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“Mama!” Cleo cries out, her hands clutching my leg.

I rise slowly, careful to keep Cleo behind me.

“Only the weak and cowardly prey on children. Let the boy go and get out. This ends now,” I say firmly.

She shakes Gage’s arm and then drops him, making him whimper again.

“Go, run!” I urge him as he scrambles away from Sylvie. He doesn’t leave the room, however. He just hovers along the edge.

“Go,” I yell again, but he shakes his head.

She stalks toward him, her hand raised, but I step forward.

“Your fight is with me, not the boy.” My voice is low and furious. “Gage, get behind me.”

Sylvie looks at me with fury, her claws extending from her fingertips.

“I’m going to enjoy destroying you,” she spits, swinging for my face.

I duck under Sylvie's claws, feeling them barely graze the top of my head. Cleo whimpers again behind me. I have to end this quickly before she gets hurt.

"Stay down, baby," I murmur to Cleo before launching myself at Sylvie.

“Here, I’ll protect you,” I hear Gage say right before Sylvie and I crash together, all teeth and claws.

I rake my nails down her arm, drawing blood. She screams in fury and backhands me across the face. I taste blood but keep fighting.

We wrestle across the filthy floor of the cabin, kicking up dust and dirt. Sylvie is strong and fueled by rage, but I'm faster. I manage to get on top of her and pin her down. She thrashes underneath me.

"It's over," I growl in her face. "You've lost."

Her lip curls in a snarl. "Never."

With a burst of strength, she flips us and now has me pinned down. Her claws dig into my shoulders, and I cry out. Cleo is screaming.

Moon Goddess, give me strength. As the Luna. As Cleo’s mom. As Austin’s mate.

A tingle starts in my fingertips and extends up my arms, racing through my veins. I push up against Sylvie, shoving my way out of her hold with a grunt. With a cry, I burst forward into my shift, exploding out against her.

Sylvie screams and jumps back, giving me enough room to leap out of her grasp as I circle her, my wolf hackles raised and teeth bared. She shifts as well and darts toward me, her teeth snapping at my legs.

“Mama! Watch out!”

I duck and lunge to the right, narrowly missing Sylvie’s sneaky lunge toward my haunch.

Gage lets out a shrill howl, drawing Sylvie’s attention. It’s the distraction I needed. As she lunges toward the boy, I crash into her, my teeth sinking into the soft fur of her neck until I taste blood.

We fall to the floor, and Sylvie whimpers. I shift back and stand, spitting her foul-tasting blood on the ground before aiming a kick at her side. My teeth marks are still on her neck, and there’s a steady trickle of blood.

I did some damage but, as I assess her critically, I know that she’ll live.

I loom over her, stepping on her wrist so she is forced to stay down.

“I said, this is over.” I’m breathing hard as I look down at Sylvie.

She stares back at me with wide, frightened eyes. Her body is rigid.

“Fine,” she whispers, showing me her neck in submission.