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Jaz and Tarski had trained with the Kodiak bear clan, and it showed in her wolf’s ability to battle Reinhold’s wolf.
That brown wolf stumbled, then came back harder. He had to be drawing on his pack’s power.
Some of the shifters yelped and whined.
Reinhold yanked power so hard from the pack, he hurt his wolves. He didn’t deserve to lead any pack.
Had Tarski felt the alpha’s change?
They’d never fought the leader of a pack who could boost his power while in the midst of fighting before.
Jaz never spoke to Tarski when she fought to avoid distracting her wolf, but she had to tell her. Reinhold is regenerating faster and stronger. He’s draining energy from his wolves. Take all of our power and end this.
Withdrawing as far as she could without losing vision, Jaz became silent. Tarski went from drawing on their power slowly for endurance to calling up a load.
If Jaz had been in human form, she would have grabbed her head at the pain. She endured, willing her wolf strength.
Reinhold’s wolf bit and slashed, then bounced away as he’d been doing the whole time. His next move would be to attack from an unexpected direction.
His wolf moved back and forth.
Saliva and blood dripped from his fangs.
That wolf’s eyes burned with the alpha’s madness.
Tarski stood still even with her injuries, which had started healing faster after she drew down on their power.
When the alpha’s wolf charged her, it was like facing an enraged bull.
Tarski waited, eased back on her hind legs, then at the last second before his huge head rammed her, she leaped over him. She landed hard on the ground, rolled, then jumped on his back.
She flattened his head to the ground, knocking the air from his wolf. Her claws shredded the back of his neck. Reinhold’s wolf howled and tried to twist.
Tarski never gave him the chance.
Ripping his head off his body, she finished the kill.
When Jaz’s golden wolf stepped off after the brown wolf drew his last breath, Tarski howled in victory.
First the pack cowered in her presence, staring at her as the devil incarnate.
They had no idea.
In the next moment, all the shifters bonded to their alpha howled at the pain for their dead alpha and damaged bond.
Tanza wailed from where she’d been imprisoned.
Asking for the human body while the pack was confused, Jaz caught her breath from the gut-wrenching quick shifts so close together.
The ravaged body of Reinhold’s dead wolf shifted back into the human form.
Having lived with this bunch, Jaz could attest to the fact that the pack neither respected nor liked Reinhold. They feared him and just accepted that was how a pack worked.
If they knew her Kodiak clan, they’d know the truth.
She stood, dripping blood from multiple claw wounds and naked to the world.
Like she cared?
That’s when she looked up in time to see the Blood King’s wolf shifter running flat out. Not from fear.
She’d just outed the Blood King and killed his brother.
That wolf was on his way to report.
Jaz took in the motley group of wolves still sitting on their hands. But one pulled his hand free and stared at it, surprised he’d defied his alpha’s orders.
It wouldn’t take the rest long to figure out the power behind that order expired with their alpha.
She had seconds before the Blood King’s wolves attacked. Dragging up enough voice to gain their attention, she told the pack, “You have an alpha. Tanza is the rightful heir and more deserving than Kaiser or Reinhold. Listen to the truth in my words. I killed Kaiser out of self-defense. I’m glad Reinhold gave me a probationary period before bonding me to this pack or I’d be suffering with the sickness, too. That makes sense now. He’d planned to have me disappear like all the other women. Like he'd intended for his own daughter. You have a lot of problems. Don’t make me one. Attack me and it will be your last bad decision. Stand beside me and I’ll fight the Blood King with you. Run, and face him alone.”
One wolf got to his feet. “She tells the truth. I can scent it. I feel like poison is leaving my body. I’ll fight.”
Two more grunted and stood.
Then all of them followed.
She had no idea how many the Blood King would send, but her bunch still needed as much muscle as possible. In fact, the Blood King probably had backup nearby for his wolf since he had to know she’d come for Adrian.
Sending a worried glance at Red, she debated a nanosecond on turning him loose. She couldn’t leave him in there any longer.
“They’re coming!” one of the wolves shouted.
Howling from the woods on the other side of two pastures erupted. Wolves exploded from the tree line.
Twenty. More like thirty.
No time left to play what ifs.
She dropped down and reached for the clasp to open the cage door.
Red snapped at her, snarling a steady guttural sound.
Tarski whispered in shock. Red is ... gone.
No! Jaz shouted back telepathically. We will not lose them.
She snatched the clasp free and jumped back to shift again. This one hurt her and Tarski, but they both knew what they had to do.
Red unfolded his body and stepped from the cage with his head low. Fur stood along his neck. He growled like something dragged from the depths of hell.
Tarski stood on all four legs and shook off the dizziness of the quick change again.
Wolves attacked the pack.
They were fighting and clawing in a chaotic battle. A big wolf ran straight for Tarski.
Red didn’t move.
Tarski watched Red, who seemed to be deciding who to kill first. When the attacking wolf dove at her, she dropped and rolled away. Smart wolf.
Red attacked that wolf, ripping into the animal with savage determination.
Tarski jumped up and dove into the mash of wolves battling. If she hadn’t known Reinhold’s wolves by their scents, she would’ve been lost in this massacre.
Whining and howls played a backdrop to the vicious battle. Claws raked across Tarski’s back. She swung around hard, knocking the big wolf on its side. That one had no idea how fast Tarski had shredded the alpha.
Her wolf gave him a personal demonstration.
Blood spewed and bodies flopped on the ground. Whines and growls mixed in a deadly cacophony. Lifeless wolves shifted back to human form. It seemed forever until two of the Blood King’s last wolves raced away with their tails tucked.
Their boss never showed.
He’d sent men to die.
Jaz asked Tarski to look around and see what happened to the others. There was no way she and Reinhold’s wolves had taken down all of them.
Reinhold’s pack lacked the training to kill that many even with her help.
Everything quieted as Tarski circled around to find five dead Blood King wolves that had changed to gutted human bodies missing parts.
Red stood in the middle of that slaughter.
Adrian’s wolf shoved one wolf body as if urging the gasping wolf to get up and fight again. It took a last breath and shifted into one more mangled human form.
Red suddenly lifted his head.
Dead yellow eyes glared at Tarski.
Should Jaz shift? Would Adrian’s wolf attack her wolf?
Tarski said, Do not shift. If Red does not recognize me, he would definitely kill you.
Her wolf lowered her head, but not in an aggressive way. She stepped forward slowly.
The skin around Red’s fangs pulled back.
He snarled deeper.
Tarski explained to Jaz, I will try to reach him, but he may kill us.
Jaz told her, You have always supported all my decisions. This is probably the biggest one of our lives. I trust you completely. I also do not blame you if this ends badly.
Thank you. That was the last Tarski said before she took another step forward.
