“I’ve got you,”he says, snapping his jaws and coming to stand next to me. Another bonus of having achieved the mind-link is we can now communicate with words while we’re in our wolf forms.
With Jasper prowling in a crescent shape before me, ready to protect me from any attack, I close my eyes and reach out across the melee. It’s easy enough to isolate the attackers—they have a distinctive energy—but as I link with them all, finding the glowing red threads of their souls, I notice something strange.
These aren’t rogues, like I’m sure a lot of the people running for their lives have assumed.
“Jasper,”I say.“These wolves, they’re ... They’re pack wolves.”
“What?!”he replies,his voice a husky growl even in my head.“How is that possible? Which pack?”
“That’s the thing. They aren’t from a single pack. They’re ... they’re from a whole bunch of different packs.”
“Then why are they working together?”
I don’t have an answer to Jasper’s question. It doesn’t make any sense. It might if these were rogues who’d originated in different packs. But I know rogues, I can sense them, sense their independence from the packs.
These wolves are no rogues.
They’re still loyal to the rulers of their packs. They reek of obedience. But how could wolves from different packs be working together?
While I’m reaching out I use my powers to check on the Elite Pack wolves closest to us. The most vulnerable people have made it to the doors, somehow slipping through while Jericho’s gamma wolves fight to create an exit. Across the balcony wolves tear at each other’s necks, scratching with their claws at each other’s faces and exposed stomachs. An intense emotion hits me and I reel back before zeroing in on the source.
In the middle of the balcony Finnegan is kneeling next to the limp body of his son, howling in pain, his face a mess of tears.
This has to end.
“Never mind that now,”I say.“I’m going to take them out.”
I reconnect with the invaders, linking my mind with each of theirs, and I’m about to pull out their most devastating memories, to debilitate them with an intense and overwhelming pain, when I sense a dark presence at my back.
Snapping my eyes open, I spin just in time to see a large gray wolf clawing at the ground and rearing back, ready to leap. Somehow I couldn’t sense him sneaking up on me. He has the same heavy brow, even as a wolf, and I know it’s the waiter, the one who locked eyes with me across the prayer circle, the one who grinned knowing what violence was about to occur. He snaps his jaw, a thick strand of saliva flinging free, then pounces.
The world turns in slow motion as the wolf arcs through the air. I lift my arms, crossing them over my chest as I readymyself for impact, and at the same time I focus all my blood-wolf energy, reaching out to my attacker’s soul, the strands of red reaching from me to him like vines. If only I can get to him before he lands, before he bites, maybe I—
My body seizes as I connect, my chest expanding, throwing my shoulders back, in one all-encompassing pulse. A terrifying image comes to life as I reach into his subconscious, playing out like an IMAX film in my mind, paralyzing me, rendering me useless.
Then all at once I tear my eyes open, screaming, “NO!” and just as the wolf is about to land on me, Jasper, coming at him sideways, knocks him from the air. Rescuing me just in time.
They land hard, both sliding and spinning across the marble tiles, both clawing back to their feet and readying to fight. Jasper is one of the fiercest wolves I’ve ever seen, but his attacker has a good fifty pounds on him. He’s a beast. Jasper may be faster, but can he win in such an uneven fight?
Lightning fast, they pounce at the same time, springing forward with their jaws open and their claws out. A thunderous clap explodes as they meet in the air, colliding and spinning, each snapping and clawing at the other.
“Jasper!” I call out, knowing there’s no way I’m going to let him fight this battle on his own. Whoever our attacker is, he may be big, but he can’t defeat me and Jasper at the same time. I clench my fists, tighten the muscles around my eyes, and focus on him, reestablishing the connection between my soul and his.
Luckily this time, the image that’s still haunting the back of my mind doesn’t appear, and I’m able to send out one emotional blow after the other. The wolf staggers backward, shaking his head, blinking, like he’s trying to resist, like he’s trying to fight off my emotional onslaught, like he can ignore the deep feelings of pain, insecurity, and fear I’m pummeling his soul with.
Somehow, this guy is able to stay on his feet—must be an expert at suppressing his feelings—but he’s distracted enough to give Jasper the upper hand. He charges at the wolf, ramming into his side with the full force of his body, knocking him clear across the balcony. He hits the glass railing with a thud.
Jasper is about to attack again when a voice calls out.
“Stay back!”
Jasper and I turn at the familiar boom of Jericho’s voice. In all the chaos I’d not thought to see where he was at. The alpha can take care of himself. But to my surprise he’s not even shifted. He’s in his human form, surrounded by six snarling wolves. And then I see why.
He’s not just taking care of himself. Cowering behind him are Melissa and Jodie. Jericho is shielding them with his body, his arms out like he’s trying to create a barricade. Melissa has one arm wrapped around Jodie, a fierce look on her face like she’ll fight if she has to. Jodie’s expression is also fierce, only I can tell hers is more of an act: Her lip is quivering, her cheeks are wet. She may be acting tough, but she’s terrified.
“Stay back!” Jericho commands again, but his alpha tone is powerless against these foreign wolves. They continue to growl as they inch closer, tightening their circle. I wonder why Jericho isn’t shifting. He would stand a much better chance in his wolf form. It may be six against one, but when he’s shifted the alpha is immensely powerful. Maybe he doesn’t think he can do so in enough time to stop something from happening to Jodie and Melissa—that must be it.
“I’m warning you!” Jericho bellows, but it’s too late, the wolves have closed in around him, and with a bark from one of their numbers, they attack.
