by D. M. Turner
Sophia, to her credit, appeared to take the job seriously. Like him, she was in wolf form. She lay nearby, eyes narrowed and head up, her nose testing the wind blowing through the forest below, carrying scents from the canyon up to them. How many did she recognize? The same ones he did?
Various members of the pack, with Carlos’ and Peter’s scents the strongest since they were patrolling immediately around the house. Elk and deer from outside the inner wall, prey that stirred his predator blood. The pungent, musky aroma of a black bear wandering through the Preserve. The occasional whiff of bobcat.
He snorted in disgust.
A rabbit hiding in the underbrush some yards away. Almost undetectable, the faint scent of car exhaust carried from the highway. All normal smells of home.
Ian filtered through them, waiting for any unfamiliar scent, and found his gaze straying to his companion.
Her wolf had put on weight over the past few days but was still too thin for his liking, and her coat still lacked luster. He’d suggested she stay at home and rest instead of standing guard that morning. The glare she’d aimed at him had said all that needed to be said. He hadn’t been surprised when she’d joined him as he trotted across the meadow behind the house headed for the ridge.
Stay focused. Brimfield could show up at any time. Now’s not the time to be ogling a woman, no matter how appealing she is, in both of her forms.
The hours crept by, with the only break coming when O’Neil brought a pair of dead rabbits for Sophia to eat. She made short work of them, showing none of the hesitation the other females so often did with fresh prey. That pleased Ian immensely.
Finally, their shift ended, and Colin and Tanya showed up to relieve them. Ian relinquished his spot to his son and turned to Sophia.
She nuzzled his chin hard enough to rattle his teeth then took off running, following the trail to the house.
He shot after her.
The trail rounded a boulder.
Ian halted.
Sophia had disappeared.
Nose to the ground, he followed her scent to a break in some underbrush. Before he could duck through, he was jumped from behind. Even as he turned to face his attacker, her scent wrapped around him.
Teeth gently gripped the side of his neck, then she danced out of reach with a canine grin. The moment he took the first step in her direction, she spun on her haunches and bolted toward the house.
He gave chase.
Sophia reached the back deck only a few feet ahead of him.
Now I’ve got her.
The back door slid open, Donna stepping to one side to allow Sophia to race past.
Ian halted just outside the door to give the woman a disgusted look. She’d helped his quarry escape.
Donna’s focus was on someone inside, so she didn’t notice.
He sighed and trotted into the house then followed Sophia’s trail into their bedroom. She wasn’t in there, but the shower in their bathroom turned on.
He nosed the bedroom door closed until it clicked, returned to human form, and grinned as he padded on bare feet to the bathroom. Ambush him, would she? Like he’d let her get away with that without retribution.
Ian grinned as he opened the bathroom door then gently closed it behind him. He could just make out her shape through the heavily-frosted glass of the shower door.
Sophia glanced over her shoulder when he pulled open the shower door and stepped inside. A slow, pleased smile took shape, leaving him to wonder—had he stalked her into the shower, or had she lured him there?
She turned, and one hand touched his chest as her gaze locked with his. Questions ceased to matter.
* * *
Seated at the dining table with his mate and several other pack members, Ian watched Sophia interact with people he’d known and watched over for years. Of those at the table, the women were the newest additions, Annie the most recent of those.
For years, the pack had consisted only of males, except for less than a handful of human female mates. His mate, Alison, had been the last of the female wolves, having died twenty-five years before Tanya’s arrival. Since Tanya joined the pack in mid-2015, so much had changed. The pack had gone from mostly unmated males to only three without mates of either species. Carlos, Peter, and Max. Females had changed the dynamic of the pack, not to mention the atmosphere of his home. Sophia brought even more change. Only time would tell just how much.
With the exception of Kelly, who had chosen to remain in the basement with her sister and the pups, the women had prepared dinner. If the chatter and laughter that had filled the house as they’d worked together was any indication, they enjoyed one another’s company. Their mates had watched with contented smiles that probably reflected the one on Ian’s face, though he’d tried not to look quite so smitten and goofy when his gaze rested on Sophia, as it tended to do far too often.
A deep sense of foreboding hung over Ian’s head, though. The threat looming in the form of Brimfield’s pack could destroy the happiness so apparent in that dining room. So many possibilities… all of them ugly.
Sophia, seated at his side, bumped him lightly with her shoulder then whispered, “Stop brooding.”
He shot her a surprised look.
“Do you really think it doesn’t show on your face?” Amusement curved her mouth then faded. “Worrying won’t change the outcome. You’ve done all you can to prepare.”
She was right, of course, but that didn’t stop him from worrying. They’d left the outer gate closed and secure to prevent humans from wandering onto the Preserve, but he’d ordered the inner gate to the house left open. As much as he hated to have a rival pack so close to the den, they needed the enemy to come to them. They couldn’t risk humans being caught in the middle of a clash between packs of werewolves. He opened his mouth to admit “you’re right,” but the words froze in his throat.
A howl cut through the air. Colin. The territorial howl. The enemy had been spotted.
Without a word from him, everyone surged to their feet.
Men began shedding clothes.
Women hurried to the hallway to duck down the stairs to the basement.
Sophia followed them, glancing back at Ian, her gaze probably more fearful than she realized.
He nodded, though he wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to relay to her.
After the steel door hidden behind a wood panel under the staircase slammed and the lock engaged, he stripped out of his clothes but remained in human form. Hopefully he could talk Brimfield into withdrawing and leaving them be. Doubtful, but it was worth a shot if it avoided bloodshed.
Ian marched out the front door, wolves following in his wake.
The sun had set but it wouldn’t be full-dark for over half an hour. At least they wouldn’t have to rely on night vision.
Max darted around the side of the house to guard the outside access to the basement. The others stayed with Ian.
Colin rounded the house at a full run, slowed, and returned to human form as he joined his father.
“How many?”
“At least fifteen. It’s hard to be sure. They were cutting through the trees instead of coming up the road.”
Ian sighed. “Well, we didn’t expect them to make it easy, did we?”
Colin Shifted and fell in with the wolves spread out in a semi-circle behind Ian.
Nine against fifteen, not counting Max, who had been ordered to stay near the basement door rather than engage the approaching pack unless any of them ventured too close to the women and children. If Brimfield and his wolves weren’t as strong as Clara suggested, the odds were manageable. Ian, Brett, and several others were experienced fighters. They could handle more than one each, if necessary. If Clara had been right….
Ian shook off the thought. Don’t let the enemy defeat you before you’ve even seen them.
The invaders emerged from the trees.
Ian readily picked out the leader, met his gaze, and raised his chin.
&nbs
p; The wolves, collectively, slowed then stopped.
His gaze locked with the leader’s, he trusted Brett and the others to assess the pack, including their numbers.
The alpha’s wolf form rivaled Ian’s in size, and he was in good shape. He returned to human form, a snarl curling his upper lip.
“Brimfield. You’re trespassing.”
“You have something of mine, and I want it back.”
“There’s nothing of yours here.”
“You lie!”
Ian growled. “No. Clara doesn’t belong to you.”
“She was bought and paid for.”
“Slavery went out of fashion a very long time ago. You have no legal right to a woman who doesn’t want to be with you.”
Brimfield laughed. “Legal? Like the laws of any country actually apply to us. We are our own law.”
Not something Ian could entirely refute. “That may be so in some regards, but buying and selling women isn’t one of them. Take your pack and leave our territory. Now.”
“Not without my property.”
Ian crouched with one hand on the ground and snarled, “If you’re determined to have her, come get her.” He Shifted, attaining wolf form before the other man reached him. He ignored the noise that erupted around him as his pack engaged in combat with Brimfield’s, keeping his focus on the alpha.
Brimfield proved to be a skillful fighter, but he was young enough to still be full of himself and certain he could take anyone. Ian’s wolf knew how to deal with one such as that.
Another wolf attacked from behind, taking advantage of Ian’s attention being on Brimfield.
Rage washed through him, turning the edges of his vision red. Ian whipped around.
The other wolf tried to leap backwards, but Ian caught him by the throat, giving him a solid, hard shake. He gritted his teeth in satisfaction around bleeding flesh at the sound of vertebra giving way and flung the lifeless body to the ground.
The leader jumped Ian from the side but didn’t move fast enough to get a hard grip anywhere important.
Ian caught the wolf’s foreleg in his teeth and chomped down with all of his might. Blood flowed over his teeth, but bone held.
Brimfield yelped, snarled, and grabbed for Ian’s ear.
Releasing him, Ian slipped away before the wolf could get a grip. He must die. Evil must die before it infects others.
Watching for any sign of weakness, Ian circled the enemy. Waiting for the moment the other wolf would provide an opening. If a hunter was patient, prey opened itself up to a killing blow.
Brimfield lunged.
Ian sidestepped, but the other wolf’s teeth caught him across the shoulder as he passed, drawing blood.
Another wolf joined the dance, latching onto Ian’s other shoulder near his neck.
Ian whirled around, the momentum tearing the smaller animal free.
The wolf lost his footing and went down.
Ian didn’t let him get back up. Satisfaction poured through him as blood spilled. He turned to face a charging Brimfield.
Red dancing around the edges of his vision turned black as rage grew.
They all must die.
* * *
“Tanya’s still out there.” Donna paced the width of the room, her worried gaze on the outside door.
Sophia turned to stare at the same metal door. If someone banged on it, would they hear it? There was no window, no video camera, nothing, to enable them to see what was beyond it. Even if someone knocked and they heard it, how would they know whether it was friend or foe?
Tanya could be in trouble, for all they knew.
A quick glance at young Duncan spurred Sophia to action. She quickly stripped. “Lock the door behind me.”
“What?” Kelly’s eyes widened. “Ian told us to stay inside.”
“Tanya could be in trouble, and we’d never know from in here. I won’t leave her out there. Duncan needs his mother.” She unlocked and yanked open the heavy metal door far enough to slip outside then pulled it closed. The lock ground into place with an eerie finality that sent a chill up her spine.
A series of snarls and growls from multiple animals caused her to hunker in the shadows while she Shifted. Then she crouched and made her way up the stairs to ground level, pausing near the top to peer out and evaluate the situation.
Tanya was closest but hadn’t made it to the safety of the basement. Two strange wolves had jumped her. Max was several yards away, locked in combat with three more. Both of them were bleeding, though none of their wounds looked serious. Yet.
Sophia focused on the two wolves engaged with Tanya. She crept slowly up the last pair of steps and onto hard ground, never taking her eyes off the enemy. The moment she was within easy reach of the closest one, she lunged for him, catching him by surprise from behind. She landed on his shoulders and locked her teeth into his neck at the base of his skull. The force of the impact drove him to the ground. He was too big for her to snap his spine, but she locked her teeth then flung her weight to one side, slicing through flesh to rip open his neck.
He tossed his head to break free then whirled to face her.
She bit down on the bridge of his muzzle. One of her canine teeth sank deep into an eye socket. Blood and some other fluid poured over her tongue, exciting her.
The invader howled in pain and tried to shake her loose, managing only to cause more damage to his face.
Sophia released him long enough to slip underneath and make a grab for his throat. Then she held on tight while he struggled for breath and clawed at her. Pain raked her side, but she refused to free him.
After far too long, though it was probably only seconds, he stumbled and fell, her hold controlling his fall. The moment he hit the ground, she braced both front paws either side of her bite and yanked with all of her strength.
The flesh of his throat gave way, including his windpipe and major blood vessels.
Before she could be sure he was dead, teeth hit her from behind, sinking into her shoulder but missing her neck by only a small margin. Blood flowed freely down her leg.
Sophia tried to face her attacker but couldn’t do so unless she yanked free. Rather than fight his hold and damage herself more (the way the first wolf had done when she’d gotten hold of his face), she lowered her head, tucked her tail, and hunkered close to the ground, feigning submission.
The wolf released her and stepped back with a puzzled tilt of his head.
She cowered against the rocky dirt and grass and averted her gaze, hoping he’d think her more seriously wounded than she appeared and, thus, defeated.
His focus shifted to his companions.
Sophia took the opportunity to quickly assess her packmates.
Tanya had taken her enemy down, had him pinned by the throat.
Max continued to wage war with two others.
All of them were covered in blood.
Sophia’s enemy glanced at her.
She pinned her ears to her head and rested her chin on the ground.
He turned to Tanya, taking a step toward her.
Sophia launched before he could take a second.
He didn’t go down as readily as his friend had, but he finally fell. While he gasped for air through a torn throat, she ripped into his belly, spilling intestines across the cold, hard ground. Two more faint, shallow breaths, and he lay still.
She raised her head to check on Max and Tanya. Both of them were up, their enemies conquered. Blood flowed from a variety of wounds. Max limped on one foreleg, but he put weight on it, so it didn’t appear to be broken. The three of them had defeated five of the invading pack. They were the worse for wear but alive. That’s what mattered.
Now, to find out if someone banging on that door can be heard from inside.
“Sophia!”
She whipped around, expecting another enemy.
Instead, Colin ran toward them, naked and bleeding. Deep gouges on one side showed hints of the ribs underneath. If the injury pained
him, he gave no indication. His gaze stopped on Tanya, and his eyes widened, then he seemed to force his attention back to Sophia.
Even in the fading light of dusk, she could easily read the fear in his eyes.
“Dad needs you!”
Oh, God, no. Please! That was all the prayer she could manage. She didn’t wait for anything further before racing around the house, trying to ignore protests from her shoulder.
Chapter 30
Horrified by carnage, Sophia skidded to a halt, quickly taking in wolf and human bodies scattered around the clearing and driveway in front of the house. Blood pooled everywhere, the scent of it filling the air. She couldn’t tell which were enemies and which were allies. That level of scrutiny would have to wait. More urgent matters demanded immediate attention.
Ian’s wolf faced Brett, who had several other wolves at his back. All of them were wounded. One toward the back wasn’t putting weight on a deformed hind leg.
Bloody saliva foamed and dripped from Ian’s gaping mouth as his lips pulled back in a hard snarl. If he was growling, she couldn’t hear it.
Brett and the others had their heads lowered and turned to one side, their gazes averted, but Ian showed no sign of relenting. His gait stiff, the ridge of hair from ears to tail standing straight into the air, he took a step toward Brett.
She had to stop him. Somehow. Before he killed his best friend, or vice versa, or the pack ganged up and killed him. Didn’t regular wolves sometimes do that when an alpha got sick? When a wolf lost control like Ian had, would that be perceived as illness?
Heart in her throat, Sophia trotted as casually and confidently as she could manage toward the wolves, making every effort to hide the pain in her shoulder.
Ian flashed her a hard look, his gaze drawn away from Brett and the others. By her movement, she was sure. He watched her approach without any change in demeanor. No recognition. No softening.
