Lion!
The wolf wouldn’t release her, shaking its head with such force she could feel the teeth grinding against her wrist bones. The wolf leaned its weight back, and Trina got pulled forward. If she toppled, her throat and belly would be vulnerable. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she splayed her feet and grabbed the scruff of the wolf’s neck to ease the tension on her arm, and then she slammed it into the truck as hard as her shifter strength would allow. She wasn’t weaponless, she realized. Not totally. She had strength and agility. So when the wolf hit the metal of the truck and released her arm, she was already moving for the door. The damn door was damaged though, dented inward and didn’t open when she tried the handle, so she dropped down in desperation and slid under the truck. She could hear the snarling wolf behind her, but it was big and had trouble getting under the truck, so she army crawled to the other side, swallowing down her fear at the breath she felt on her ankles and the snapping of teeth so close. It was all she could hear. Grunting, she pulled herself up and yanked open the driver’s side door as fast as she could, scrambled in, and screamed as she closed it on the muzzle of the wolf.
With shaking hands, she reached under the seat. The bed of the truck groaned as something jumped into the back. Wolves were howling in the distance. Too many of them. The truck was lurching to and fro from battles hitting the sides. Panting, Trina glanced over her shoulder and swallowed a scream. A massive black wolf was right there, lips pulled back over bloody teeth. Why were his teeth bloody? “Kade!” she screamed.
The suicide window was open, and the Wolf had shoved his head through as far as he could, gnashing his teeth, scrabbling to get to her. She pinned herself to the steering wheel, her back against the horn. Beeeeeeeep! It sounded long and high, right along with the howling wolves. The teeth were so close. God, don’t let that window break!
She stretched her arm as far under the seat as she could. “Come on, come on, come on!”
Her fingertips touched metal just as the window made a terrifying cracking sound, like walking on a frozen pond where the ice is too thin. No, no, no.
The growling of the wolf filled the entire cab of the truck, drowning out everything, drowning out the horn and the war outside. All she could hear was the animal’s death-promise.
Crack, crack, crack.
She could see the hairline fractures in the glass moving outward. It wouldn’t hold much longer. Clenching her jaw, she stretched as far as she could, got as close to the wolf’s snapping teeth as she dared. Got it!
Trina fell to the floor the second the wolf gave her an inch and pulled the barrel of the shotgun up. There was a box of shells under the seat, and her hands shook so bad while she rushed to crack the barrel in half and shove two shells inside. The sound of metal on metal was loud as she clicked the rifle into place and cocked it.
In that second, the glass gave, shattering all over her, and the wolf came right at her.
Click, click. Boom!
Trina closed her eyes at the deafening sound of a shotgun discharged at close range.
The wolf fell inside the cab, completely limp, gold eyes dimming as it stared back at her.
Trina was splattered with blood, and she sucked air as she slid out from under its weight. She pushed the handle of the door, opening it to escape the dead wolf, but while on her back, she looked up and saw another one coming straight for the truck, straight for the open door, straight for her, his teeth bared, ready to end her. Trina screamed in fury as she pulled the barrel of the shotgun up, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The gun kicked hard because she hadn’t been able to put it against her shoulder. The wolf went down, skidding under the truck, its shoulders getting stuck right near the front tire. Trina scrambled out of the cab, yanked the box of shells across the floorboard. When she opened up the shotgun, two empty, smoking shells flipped out onto the ground. She replaced them, clicked the weapon into place, and cocked it. Click, click.
Dad hadn’t taken her shooting for a couple years, so she had to knock the rust off a little. But with a shotgun, her aim could be a little off and still do the job. It was a forgiving weapon in a fight like this, as long as she kept her targets at close range.
Kade was fighting a cream-colored wolf. Darius? They were just shredding each other. There were wolves piled around them, but they avoided the carnage like some war dance. When another wolf came sailing through the trees, running straight for Kade, Trina aimed. Boom!
Click, click.
The first streaks of dawn were lightening the woods, but it was still hard to see. Even with her shifter eyesight, she had to squint to make sure she wasn’t aiming at Kade or Leah. Bailey was easy. She was pure white like the snow. No other wolf looked like her. But Leah had tar-black fur and was hard to see in the dark.
Two wolves came barreling through the trees and crossed the road, headed for Bailey’s fight.
Boom! Down went one, but the other changed its course and headed straight for her.
Mother trucker, she needed to reload. Steady hands, do it right. She could hear the predator panting, almost to her. She reloaded one chamber—it’s all she had time to do—and then she cocked it. Click, click…click. Shit! The wolf was on her, sailing through the air. Click, click, boom!
She ducked out of the way as the wolf landed right where she’d been.
Kade was fighting three wolves now. She didn’t know where Leah and Bailey were. Ethan was diving at Kade’s fight, but her mate was locked in a battle to the death with Darius.
Trina gasped as the edge of the woods filled with glowing eyes.
Too many.
Way too many.
They were just standing there, watching Kade war with the massive wolf. Near the truck, Leah and Bailey limped up, fur matted with crimson, heads lowered as they’re eyes stayed trained on Kade’s fight, too.
So many wolves.
She only had four shells left. The single empty shell smoked as it flipped from the open shotgun and fell to the ground.
And just as it touched the pine needle blanket of the forest floor, silence descended onto the woods. Trina jerked her attention to Kade, but he wasn’t looking at her. Laying on his belly, he had the neck of Darius Wulfe in his teeth as he watched a black speckled wolf slink away. The Alpha didn’t move. Beside Trina, Baily leaned heavily onto the side of the truck and stared at nothing. Poor Bailey. Tough Bailey. It didn’t matter if her ex-step-father was better off dead. Darius had been the only father she’d known.
There had to be thirty wolves here, watching, waiting for some signal to attack, but it didn’t come.
One of the wolves lifted its nose into the air and gave a long, steady howl.
Kade released the limp Alpha. He was bigger than any wolf here, but he wasn’t the Kade she’d known before. He was in control, steady, and wasn’t savagely tearing through every last Clan member just to sate bloodlust. He let off an answering howl that rose and rose.
The wolves lowered their heads and stalked forward, but their paws against the dry leaves weren’t the only sounds of the woods anymore.
“Caw, caw, caw, caw!”
“Caw, caw, caw!”
The flapping of wings replaced Kade’s howl. When he took a breath and howled again, Trina went to stand beside him. Fog was creeping through the early morning woods, setting a haze to everything.