
“No!”
In the chaos, nobody realized what was happening except the fourofus.
It happened too quickly to stop, but at the same time, it was like watching it in slowmotion.
Gunner leapt, all fangs and claws, reaching forWesley.
But Tyson snarled in defiance. He pushed Wesley aside and threw himself in the way, leaping in head-on to fight back against the hugealpha.
I was too late to stop it. Gunner used his momentum to slam into Tyson, knocking him into the ground. The small alpha grunted and kicked back against Gunner’s underbelly. Gunner let out a furious snarl that made every wolf in the forest stop. Then, striking like a snake, he sank his teeth into Tyson’s neck and ripped out a chunk of flesh. Blood poured from the wound and Tyson let out a heart-wrenchingcry.
For a single moment, the forest was silent. Then the cries of my friends rang out as they rushed towards us, desperately hoping the worstwasn’ttrue.
I pushed Gunner out of the way, and quickly the rest of my friends created a barrier around us. They were winning the battle; there were less Scarlet Ridge wolves now. But the concern on their faces wasintense.
Tyson’s body was mangled and limp. Blood poured from his massive wound. It was clear from the glassy look in his eyes that he was already fading. I stared down at my friend helplessly. Even though I was a doctor, there was nothing I could do. We were going tolosehim.
