Hungry Wolf - Aidy Award Page 0,39

the fray somewhat renewed. He grabbed the big leader with his jaw and tossed him into the side of the house. The window shattered and the boards creaked and splintered with the force.

Good idea. Aleksei used his powerful back legs to donkey kick the downed enforcer into the wall and on top of the leader. The entire wall of Helena's bedroom caved in an explosion of sparks and flickering of power. The lights in all the nearby houses went dark one by one. They must have hit a power box somewhere. Oops.

That left only the final enforcer to deal with. It circled his fallen comrade, not caring that Aleksei and the grey wolf had taken out his friends. It snarled and looked for a weak spot.

Aleksei’s current soft spot came in the form of Helena, dressed only in his t-shirt with her damn bat in one hand, some kind of tiny dagger in the other, and a look of surprise on her face.

“What the fuck did you do to my house?” She held her arms and weapons aloft and gaped at the carnage. “And who do I need to murder?”

The world around him went into slow motion. The two wolves that had been slumped against the rubble of the wall crawled to their feet and turned toward Helena, only a few feet away. The third enforcer crouched, his body angled directly toward her too. The three were going to attack her and there was no way Aleksei would get to her in time.

Sirens sounded from not too far away, probably spurred by the power outage, or maybe the neighbors freaking out at the horror show in the side yard. Luckily, most of the first responder teams in Rogue had at least one Troika, which meant backup was on the way. That gave Aleksei the burst of energy he needed.

Time caught back up with him and Aleksei leapt through the air to put himself in the way of the attack. In an instant he felt only the sting of teeth and claws sinking into his fur and flesh. He fell under the onslaught of the strike, taking blows to his back, ribs, and skull.

He heard Helena scream, but he couldn't quite understand what she was saying. Probably swearing like a sailor if he knew her. She'd be cussing these bastards out like there was no tomorrow. And there might not be for him. He blinked the blood out of his eyes and kicked at the nearest wolf. He couldn't give up yet. He had to make sure Helena was safe first.

Helena. Run.

He got no response. She must not be able to hear him in her head yet. But the grey wolf could. Goddess, he hoped this wasn't a huge mistake. But if Helena had a connection to this wolf, it was his only hope.

Despite his wounds, Aleksei pushed to his feet, lowered his head, and snarled at the leader who was only barely standing himself. He was once again going to try to buy time for either reinforcements or for the grey wolf to help Helena escape.

You'd better be prepared to kill me, because that's the only way you're getting to my mate. But I warn you now, if I go down, you're coming with me. Are you ready to sacrifice your life for your so-called new Tzar?

He didn't give them a chance to answer. He attacked the leader, going directly for the injured back legs. As he ran forward, he called to the grey wolf. Save the woman. Take her to the Troikas. I swear on my honor, they will not harm you if you assist me in my final hour. Go. Now.

Aleksei took out the leader, but only momentarily. The other wolves were on him in less than a painful breath, tearing him away. He didn't care, as long as Helena and the grey wolf got away.

He looked to where they last stood and caught only a glimpse of the grey wolf bullying Helena out into the yard with a growl. Good. She probably wouldn't leave him otherwise.

Thank you, brother. He received no reply in the usual mindspeak way, but rather in some strange sense that sent a shiver through his body. It was as if Max or Niko had used their alpha voice on him demanding that he not give up. It was a demand he could not ignore. He must obey. To his last breath he would fight for his life.

A soft, but strong feminine voice filtered