Page 20

X-Wolf

RED. RED. RED. All I see, all I want to see, all that exists is the color red.

Bloodlust and adrenaline pour through my veins; my pulse thrums a frantic beat that has the edges of my vision blackening. Not that seeing anything matters when my entire focus is on the throat I’m tearing apart and the strips of flesh slipping down my guzzle and into my belly. Blood sprays across my face, dripping off the already-soaked fur of my muzzle. A ferocious growl roars from my chest, causing the blood in my mouth to froth as I open wide and chomp down on the delicate vertebrae, shaking and slinging the wolf around until the head hangs limply from the disjointed bones.

Another one dead.

My stomach is full of my enemies’ flesh and blood. My gums tickle from the fur stuck between my teeth, a couple of which are broken from snapping bones in half. I know when I look back on this night, the savagery I bestowed will be the details I remember, the ones I find delight in, while all else will be a blur of red.

I don’t know how long we’ve been battling. I don’t know how many enemies we have left to destroy. I will only know when they’re all on the floor either dead or incapacitated. I’ve caught flashes of white fur slipping in and out of the fight—my mother, her teeth bared and her eyes glowing like smoldering cauldrons of copper fire as she incinerates those she goes after, then cooling to a warm honey as she drags our wounded wolves to safety. I’m aware of my pack-mates, of where they are, their energies, and their struggles, and I’m well aware of Little Fox’s deployment of energy.

A growling from the archway has me looking up to see Mike and Madison’s wolves engaging in a battle with two wolves, who I think came with the second group. Blondie lifts his head from his latest victim, his eyes glowing, his teeth red, and his panting breath wet with blood. With a twitching of his upper lip, he charges toward the fight.

Then a large gray wolf is on my back, nipping and biting at me. I growl out in anger and push my alpha power at him, using his own biochemistry against him, subduing him, and cajoling him into submission, promising to ease his pain and heighten his pleasure. It stalls him out. His body freezes, and his mouth slackens around the back of my neck. I rock my body to the side, slamming him into the end of a pew. I keep slamming him until he slides off me. I turn on him, my mouth open and thirsty for his blood, for his death, but then I feel him. I feel his fear and his worry for his livelihood, for the way of life he has come to know, to love. It tugs at me. Instead of going for the fatal blow, I latch onto one of his hind legs and pull, dislocating it. He yowls out in pain but does not attack.

I hear a loud blast from outside, followed by a sizzling of what sounds like a flare gun and the howls from woods surrounding us grow louder, closer. My true-mate reaches out. I sense the strain and drain on her life force from whatever she’s been doing. She urges me to call backup, that she’s holding those positioned outside but can’t do more than that. I acknowledge her command and force myself to numb out the concern spearing through my guts, feeling how much royal power, she’s deploying, wondering if she truly understands the risks she’s putting herself in. She could burn out.

I extend my senses outward, seeking the circling wolves. I release a derisive scoff, recognizing some of them as ones I’ve taken under me as mine. The soft emotions that had me questioning ending this wolf’s life are swallowed by the murky depths of deception churned by those outside. Looking down at the gray wolf, I access the glowing, swirling well of new alpha power that’s been intensifying with each connection, with each action I take as a pack alpha. I siphon some from the pool and cool it, visualizing the energy lengthening and sharpening while I hold his unblinking eyes with my stare. I inject him with my power like a hypodermic needle piercing through his skull and into his brain, into his soul. He cannot hide from me. He cannot hide his intentions or the knowledge he has of those he’s aligned with.

He yelps and yips at the invasion. I ignore his begging. He came here to take me down. What did he expect? A growl rips from my lips as I see him for who he really is and what he wants. I see his desire for my mate’s death. What perverse glee he feels in hoping to educate me in his beliefs, what he knows to be true! I see those who share his views. The power within me brightens and breathes with a life force of its own, swelling and spreading through my chest, up my neck, and cresting over my face like a flash fire.

Rage boils in my bloated belly, and I go for the kill. No mercy. Ripping open his throat and filling my mouth with his flesh, feeling the last pulses of his slowing heart, I savor the blood slinking down to my stomach, the liquid of his ended life. Then I call out to my wolves, to my pack. I call for them to come to my aid and that of their fellow wolves, to block in our enemies and seek justice for those of us they’ve harmed. I send images of Shelly’s and Sutherland’s wolves’ broken bodies, of their luna, her white fur streaked red with blood, and of the carnage baptizing the pack house and my reign as their alpha. They answer in earnest, and they come. They come to me—to us.

With another dead wolf’s blood pooling around my paws, I take status of the fight surrounding me. The stone floor is carpeted with motionless mounds of flesh, fur, and blood. A few of the stronger, more stubborn ones are still hanging on, fighting what has become a losing battle. I reach out to my mother, our luna, and she turns to me from her guard position in front of Shelly’s and Sutherland’s wolves. I share the knowledge I’ve gained with her and my next steps. She bows her blood-soaked head in agreement and turns to the elders, along with Dawson, and Colin, all hidden behind the curtains of the stage.

Colin’s blond wolf is large, possibly the largest wolf here in width and length, and strides out from behind the curtain, leaping off the stage and heading to where Jasper’s and Ethan’s wolves are caging in two betas. The betas are both limping and both missing large chunks of flesh; I’m amazed and impressed by their determination to keep fighting, to not rest. Once Colin is there, I connect with Blondie and Ethan’s wolf, informing them of the situation and my plan.

Ethan’s wolf backs away from his prey and moves toward me, while Blondie begins dragging the bodies of our foes toward the front of the stage, with Bruce’s wolf helping him. Mike’s and Madison’s wolves search the room for any we may have missed, while Ethan’s wolf and I head out into the night.

The heat of the battle steams from my damp fur in the cold mountain air, the crisp wind cooling and congealing the warm blood coating my muzzle. Keeping my body low to the ground, I swing my head from side to side as Ethan’s wolf and I keep ourselves hidden behind the vehicles, assessing the situation as best we can.

The fur along my back raises with the prickling of my skin and the tingling in my ears, as the wolves I’ve called arrive just beyond the trees surrounding the pack house. Yet, I only hear the growls and howls of one wolf, not mine, and much closer. I release a chuffing snort at the display of my mate’s power. She’s been able to hold close to a dozen wolves where they stand—no, where they lie. They’re lying down on her command, at her behest. Linking up to my wolves, I find those who are closest and send them images of what I want, the path through the woods I want them to take, and the location of the wolves being held in stasis. Then Ethan’s wolf and I head silently into the woods to take down the one who is still aware, still able to attack.

We find him circling and trotting around his compatriots, his fear is so great, so pungent, that my nose burns with the acrid smell of it. With Ethan’s wolf at my side, covering my back, I expand my ribs, filling my lungs and feeding oxygen to the alpha power within, flaming it higher. Digging my claws into the ground, the forest of my lands, feeling the power of the earth beneath my paws, I throw my head back and howl into the night. A roaring basso of a howl, it is deafening and weighted with my power. I push it at the solitary wolf. It crashes over him, and my paws feel the vibration of his heavy body falling to the ground in capitulation. I urge my wolves in the area to draw nearer, to show themselves and face those who tried to dismantle our pack. Tried and failed.

Without warning my paws stumble and my breath catches feeling a pull on my true-mate bond. No. Not a pull. A flicker. A heart-stopping flicker. Digging my claws into the ground, I send the information to Blondie, and then I find her fluctuating royal waves and lay mine on top of them. I sense the wolves under her influence. The emotions coming from them—many wishing for forgiveness. Having experienced her power, her essence, they now know what it is to be touched by the Divine.

A feeling of relief washes over me. Though I thrive in battle, the idea of killing so many wolves is unsettling. Letting my alpha power swirl around my vocal cords, I release several rhythmic, chuffing barks, penetrating their minds, hypnotizing their wolves with my chants, soothing them into submission. The connection my mate had with them makes this easier, having already broken through their armor of fear and anger, shattering the lies and misguided beliefs that hardened them to me, to the Divine. I assess their energies and intent and note that some will need to be dealt with and a few punished for their treachery. Others will only need to be monitored and evaluated.

A prickling on my hackles alerts me to Colin’s and Madison’s wolves making their way to us. I command the betas here to begin to administer just enough toxin to subdue and transfer these wolves to holding.

My vision blurs as I’m once again taken over by my bond link. The world momentarily disappears with a terrifying silence resounding in my head, in my heart, as one connection of our pack-mate bond dims out. My true-mate. Shaking my head, I reaffirm my connection with my wolves, because I cannot leave them, I need to fulfill my duties. I put my faith and my hope in Blondie and Jax, in them getting to our mate, who has slipped into unconsciousness. She has pushed herself well past her boundaries, risking herself not just for her mates, but my pack, my wolves, and their future. I must trust in my pack-mate, in my true-mate, and in the Divine, because if we lose her, that trust will be in question.