It was right at the edge of coven territory near Brody Creek, beyond which was Iron Runner Territory. The unfortunate thing was the clearing at Brody Creek was in a zone of magical confluence that made it incredibly easy and powerful to cast spells there, and the covens couldn't resist it.
It also meant that as soon as the Iron Runner pack figured out they were doing magic, and with their witch hunters keen on the scent of magic, they always did, they would send some wolves over to harass them. Usually, it was just verbal sparring and a bit of intimidation.
Elise hoped they acted fast enough to avoid the confrontation. She couldn't deal with wolves today.
The five of them piled out of the Jeep and into the clearing, reaching out for each other's hands and forming a circle. Briana called down magic and sent it through her hands and into each of them until they were all linked together physically and magically.
Elise could feel her muscles starting to loosen with the connection. When Briana started to chant, Elise was the first one to pick it up with her. After only a few minutes, once all of them were chanting in unison, she could feel some of the negativity she'd been holding onto since long before the kidnapping start to dissipate.
Briana was right. They did need this.
"Look who we've got here!" called a masculine voice from across the stream.
At first Elise ignored it, but a second voice joined in. "Only five of them, and all little girls. What do they think they're doing? Don't they know where they are?"
Briana pulled her magic back, and the five of them turned to see two werewolves in human form flanked by two werewolves in wolf form standing on the other edge of the creek.
Aya planted her hands on her hips. "Which one's Scooby-Doo and which one's Scrappy?"
"Oh, I think they're more like Pound Puppies," Delainey said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "And no one wants to adopt them."
Serena wrinkled her noise. "They definitely smell like wet dog."
Briana kept quiet and so did Elise. Four wolves was more than the Iron Runner pack usually sent to harass them. She would bet these four had just been on a run and happened to scent their magic.
The coven hadn't been there long enough for anything more official. That put her on edge. A regular patrol from the pack would know the limits; they wouldn't want to get in trouble with their alpha for going too far.
Four regular wolfy assholes? Yeah, that was going to be a problem.
The first wolf who had spoken took a deep breath and then leveled his gaze on Elise. He stepped closer and closer until he was in the creek but didn't step out of it. He was still technically in Iron Runner territory, though usually neither side touched the water.
Elise was closest to the water and wanted to back up, but doing so felt like a show of weakness. All of these interactions with asshole werewolves were about projecting strength. She couldn't let the coven down by cowering.
The wolf leaned in, and he was only about three feet away from her. "Who are you?" His eyes narrowed and flashed yellow as he inhaled deeply. "And what wolf marked you? You smell like one of us."
Serena put herself in front of Elise. "And you are going to smell like burnt meat if you don't back off."
The wolf wasn't intimidated. He kept glaring at Elise. "Did you want to see what it's like?" He took another step forward through the water. "To feel what it's like to have a real wolf inside you? There's only one way you'd smell like that, little witch."
"That's disgusting," Serena's hands started to glow with magic.
Delainey shifted her weight like she was ready to throw down. "You're fucking gross."
Aya moved to flank Elise's other side. "She would never."
The wolf tore his gaze from Elise and looked at her sisters. "Are you calling me a liar?" he demanded, muscles tensing. He charged at them before Elise could come up with any sort of word that might diffuse the situation.
The wolf came for Elise, but Serena was there. Delainey was right beside her.
The wolf was officially on witch territory. It was an incursion, something they could fight back against without any fear of reprisal, and Delainey was already grinning.
She pulled her hand back and reared out, punching the werewolf straight in the jaw. "Get the fuck off our territory."
The werewolf grunted and punched her right back. He hit a lot harder. Delainey went down hard. But before it could turn into a brawl, Serena called down a burst of magic and sent it straight at the wolf, blowing him back across the stream and safely onto his own territory.
"Stay over there," she yelled, her hands crackling with residual energy. "There's five of us, and we aremorethan capable of shriveling your dicks off."
The other werewolf in human form spat at them, but the four wolves retreated, probably to get backup. They would be back soon, and then there would be more trouble than the coven could handle on their own. The Iron Runners didn't fuck around when it came to threats.
