Amara wrinkled her nose. “I do not keep Mitch in the friend zone.” She took another sip of her wine, pleased to discover she was on the verge of a buzz. “That would imply that he had some other zone in which he could go. And since Mitchell and I definitely do not have feelings for one another, there is nothing in which to ‘keep.’”
Sadie laughed so hard she snorted into her wine. “Seriously? You really don’t think he has feelings for you? Well, you may not have any feelings for him, what with Mr. Hottie McHotterson of the Great Sex Department in your bed every night, but Mitch absolutely does have feelings for you. Why do you think Zoe has a hard time around you lately?
“Lately? She doesn’t have a hard time with me lately. She has a hard time with me always.”
“Okay,” said Sadie, “but don’t you think it’s gotten quite a bit worse since she started seeing Mitch?”
Amara thought for a moment, frowning. Thinking back, things were a bit different between her and Zoe, and it had started about the time Zoe had begun seeing Mitch, but if anything, she would think things were getting better with Zoe. Maybe because Amara clearly had no feelings for Mitch.
A loud noise came from outside the window.
“Hmm?”
She rolled her eyes. Getting up, she went to the window and moved the curtains aside. She peered out into the dark. “I don’t know, Sadie. Maybe, yeah, I guess you could be right. But speaking of people I have a hard time with, what exactly do you see in Kal Vann?”
This time it was Sadie who employed the eye roll. “Well, he’s freaking hot, for one,” she replied, grinning. “And he’s charming in that cool, bad boy sort of way.”
“Okay, so he’s hot. Can’t you just admire him from afar? Watch his tight, jean-clad ass as it walks away like every other girl does? Do you really have to date him?”
A frown creased Sadie’s brow. “Why not? Neither one of us are seeing anybody else. Mom loves him. And the sex is fantastic. What’s the problem?”
“I can’t stand him. And I’ve told you, I don’t trust him.”
“Why not?”
“I just…” Amara sighed. How did she tell her sister Kal was a murderous psychopath without giving away Nova’s secret? “I just get a bad feeling from him is all. He’s not a good guy, Sadie,” she finally said. It wasn’t much, but at least it was the truth.
Movement caught her eye out the window. Someone was running toward the woods, and there were flames in the distance.
Then the screaming began.
“Sadie, go get my shotgun from the bedroom,” Amara instructed, all seriousness. Still watching the movie, Sadie ignored her. “Sadie!”
“What?” She pressed pause.
“The shotgun?”
“Amara, you’re not going to shoot my boyfriend.”
I just might, she thought. Out loud, she said, “no, Sadie, I’m serious. Something’s happening. Get the shotgun. Now.”
Alarmed, Sadie quickly got up and did as she was told. Amara went straight to the lock box in the kitchen and keyed in the code to release her handgun. Then she retrieved both her knives and found her holsters. She’d just finished loading the handgun when Sadie returned with the shotgun. She traded her. “Do you remember how to use this?” she asked, pointing to the handgun. She took the box of shells from the table and loaded the shotgun with an ease that only comes from experience. Sadie nodded. “Good. Because I want you to stay inside. If a wolf comes near you, or Kal, or anyone you don’t know, shoot them.” Locking the barrel, she rose and went to the door.
“Wait, Kal?” Sadie asked, her face pale as a sheet. “Where are you going? What’s going on?”
Amara slipped on the deputy’s jacket Mac had given her the day before. “There’s an attack going on outside. Sadie, I mean it, I need you to stay in here. I need to know you’re safe.”
“But what about you?!”
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. I know what I’m doing. Stay in here,” Amara repeated, suddenly worried that her sister wouldn’t listen. “And lock the door.”
She knew she was taking a risk; her sister almost never did as she was told. But she needed to know she was safe. “Oh, and Sadie? Use my phone and call Nova. Tell him there’s an attack and to get here quick. Then call Mom and make sure she stays inside. The last thing we need is for her to get in the middle of all of this.” Without waiting for a reply, she tossed her sister her phone and ran out into the fray.
Outside, it was total chaos. There were wolves and people everywhere. People were screaming, others were shooting. A handful of men she’d never seen before were breaking into houses. Down the street, closer to the square, it looked like somebody had set a car on fire. She could already hear the sound of sirens from the firetruck in the distance.
The smell of blood, of salt and copper, permeated the air. She had never seen such a horrible sight in her entire life.
Amara caught sight of a brown wolf charging one of her neighbors. Placing the gun in the crook of her shoulder, she took aim and squeezed the trigger, bracing herself for the kick. The sound was deafening. If only she’d had the time to think about grabbing ear plugs. But the wolf went down.
Rushing forward, Amara stepped over the lifeless body of the Valley wolf and helped the woman climb to her feet. She appeared to be more shaken than hurt, for which she was grateful. Still, Amara helped her back to her home and strongly advised her to lock the doors and stay away from any windows.
“Amara!”
She turned at the sound of her name. “Mitchell!” Grateful and scared at the same time, Amara rushed forward and let her friend pull her into a hug. “What are you doing out here?”
“We heard them outside the bar. They were attacking whoever was out on the street, so we grabbed our guns and came to help.”
“We?”
“Zoe and I.” Sure enough, Zoe was running up the street, tears streaming down her face. Mitch and Amara sprinted over to her.
Terrified, Mitch looked around. “What the hell is going on here?”
“Wolves. They must have decided we were in their territory.”
Beside her, Amara could feel Zoe trembling. She wrapped an arm around the other woman’s shoulders. “It’s going to be okay,” she promised, rubbing her hand up and down Zoe’s arm in an attempt to soothe her. “Sadie’s at my house. Let’s get you over there where you’ll be safe. Come on.”
But just as they attempted to run through the looting and destructive Valley wolves, another group charged into the area followed by Mac and a handful of armed Strathford citizens. He nodded to her once, before he and his group attempted to drive the wolves back toward the woods.
That didn’t seem to be the greatest idea. Both humans and wolves were at a standstill. The wolves were not about to move, but nor did they want to get shot. On the other hand, the humans knew that they probably wouldn’t succeed in driving them off, but if they were to turn tail and run now, they would either be attacked and possibly killed, or they would lose their town to the canine monstrosities set on taking over.
Neither scenario seemed like an ideal option.
Amara spotted Kal among the group of wolves and aimed her gun. His response was to let his tongue loll out in a wolfish grin. She ground her teeth together. Oh, how she hated him.
Another chorus of howls split the air, this time from the woods themselves. All heads turned.
It looked as if shadows were slinking out of the darkness. Wolves in various shades of black, gray, and even white, moved away from the trees toward the street. They moved in unison, their graceful bodies moving together as one fluid unit.
The two largest in the bunch—one a solid black, the other a black and silver—moved to the front of the group and bared their fangs at the red and brown wolves. Amara watched as Nemoy and Nova led their pack into battle. Kal spear-headed his own to meet them. The humans were forgotten.
“Take aim,” Mac ordered quietly, inst
ructing his people. “They’re distracted now. If we’re quiet enough, we might be able to take them out before they remember we’re back here.” Raising his own gun, he levelled it and aimed at Nova.
“Wait,” Amara said, rushing over. She placed a hand on the barrel of his rifle and forced him to lower the gun. “Only aim for the brown ones,” she told him, terrified for Nova’s safety.
Baffled, Mac stared at her. “What are you talking about? They’re all wolves, Amara. We need to take them all out!”
“Trust me, Mac.” She bit her lip. How could she make him understand? “Okay, so think about it. Have any of the attacks recently been made by the black and silver wolves? No, they haven’t. They’ve all been the tan and brown ones, right?”
Mac frowned. “Well…yeah, I guess that’s right.”
“That’s because they’re two different packs! The darker ones want their territory back and the other ones are trying to take it. If we can drive off the invading pack, the original ones will probably leave us alone.”
“How do you know all of this? Are you some kind of expert or something?”
“I’m just observant.” Mac narrowed his eyes and Amara sighed. Clearly this was going to take a little more thought. “Okay, so I like to read up on wolves in my spare time. Can you blame me? My family has been hit pretty hard over the years.”
For a moment, she was afraid that he wouldn’t believe her, and that once more, Nova would be in danger of getting shot. Thankfully, Mac appeared to have accepted her explanation. He nodded thoughtfully. “Know your enemy. Good thinking. I knew I chose well when I deputized you. Alright everyone, listen up. Aim for the brownish wolves, you got it? Let’s not anger the others in case what Amara is saying is right.” He ushered them all forward. “Okay, people, let’s move.”
Just then, the front door of Amara’s house burst open and Sadie stepped outside. Amara’s heart froze in her chest. Then, before she even knew what to do about it, the world began to move in fast forward. Sadie took a step forward, tripped on the mat and fell on her face. The hand gun she held in her hand flew forward, discharging as it toppled down the steps.
That’s when the world exploded.
Chapter 16
The two packs charged at each other. They erupted in a fierce cacophony of snarls, barks, howls, growls, and yelps. They bit, lunged, tore, and clawed at one another in their attempt to claim the territory that was her hometown of Strathford.
Amara watched, helpless, as the love of her life went to war. There was nothing she could do to help him. If she aimed her gun to take out one of the Valley Clan, she risked hitting Nova, Nemoy, or one of their pack. But she had to do something. Sadie was still up there on that porch, so close to the action. And if anything happened to her little sister…well, she would just have to trust Nova and his pack to save the town. She needed to get to Sadie.
Turning, she handed her gun to Zoe. “Do you remember how to shoot one of these?”
For a moment, Zoe merely gaped at the weapon in her arms. Then, she took a deep breath before raising her gaze to meet Amara’s. Amara was pleased to find Zoe’s eyes scared, but determined. Zoe nodded.
“Don’t shoot unless you have to,” Amara instructed. “But don’t let them get too close either. You can do this, Zoe. I know you can.”
“Where are you going?” Mitch demanded. He sounded as scared as Zoe looked.
“I’m going to get my sister,” Amara replied. She unsheathed the knife at her hip and spun it around until she found the right grip. Her other knife remained at her ankle. Then, without looking back, she darted across the street.
In the midst of battle, Nova’s world consisted of just one primal fact: kill or be killed. There was his enemy, there was his pack. As far as he was concerned, there was no in between. Everywhere he looked, there was death and destruction. The coppery scent of blood permeated the air. He could smell the fear of his enemies all around them like a stench that he soaked up like perfume.
Fear me, he thought, growling through his sharp, gritted teeth. You attacked my home, my people. You came after the woman I love. You threatened her town, her family. And now you will face my wrath. Fear me. For I am your death.
When the gun went off after Sadie tripped on the porch, Nova let the wolf part of himself take over. He relied on his canine instincts, that other part of him that was wolf, and intrinsically part of the Pack. He lunged at the nearest Valley wolf, his powerful jaws open and ready. As his adversary came closer, Nova swooped in and latched his teeth to the other wolf’s throat. Now was not the time to be diplomatic. This was war. As much as he hated to kill, he knew that it was necessary to protect what was his. He accepted it. And with that, he closed his jaws and pulled, leaving the other wolf a lifeless pile at his feet.
Hot, thick blood dripped from his jowls. Nova didn’t care. One after another, he met his enemy. And one after another, his enemy fell. He and Nemoy fought side by side, putting every bit of training they’d ever had to good use. But this wasn’t like training where if you screwed up, it would all be okay in the end and you could try to do better next time. This wasn’t even like the border skirmishes, or the run-ins he’d had with Kal over the last few years.
This was madness.
Amidst the chaos, the growls and sneers, Nova spotted Amara across the street. He watched as she handed the shotgun to Zoe and spun the knife in her hand. She was going to join the fight. Damn it. For once, couldn’t she just stay back and let him handle it?
No, of course, she couldn’t. Because that wasn’t who she was. That wasn’t the woman he had fallen for. Amara was fierce, and stubborn, and brave, and he knew without even a shadow of a doubt that if someone she loved or cared about was in jeopardy, she wouldn’t be content to sit around and wait for someone else to help. She would risk absolutely everything to save the ones she loved. Or she would die trying.
Amara began a mad dash across the street. About halfway across, she turned back searching for the source of a scream.
Nova was torn. Did he work his way through the fray to go help Amara? Or did he stay there beside his brother, defending his pack? Neither one seemed to be the right choice, and yet he knew he had to choose. His brother or his girl? And how did anyone ever make a choice like that?
From the corner of his eye, Nova saw a russet-colored wolf dart towards him. He was running with such speed that when he hit, the other wolf dug his shoulder into Nova so hard that he went toppling head over tail, knocking others in his back to the ground like a bowling ball to bowling pins.
Kal ran at him again and his fangs dug into his shoulder, ripping through fur and flesh. Pain exploded behind Nova’s eyes, sharp and fast. For a moment, he saw stars. Nova’s howl broke through the evening air, his agony, fear, and aggression resounding over everyone nearest to him.
The hungry leer in Kal’s eyes held a glint of triumph, and an even larger glare of hatred. Whatever he was up to, Kal thought he was winning. Maybe he was.
Kal lunged a third time, his teeth catching Nova’s left hip. He was trying to make him weak, and damn it, he was succeeding. This time, however, Nova was ready for him. He swiveled his neck just as his adversary slammed into him again, and his own jaws grabbed hold of Kal’s side.
Though he yelped in pain, the son of the Valley Clan’s Alpha managed to slip away. He charged through the grassy field separating the town from the woods, aiming for Amara’s front porch where Sadie was still pulling herself to her feet. In the blink of an eye, Kal had transformed himself back into a man.
Sadie’s eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open in a terrified scream. However, the noise of the battle was so loud that no one could hear her scream. With one swift, fluid movement, Kal knocked Sadie’s head against one of the porch’s posts, rendering her unconscious. Then he lifted her effortlessly into his arms and disappeared into the house.
Amara spun around, slicing into the nearest wolf as she set off for her sister. She felt th
e sickening squish as metal met flesh and the blade hit home. Pulling upward, she called upon the hunting skills her grandfather had so painstakingly taught her over the years. She wrenched up the knife with all of her strength, effectively gutting the Valley wolf from naval to nose. When he fell, lifeless, to her feet, Amara fought the urge to be sick. Though the sight of blood covering her hands turned her stomach, she forced herself to keep moving. She had to get to Sadie.
And then Zoe screamed.
Amara didn’t hesitate. Without thinking, she rushed back to her friend, dispatching an attacking wolf as quickly and efficiently as she was able to on the way.
Zoe lay on the ground, her arms crossed over her face to protect her throat. Her knees were tucked up against her and she was using her feet, pressed up against the wolf’s chest, to hold him at bay. Her arms were trembling, and Amara knew if she didn’t get there soon, Zoe would possibly be killed.
Putting on speed, Amara sprinted toward them. She slammed her shoulder into the wolf, using her momentum to push him off of Zoe. She landed with an oompf on top of the wolf. She had just managed to see Zoe clambering to her feet when she felt the wolf scoot out from beneath her and suddenly, they had changed places.
This time, she was the one with her back to the pavement, her arms and legs curled up against her as protection from the deadly, slavering jaws of the wild canine intent on ending her life.
Fear and panic coursed through her veins, and her blood roared through her ears, but Amara forced herself to remain calm. Though the circumstances were far from ideal, she called upon the knowledge gleaned from those two weeks of yoga class her mother had insisted she take, and somehow, she was able to control and balance her breathing.
Think, Amara, think. Those lethal fangs were getting closer. If only she hadn’t dropped the knife during her fall.
The knife! Of course.
Turning her head as much as she dared, Amara searched the pavement for even a hint of the steel blade. There. Now, all she had to do was reach it.
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