Page 84 of The Enforcers: NOAH

All about to die.

He didn’t even hesitate when he reached them. He leaped out of the night and landed on top of Creston, bearing him to the ground. The fucker lost his hold on Brock and the little boy rolled away, limp, to land near a fallen log.

Noah managed to claw deep gouges along Creston’s back before the bastard fought his way free. He shook himself, shifting to a lean red wolf with tan markings. The other shifters changed as well, ranging themselves around Noah, trying to keep him at bay until the humans could shoot him.

Not going to happen. He launched himself at the second wolf, black and cream, as two bullets whined past him. There was a flurry of teeth and claws, and then he locked his jaws on the wolf’s neck, dug in and snapped his head. The wolf went limp.

One down.

Then it was teeth and claws and blood and pain, bullets and shouting. He tried to get to Creston but the bear kept slapping him away, and he kept going at it, he had to kill Creston because Creston killed Mina, but the others kept getting between them, wearing him down because Creston was too weak and cowardly to take him on by himself.

He slunk close to the ground, growling, looking for an opening. The humans were bloodied now, battered, one down and two out of ammo but reloading. Too many bullets. He’d die here, but he’d take them all with him. Maybe Brock would get away, maybe he’d be saved.

No, he had to save Brock. His last act on earth couldn’t be to let Mina down. He couldn’t fail her. He had to live.

The human clicked his ammo into his gun and aimed. Noah dodged, leaping for Creston, and then there was an ungodly howl and a black she-wolf with a white ruff came hurtling out of the darkness and took the human down.

She turned, snarling, and leaped at Creston, her jaws taking a chunk of flesh out of his neck. He howled in pain.

The other human tried to shoot the black wolf, and Noah leaped at him, knocking him out. Then he turned to face the bear, worrying it, snapping at it, bloodying it wherever he could.

He backed it away from the black wolf, wanting to kill Creston himself but compelled to protect the she-wolf that was fighting so hard. The bear rose up and Noah lunged for its underbelly. It dropped to all fours, just missing him, and backed up to charge again.

There was a hideous metallic “clang,” and a trap closed around its leg. The bear gave an agonized scream, yanking at its leg, but the trap was staked down and chained, and it was unable to break free.

Noah turned back to the main fight. Creston’s wolf was lying on the ground, dead. The others were dead or unconscious. The she-wolf was standing over Creston, head down, sides heaving, her white ruff splashed with red. As Noah watched, she limped over to Brock, still lying in the leaves by the fallen log.

She nosed his tiny form, then licked him. He stirred and opened his eyes, reaching up to touch her muzzle. “Mommy?” he murmured.

It couldn’t be.

Mina?

He was at her side in one leap, shifting as he went, wrapping his she-wolf and her son in his arms and feeling the sun coming out in his soul.