Moon Child (The Year of the Wolf #2) - Serena Akeroyd Page 0,84

for goddamn living. How could I forget the priority of her safety?

“I remember,” she whispered staunchly, her heart in her eyes, even though her hold on me was fierce, even though she was trying, verbally, physically, emotionally, to tell me she was okay.

So I gritted my teeth, bearing with the fact that nothing about this was okay, and left her with Ethan after I made her repeat the code to me. I heard her moan, which keyed me into the fact that Ethan was saying farewell the same way I had, and I stormed out of the house, not waiting on him to join me as I ran down the stairs.

When I saw the door was wide open, probably from Daniel and Austin’s exit, I shifted, launching myself down the final ten, and howling with rage as I slammed on the speed and began to move toward the forest.

My howl, I knew, would tell any wolf within a twenty-mile radius that I was calling them to action. My second howl told them we were at war.

To be prepared.

I snarled as I scented more of the fucking scum around my land, and though I wanted to leave Ethan with Sabina, I knew I couldn’t. I needed him. I needed every man and woman to fight.

Within seconds, I heard the racing of paws as Ethan caught up with me as I scouted out the perimeter. And though the stench of hyena was strong, it was scattered, and it was, predominantly, powered by a dozen or so individual males. But there were definitely females here. Shifted females, as well as humans.

I turned to Ethan and ground out, “Am I losing my mind, or can you smell shifted and human females?”

“I can.”

“Cannon fodder?”

“I doubt it. You know how whacko they are about their women.”

I did, but nothing else made sense to me.

“Where are they?”

I heard more feet, scented more wolves approaching, and figured they were coming in from town, only now just reaching our running lands. When they scattered around me, I howled, calling more of my pack to my side as I carried on scenting, trying to figure out what was happening.

The odor was too wide spread to discern from where they were based, so I raced forward, entering the woods, veering toward the circle.

The notion hit me then that was where Sabina should be.

Fuck!

How could I have forgotten how she fared better while in the sacred circle?

Regret hit me, but I had to hope and pray that the safe room would protect her where the circle might not. Hadn’t Choi told me only yesterday that his sacred circle had been breached?

We’d been nourishing ours, cherishing ours, but who the hell knew what would stand up to a siege and what wouldn’t?

When another solitary howl made itself known to me from the other side of the woods, I gritted my teeth, recognizing one of Berry’s pack.

The noise stirred me on. Relieved me, in fact.

“It’s Berry,” Sabina whispered into my mind, confirming what I knew. “She’s on her way. She didn’t leave.”

“No.”

“I thought she had.”

“You missed her.”

“I miss her now.”

Me too. She’d have been keeping Sabina safe, dammit.

“We’re heading to the totem,” I told her, unable to think about my mother or her role as Sabina’s guard dog, because if I did, then it would split my focus even more.

Of all the times for her to be without protection, it had to be tonight, didn’t it? And after I’d yelled at Berry earlier in the day, chasing her off… Mother, I was fortunate she was willing to return when she had to know we were fighting.

“Anyone in the pack there already?” Ethan asked.

“No. I can’t sense anyone there. Most of them are gathered with you now, some are still in town. Mostly women.”

“Call them to the totem. We may need them. The hyenas are shielding their presence. Last thing we need is to be outnumbered.” More than I already knew we’d be.

I felt her fear, but I couldn’t respond to it.

“I’ll let them know.” Then, she sucked in a sharp breath. “Austin.”

“What about him?”

“Where is he?” Ethan demanded.

“I don’t know. I can’t sense him anymore.” Her fear morphed into panic.

I was already running at full speed, but her words had me increasing my pace until it took barely a few moments to find myself at the totem circle.

What I saw was a sight I prayed Sabina couldn’t see. I knew she’d somehow tapped into Berry’s sight, had seen us the night the council attacked,