“Where’s Veronica?” Viktor said, standing only a few feet from Emmy. There wasn’t much time for chitchat. I glanced at my watch. We’d all be shifting in just a couple of minutes.
“We don’t have her,” Emmy replied. His words had the weight of a boulder being dropped onto the field. “Where’s Dylan?”
Viktor arched a brow. He stayed quiet for a moment. Likely trying to judge if Emmy’s words were true.
“We saw a photo,” he said. “Of her with you standing behind her.”
“Photos can be edited,” Emmy answered. “Now where the fuck is Dylan?”
Viktor shook his head. “And the threats? About our territory?”
“We never sent threats.” Emmy took a threatening step forward. His eye contact didn’t break from Viktor’s. Viktor on the other hand glanced over to his pack members then down to the floor.
Something about this felt off. I couldn’t pinpoint what, but it was as if there was some kind of invisible string connected to us, pulling us…
It didn’t matter, though.
Emmy looked up at the sky. I didn’t have to tilt my head back to know that it was time. The buzz of pure energy underneath my skin told me that.
No more words. No more questions.
The moon sat directly above us.
It was time.
Energy poured through me, flooding me, filling me. I shouted as I dropped to my knees. The world became a haze of color and sound and sensations. None of it was painful.Almost the opposite. Shifting at the command of the moon was a euphoric feeling.
My eyes focused as my body settled. I knelt on the ground, my claws digging into the dirt.
A snarl from next to me as Emmy leaped forward. He crashed into Viktor, clawing into his shoulders and yanking him down to the ground. They slammed into the dirt. Blood sprayed from the wound Emmy had inflicted.
I ducked. A claw swiped over me. I reached forward and grabbed the were by the ankle. Pain pierced through me as the were sunk its claws into my back. I twisted my grip, pulled back. The were lost balance and rolled. I flung myself on top of her. My jaws were open; her throat was bare.
Someone slammed into me, throwing me off her. I rolled until my back cracked into a tree. The wood splintered. A trail of blood from my back followed me to where I got back onto my feet. The other were was fast, though. He raced toward me, teeth bared. Saliva dripped from his jaws.
Yuni ran out of the woods on all fours. Her fur was all white, sleek, a lethal blur.
She tackled the were before he reached me.
That left me open to help Chris. He slashed at two other weres. They had the upper hand on him. I dropped to my fours and ran, howling. Chris snapped at one. The fur of his mottled gray and beige arm was stained crimson.
One swung a clawed hand. Chris caught it, twisted it. He snapped his jaws down hard on the arm. A pained cry morphed into a rabid growl. The other were went to defend, but I reached him first. I grabbed him around the waist and threw us both down. The were snarled and barked. He kicked up and gashed the side of my leg. Sharp bolts of electrified pain coursed through me. I yelped and rolledoff him.
It would heal, but the pain was intense, blinding.
I limped backward.
Emmy let out an anguished howl. Our alpha was in danger; we had to help him.
I turned to spot Viktor towering over him. Yuni ran to him. She was being chased.
Chris barked out a warning. I whipped around. The other were was coming to finish the job. I raised my arm and blocked his blow, countering with a swipe upward. I could feel the tension, his flesh ripping like a knife through butter. He cried out as warmth covered my hand. I reached up and grabbed him by the throat. I lifted him up. The were’s light brown eyes were bloodshot. I recognized them.
This was Richie. I’d played against him. He was fighting this because his alpha was crazy. Because he thought something that wasn’t even true. Because he was making a power play.
He didn’t need to die.
No one needed to die tonight.
