The black wolves take their time stalking us, but they unleash their energy, letting us know how powerful they are. As Stark said, there are sixteen of them now, and their strength matches ours. Kami, Dany, and Raelynn shift into their wolves, joining the rest of our pack. Sebastian and Zayne flank Dany and Raelynn, and I nod at them, thankful to have them with us.
The air around us turns electric, potent with the force of evil. I don’t doubt our abilities to fight and win, but I do wonder if we’ll come out with no casualties.
Stark takes off his shirt and tosses it on the ground. “This pack is vicious,” he says to Colin and me. “They’ll do everything they can to get the girls.” His eyes meet mine. “They also wanted me. You’re an unmated male, Lyall. There are three women in that pack looking for royal men.” He holds his hands up. “Just giving you a heads-up. If we lose, that will be our fate.”
Raelynn’s growl echoes in my mind. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting any of those bitches near you.”
I glance at her over my shoulder, standing menacingly as her wolf with her snow-white fur illuminated in the moonlight; her bright blue eyes glow as she bares her fangs. “And I’m not letting Soren near you. You will be his primary target,” I relay back to her.
Once Stark takes off the rest of his clothes, he shifts into his wolf, leaving only Colin and myself in human form. “What’s the plan if things go awry?” Colin asks.
“I don’t know,” I confess honestly. “Let’s just hope the Great Luna’s in a fighting mood today. The black wolves have an advantage that we don’t.”
They can survive death. We just have to make sure we end them ultimately.
Colin slaps a hand on my shoulder. “All right, man, they’re getting closer. Are you not shifting?”
The black wolves are almost here, but only fifteen have shifted. I have no doubt Soren’s the one who wants to gloat.
“Not yet,” I say, staring off into the dark forest. “But soon.”
The next several minutes feel like hours as we wait for the black wolves to close in. My body trembles with the need to shift, with the need to protect my mate and my family. Growls erupt from behind me, and that’s when I see multiple sets of glowing eyes headed our way. The black wolves are camouflaged by night, giving them another advantage. The white coats of the royals glow in the moonlight, making us targets.
“I don’t like you fighting,” I murmur to Raelynn in her mind. “I’d feel much better if you left with Dany and Tia. Her magic can give you a head start to get away from this place.”
Through our bond, I can feel her readiness to fight. She’s a warrior, through and through. “No, Micah. You’re my mate, and we fight for each other. You’re going to need me. Besides, if those Dark Luna whores want a royal to mate with, they better think twice. I’m not the only one out here needing protection.”
The black wolves come out of the shadows, and right in the middle of them all is Soren, his eyes gleaming with evil. He holds out his arms and smiles. “The time has finally come. I think our ancestors waited centuries for this moment.”
“Yeah, well, they’re about to see it all come to an end once and for all. The Dark Luna is finished,” I shot back.
Tilting his head back, Soren guffaws. “Oh, the Dark Luna will never be fully defeated. So it doesn’t matter if we lose; she’ll still be here.” His eyes avert over to Raelynn. “But I’m going to make sure we continue her line.”
“Like hell you will,” I roar, the rage making my blood boil.
Soren shrugs. “You can’t stop me, Lyall. None of you can.”
For a split second, time stands still. I take one last look at Raelynn before the world explodes beneath me. The ground rumbles with thunder as both sides take charge. I shift midair into my wolf, my clothes ripping as they tear away from my body. My eyes lock on Soren, and I can’t see anything but him. But then, three wolves jump in front of me, blocking me from the strike. One wolf snaps at me from the front while the other two move to my sides, putting me at a disadvantage. What they don’t know is that I’ve trained for this kind of fighting my entire life.
Bring it on, cocksuckers.
Closing my eyes, I block out the battle around me and concentrate on the three wolves. One will attack first, but which one? Movement at my back left draws my attention, so I hunker down to the ground as the wolf leaps in the air, hoping to pounce on my back. While mid-lunge and exposing his belly, I roll across the forest floor and swipe my claws deep across his middle. He yelps and falls to the ground, his eyes lifeless, but I know that won’t last long. The wolf may be down for the count now, but if I don’t rip him apart, he’ll come back.
The other two wolves growl, and before I can go on the attack, two blurs of white land on top of them, ripping them to shreds. Sebastian and Zayne. Marching over the wolf I supposedly killed, I open my jaws and snap them down on his neck, wrenching his head clean off—the sounds of ripping flesh and howls of pain echo in the air everywhere around me. The smell of blood overpowers the scent of the forest. With all the blood being spilled, it’ll take dozens of rainstorms to wash it away.
“Raelynn, where are you?” I search for her, but there are too many fights, so many dead wolves on the ground. So far, none of them are royals. Thank the Great Luna for that.
I have to find her, but she’s not answering. Her mind is open, and I can see what she’s seeing. In front of her is a snarling female wolf, ready for the attack. And then, that’s when I see them across the way, circling each other. Raelynn growls so loud it makes the trees tremble around her. The next thing I know, Raelynn jumps on the wolf’s back and clamps her jaws around the back of the other, dragging her around like a rag doll. Raelynn violently jerks her mouth from side to side until the female wolf’s head separates from her body. It was vicious and not something I’ve ever seen Raelynn do.
Raelynn tosses the wolf’s head into the air, and it smacks against a tree. “That was brutal,” I say through our bond.
She finds me through the crowd and bares her fangs. “They don’t deserve anything less.”
“You’re damn right on that.”
I take off toward her so we can fight together, but two black wolves jump in my path. For a tiny second, I lose sight of her, and then her blood-curdling scream pierces through my head.
“Micah!”