His mind brushed mine, solid and as sturdy as bedrock.“Alpha. Glad you could join us.”
“Fly with me, Gilen,”I answered, words carried on the pulse of the pack bond that bound us.
His massive roc form came into view, cutting through the smoke with ease. Wingspan stretching wide enough to challenge the heavens. The wind from his flight fueled my fire, fanning it into a brighter flame.
Together, we circled, then dove, united, into the thick of the fight.
Shaw Black
“Let’s move,” I said, turning to Zola. “No way I’m letting Gunnar or Skylar beat us to the battle grounds.”
Zola grasped my arm as the shadow swallowed us whole.
There was no air, only pressure. My stomach flipped as shadows swallowed me, and for a heartbeat, I didn’t exist.Not fully, anyway. I was somewhere between here and nowhere.
Like a snap of a rubber band, Zola and I reappeared in the thick of battle. The copper tang of blood flooded my senses in an instant as roars and screams filled my ears.
Unfazed by the jump, a dagger sprang into my mate’s hand. She threw it across the field, and it landed with a thud in the back of a mage’s skull.
“That’s one,” she said with a wicked grin, darkness dancing in her eyes. “Try to keep up.”
In a flash, she vanished into the shadows, only to reappear behind a tree, striking down a human hunter with ruthless precision. “Two.”
Let’s play.
The battlefield erupted in steel, teeth, claws, and the sickening thud of bodies hitting the ground. Smoke from fires cast by mages clung to the air, thick and bitter, stinging my throat with every breath as my heart slammed against my ribs. My panther raged, eager to be released.
I sprinted toward the chaos, ducking under an arrow and driving my shoulder into the soldier ahead. He hit the ground with a grunt, and I didn’t wait to finish him off.
My hands became paws. My skin darkened and thickened, fur bursting across my body. The pain was brutal on my first shift, but now it was as easy as breathing.
Everything sharpened—every scent, every sound, every heartbeat around me. I saw my enemies before they saw me, and the soldier lying dead at my paws didn’t have time to scream. I attacked. Claws slashed at his armor, before myfangs sank deep into his neck, feeling his life drain from his body.
“Well, that was exhilarating to witness,” Zola murmured, stepping over the body. “I’ve added one more. I’m up to three.”
I growled in approval, reaching for her mind through our bond.“What does the winner get?”
“A shared secret,”she answered.
A chill ran through our bond, caressing my insides. Gods, even in the thick of battle, this female could command me on my knees, and I’d happily obey.
Magic cracked through the air as the battlefield raged. Human mages stood in tight formations, elements bending to their will, with weapons and shields of energy at their command. At the same time, shifters surged through the fray in their beast forms: wolves with blood-matted fur, various mountain lions darting like shadows, bears roaring as they plowed through enemy lines, and a ferocious wolverine intent on spilling human blood. Magic and claws collided, flaring against snapping jaws and raking talons.
I slashed hunters, mauled mages, and stalked a handful of archers hidden among the trees, picking off those targeting the deadliest of our kind.
Fifteen. Yet, it wasn’t enough.
We were outnumbered. Always had been.
A loud screech tore through the sky, accompanied by Skylar’s familiar song. Gilen’s wings cut through the smoke as he swooped down with talons open in a frenzy of primal fury and arcane power. Followed by an inferno ready to strike.
Skylar flew behind Gilen, the pair fighting in sync as she took command of the flames and bent them around our pack to keep them safe.
“Shaw!”Talon’s voice echoed inside my mind. I turned to him, overjoyed that he was in one piece with Rhea keeping pace at his side.
“Is that fucking Skylar?”Rhea exclaimed.“She’s a phoenix!”
I was about to answer when the sound of thundering feet drew my attention. Amidst the smoke and trees emerged an impenetrable wall of Silver Meadows warriors marching into the field with Gunnar at the front.
