This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,3

pure animal, the sound an alpha makes when he’s establishing dominance. It’s directed first at my brother and then at the freckled guy.

“I want her,” Cody says.

My heart sinks. For a second, I stupidly thought he was going to back off.

Dawson checks his forehead again, slow and considered, as he studies the blood from the cut I gave him. “If you aren’t afraid to draw blood, Cody.”

A smile grows on Cody’s face. The tip of his right incisor peeks between his lips. “Never.”

My half-brother laughs, a low, unsettling sound. “Whatever you want. I won’t stand in your way.” He arches an eyebrow at the younger guy. “Cameron?”

Cameron shakes his head, grinning. He confirms my theory that he and Cody are brothers when he says, “She’s all yours, big brother.”

I back away from them. It’s unlike Dawson to hand over control of any situation to anyone. If he’s willing to let Cody take charge, then Cody must have a lot of power—political or physical.

I’ve never met any of the other alphas or their intended heirs, but I’ve heard their names over the years.

Rapidly digging into my memory, I search for any mention of an alpha-in-training named Cody.

My blood suddenly runs cold.

Wait… He can’t be…

Not Cody Griffin?

All packs are supposed to be equal in the hierarchy, but the two Lowland pack alphas are ruthless and feared.

The most ruthless is Tristan Masters, the youngest alpha in our history. He fought and killed his own father a year ago to take his place as alpha of the Western Lowland pack. His territory spans everywhere west of the Willamette River all the way across Portland up to the edge of the Tillamook State Forest. Any wolf who crosses him ends up not only dead, but killed in a way that sends a message to the other packs not to mess with him.

The second most feared alpha is Baxter Griffin. For generations, the Griffin family has ruled the Eastern Lowland territory that stretches east of the river to the base of the Cascades. In contrast to Tristan, he’s the oldest alpha and has a large extended family at his back. The Griffins are undefeated, close to gods among shifters.

If Cody is Baxter Griffin’s eldest son, then I’m in even more trouble than I thought.

Cody could rip me apart for sport and get away with it.

I continue to backstep away from him, gripping the axe as he prowls toward me. His hickory-brown eyes shift even further, his irises becoming a paler shade of caramel, flecked with gold. The change warns me that his animal is taking over his thoughts and instincts.

A smile grows on his face. He has maintained a partial shift for longer than a minute now, showing his wolf’s strength while his physical strength is revealed in the hard muscles extending down his chest, stomach, and thighs.

My senses buzz with the oncoming threat, my feet moving through the grass and leaves, taking me toward the center of the clearing.

I am nothing more than entertainment to Cody Griffin.

My choices now are slim.

If I maim or kill him, his pack will come after me. If I reveal my wolf, every pack will come after me.

If I don’t fight back, I may as well choose to die.

I flip the axe over so that the back of it will act as a bludgeon, and then I slow my pace, allowing Cody to reach me.

He’s already swinging his fist, a blow that will knock me flat and subdue me.

I duck the hit, spin, and aim the iron at the back of his thigh as I stride past.

If I’d landed the blow, it would have knocked him to his knees while breaking his thigh bone, but his reflexes are rapid. He sidesteps and the axe flies wide. Its weight pulls me forward, but I was prepared in case I missed. I spin with the momentum, drop the axe head to the ground, and somersault over it and back to my feet.

I don’t have time to check Dawson’s response as he watches us, but I sense his confusion. I’ve never fought like this before, never shown any skill in combat. As far as he’s concerned, I’ve always been an easy target.

I let the axe handle slide through my palm so that I’m gripping the axe head at its base. This way, I can control its weight. I stride toward Cody at the same time.

Using the axe head like a fist, I aim it at Cody’s face, allowing the handle to slide smoothly