He lunged forward, all restraint gone, tearing through the undergrowth. Branches whipped his face, snapping against his muzzle. The ground fell away beneath him as the scrub thinned, and suddenly the trees opened into a narrow clearing at the base of the peak.
The scent of blood was thick here. Fresh.
And then he saw her.
Layla.
She was running along the slope, her coat torn, her hair a wild tangle. Her movements were clumsy, desperate. She stumbled on the rocks, caught herself, and kept going, gasping for breath.
Behind her, the shadows shifted, and from them stepped a creature that made his red-hot blood turn to ice.
It was tall, almost man-shaped, its body hunched and uneven. Patches of fur clung to gray, scaled flesh. Its claws were curved, wickedly long, glinting even in the faint moonlight. Its face was a mockery of a wolf’s, jaws too wide, eyes glowing white.
Hybrid.
The corruption stank off it like rot.
Layla didn’t see it at first. She turned when she heard the snarl, froze, just for a heartbeat, her eyes going wide. The creature dropped to all fours, muscles bunching.
Dominic’s mind blanked. There was no thought, no plan, only the instinct that had ruled alphas for millennia.
He ran.
Snow sprayed under his paws as he burst from the tree line, the force of his movement shaking the branches. The creature’s head snapped toward him, its eyes blazing.
Layla gasped, stumbling backward as the monster lunged.
Dominic’s growl ripped through the clearing, low and primal. Every nerve in his body screamed for violence.
The last thing he saw was her, frozen, breath catching, eyes locking with his, before he launched himself forward, claws outstretched, fangs bared.
The impact shook the ground.
Dominic hit the hybrid mid-lunge, the collision sending them both sprawling across the snow-slicked slope. The creature was stronger than him, all muscle and rage, its claws tearing deep grooves into the frozen soil as they rolled.
It snarled, a wet, choking sound, and swung one massive arm. The blow caught him across the ribs, white pain flaring through his side. He retaliated instantly, jaws snapping shut around its shoulder. The taste was foul, burnt iron and rot, but he bit harder, ignoring the sting of his own blood in the air.
The hybrid shrieked and raked at him with the other hand, claws slicing through fur and skin. Dominic’s world narrowed to the rhythm of attack and counterattack, his heartbeat drumming in his ears. The creature’s strength was monstrous, but its movements were uncoordinated—savage, uncontrolled.
That’s what made them weak. The only thing. Their mindless rage.
He twisted, shoving it off-balance, driving his claws into its chest. The hybrid howled and bucked, flinging him backward into the snow. He hit hard, rolled, and came up on his paws just as Theodore’s lithe form burst into the clearing.
The wolf didn’t hesitate. He went straight for the hybrid’s flank, teeth flashing in the half-light. His snarl was higher-pitched, less practiced, but it distracted the creature long enough for Dominic to surge forward again.
He clamped his jaws around its neck, pulling with every ounce of strength he had. The hybrid thrashed, kicking up blood and snow. Theodore’s teeth found its leg, and for a moment, they had it pinned between them, predator precision against corrupted strength.
Then a blur of shadow joined the chaos.
Julian.
He came from the tree line in a silent arc of motion, his claws catching the hybrid’s wrist and twisting. The soundof bone snapping cracked through the night. The creature screamed, turning on him with unnatural speed, but Julian was already gone, darting sideways, cutting across the clearing in tight, efficient strikes.
Together, they began to drive it back.
Dominic ducked beneath another swing and raked his claws down its torso, the black hide parting like wet parchment. Steam rose from the wound, hot and metallic. The hybrid’s blood hit the snow and hissed.
The creature lunged again, wilder now, striking at anything that moved. Theodore went low, snapping at its knee. Julian feinted left, then slammed into its side with bone-crushing force. The hybrid staggered, bellowing in fury, and Dominic saw his opening.
