Weakness.
The wolves have scented it. The other Rawbonds, too. They turn almost as one to converge on the wounded guy.
“No!”
The word is out of my mouth before I can stop it. It’s barely loud enough to compete with the raging of the crowd, much less the deafening snarls of the wolves, but a few of them still hear me.
Instinct crackles up my back as half a dozen maddened lupine faces turn in my direction.
Oh… fuck.
One of them is Jonah’s big black monstrosity. Jonah sits astride him, grinning maliciously. Holding my gaze, he throws his head back and lets loose a horrible, bone-chilling battle-cry.
Everyone turns to look.
Weakness.
Just like that, the wounded Kryptos boy is forgotten. Every predator on the field—wolf and human alike—is now focused on me.
Of course, I think, everything inside of me shrinking with panic.I’m the weakest link. The outsider. The mistake.
Heart hammering, I take a fighting stance as the wolves fan out around me, but I know it’s useless. They’re closing in. Everything inside me is sinking, falling. The knife in my hand is about as useful as a toothpick.
There’s no way I survive this.
Tears of rage and failure burn my eyes.
At that moment, Anassa breaks away from the rest, bounding toward me ahead of the others, her yellow eyes wild with aggression.
I almost laugh.Of course. She’s hated me from the start. And now she’s going to lead the killing attack.
Something in me hardens at the thought. Fear and defeat compress into cold, cutting fury.
That’s how it is, huh?I think, my teeth bared as I hold Anassa’s gaze.Fine! Come taste my knife, you bitch.
Anassa growls so low it rumbles in my chest. Jonah and his wolf are right behind her, poised to attack. Jonah laughs like a fucking madman and screams,“Now!”
His wolf lunges forward. At the same moment, I dive for Anassa’s throat?—
Andmiss.
I hit the hard-packed earth on my hands and knees, dazed, and turn to see Anassa slamming Jonah’s wolf to the ground. With a yelp, Jonah flies off, skidding across the hard-packed dirt.
The fuck?
Before I know it, Anassa is up again, lunging at another wolf. Her snarl is deafening.
Confused, I scramble to my feet.
Is Anassaprotectingme?
I watch in astonishment as she body slams another wolf and then lunges for a third. The rest shrink back in the face of her ferocity, but they’re whining, pacing, still gripped by bloodlust.
Anassa stands over me, head lowered and hackles raised, growling loud enough to shake the fucking earth.
Mine!the growl practically says.My kill! My prey!
There’s a moment of heart-stopping stillness as Anassa stands her ground. I can actuallysensethe other wolves judging her, sizing her up. Trying to decide if it’s worth it to challenge the oldest and most powerful among them.
