The dead weight of the wolf landed on her legs, pinning her as he let off a long sigh. His chest didn’t rise again. Gritting her teeth, Nicole struggled out from under him, desperate to get away from the dead eyes that stared vacantly at her. Scrambling to her feet, she swallowed another yell of terror when she saw them. Three wolves, two black and one gray, were stalking her from the other side of the snow machine. No time to jump on, much less turn the engine and get up to speed before they were on her. “Link!”
She lifted the rifle and huffed out a breath, then pulled the trigger. One dropped, two bolted for her, and she took off as she jammed another bullet into the chamber. “Link!” she screamed again. Fuck, she just had to buy herself time. She had to keep breathing until he could get to her.
She turned and planted her feet, then pulled the trigger on another. The last one reached her before she could reload. She lifted her arm to protect her neck, and it sank its teeth into her forearm. Nicole grunted in pain as the black, snarling wolf dragged her down with its body weight. It shook its head violently as Nicole struggled to finish cocking the gun one handed. Warmth sprayed across her cheek, and she panicked, jamming the butt of the gun against the hard packed snow. The sound of metal on metal was heavenly, and she aimed the barrel under the wolf’s chin. Its eyes widened with understanding just before she pulled the trigger. She staggered upward, and locked her legs against the uneven ground as she tried to catch her breath.
Standing over the wolf’s body, she looked from it to the others lying limp in the snow. What the hell? How would it know about guns?
Because that’s not a wild wolf.
The thought brushed her mind and sent ice shooting through her middle.
They would know about guns if they were McCalls.
Owooooooooooooooo.
The hairs lifted on the back of her neck. Link’s howl was the song of her heart, and that wasn’t it. That was the broken battle cry of a monster.
Turning slowly, she looked in horror as a dozen wolves melted out of the trees in a line of defense between her and camp. Between her and the snow machine and the extra rifle. Between her and salvation.
“Link, help me!” she screamed as the first wave bolted for her.
She picked off two before the awful clicking sounded that said there were no more bullets to load into the chamber. With a sob, she spun and sprinted through the snow. It was too deep, and the wolves were too fast, better equipped for the terrain than her.
She hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to Link. He would find her half-eaten by the same creatures that had killed her dad. Who would be his anchor now? Link would be no better than these wolves after she died. He would be doomed to the curse, just like the McCalls who were hunting her.
Her arm hurt so badly, and she used that pain to keep her in the moment. She had to think. Had to use her head and buy herself every second she could. She wanted to live! She wanted Link to live! Link, Link, Link. Help me!
A thick grove of alders blocked her escape, their trunks so close together they created a wall. She gasped in horror as she skidded to a stop and crashed into them. They’d planned this. They’d herded her here. It’s why they hadn’t attacked before now, why they’d loped behind her silently, waiting for her to trap herself.
Nicole swung the rifle upside down and held it like a bat. “Come on, you murderous mother fuckers. Who wants to die first?”
A white wolf with a gray tail and bright blue eyes melted out of the pack, head down, eyes hungry, teeth bared. The others hung back behind him, as if they were waiting for this odd-colored wolf to ring the dinner bell. The alpha. Kill him. Scatter the others. Buy time.
Nicole tensed and prepared to swing her empty rifle as the wolf bunched his muscles to attack.
A blur of gray ghosted through the woods and barreled into the white wolf. Link latched his teeth around the smaller wolf’s throat and shook him off the ground. His eyes blazed the color of snow, and the snarl in his throat held an intensity she’d never heard from Link before. No. Not Link. This was all Wolf.
The other wolves shied away, but then charged the fight at the first yelp from their alpha.
Nicole ran for them and hit the first attacker across the face as the blur of violence continued beside her. The wolf under the butt of her rifle went flying, but another caught the sleeve of her jacket and yanked her down to the ground.
Link turned and latched onto the wolf’s leg and jerked his neck, tossing him away like he was weightless. The black wolf slammed into a tree.