between pack members who aren’t the same strength, weakening the line.” He waved to where Shannon clasped my hand. When he looked toward Luna, I stepped in front of her, hiding her from his gaze.
“You perpetuate the lies of the so-called moon blessed instead of wiping them from existence the way we have before. There is no moon blessing, no goddess, no deity behind us. Those stories are meant to keep us from becoming what we were meant to be—gods in our own right!” he screamed, and behind him wolves howled their support.
“It’s power that makes a wolf. The strongest of wolves have always led the way, and you make us weak. Yet you are the ones who teach our pups, corrupting and influencing them with your weaknesses and twisted ways. Leading them from our traditions and our families, tearing them from the right paths with lies and tricks and manipulation. Well, you’ve finally been outsmarted. It ends now, little alpha.” His eyes snapped back to Alpha Due. “Kill him, or your mate dies.”
Alpha Due turned on shaky legs, each movement jerky as he faced us. “Alarick.” The name was a plea, even as his hands curled into fists.
“I know.” Alarick’s voice was soft as he shrugged out of his shirt, tossing it to the side.
“Well, I don’t!” I screamed.
“Think, Pixie,” Chann murmured. “What wouldn’t we do for you?”
Behind Gwyar, Shaw laughed. “Don’t worry, human, you won’t have to live to see him die. I’ll happily kill you myself.” The wall of wolves behind Gwyar slowly began to creep forward.
Raging snarls sounded behind us, making me whirl to face the new danger, but these wolves weren’t focused on us—they seemed to be focused on the wolves behind Gwyar. A large, dark wolf at the front shifted, quickly saluting Ian. “Not exactly what we had in mind when Golden Arrow said they would be witnesses, Zeta,” he remarked, never removing his eyes from Gwyar who was now screaming threats at the man. “Golden Arrow stands with Lupine Hollow.” His chin was high as he called it, his eyes narrowed on Gwyar who was still hiding behind his shields. “We will fight at your backs.” Other wolves began a call, and my wolf howled in response, a rumble that made my bones ache. They were supporting us—I might not know their names or even their packs, but we wouldn’t be facing Gwyar and his wolves alone.
Ian inclined his head in thanks. “Shannon, Pixie, protect Luna. The rest of you, find the shielder, take them out,” he ordered. “We get the shielder, we get Gwyar, and we end this.” In an instant, he had shifted to his wolf, Chann and Zev following suit.
Shannon held Luna to her hip, doing her best to keep the little girl calm. “Luna.” I forced the pup’s eyes to me as the fighting began around us. “Sweetheart, you close your eyes and hold onto Shannon, do you understand me? We’ve got you, pup. We won’t let you go.” I felt it when Alarick and Due clashed, their powers colliding hard enough to knock anyone fighting beside them back and away.
“Get them!” Gwyar screamed, trying to give directions from inside his bubble but unable to move far. The idiot had protected himself, except he was now also trapped. He only had the foot and a half of space inside the shield in which to pace, and as soon as his wolves were too far away to hear him, he was helpless. “Kill the human and the pup!” he shrieked, pounding on the bubble as he tried to catch the attention of his disciples, but the battle was desperate and far too close for them to notice him when they were fighting for their own lives.
Gwyar had been right that his allies would fight for him, but whether it was his rhetoric, or simply their own allegiances, many wolves fought at our back as well, creating an ebb and flow of snarls and pain as wolves lunged and bit, nipped and howled, tearing at each other in an effort to tear down their enemies. Some wolves, most likely submissive, whimpered and whined, edging near the tree line only to be pushed back in by snarling red wolves who guarded the perimeter.
Blood and fur flew around us as Shannon’s energy hummed. The fear and pain she pushed out created a bubble of our own, and the battle of the alphas in front of us also created a shield, pushing our foes