in my throat, and rage pounds in my pulse as time seems to slow down, and I watch enemy wolves racing toward me.
Before my emotions can totally override my much-needed focus, Tyran grips my arm, forcing me to look at him. “Don’t leave my side.” Fur is already sprouting all over his body. “Let her out, Vicious,” he encourages calmly. “Let her rip through you and show these wolves what you’re fucking made of.”
A heartbeat later, his shift is complete. His words wash over me, heating my blood and calling to the savage beast I’ve always been. I drop into myself without hesitation, and my wolf bursts through me, all claws, fangs, and fury. A Twin Rivers wolf leaps at us, but Tyran is ready for them. He unleashes in a way I’ve never seen before.
That scrapple during the claiming hunt, the way his power forced me to shift, his prowess and unwavering focus when he hunted, when he claimed, all of it is nothing compared to the wolf before me now. This is the ruthless alpha of Ruin Falls. Tyran’s brown wolf tears through the first Twin Rivers pack member while it’s still leaping through the air. One second, the attacking male has a throat, and the next, he doesn’t.
The body falls at my feet just as my wolf shakes out her shift, and a second wolf barrels into Tyran, hoping to knock him off his feet. This one is smaller than my alpha, though he makes up for it with quick snaps of his teeth and a dodgy trick of his feet.
Tyran misses his throat by an inch, the male managing to leap backward out of range. Unfortunately, he didn’t count on me. The moment he’s near enough, my wolf lunges, teeth sinking into the back of his neck. He panics, trying to get out of my hold, but my wolf digs in harder and jerks his head up, forcing him to bare his throat. Tyran rips into it a second later, and the male goes limp.
Before my wolf even drops him to the ground, another is already on top of Tyran. Snarls tear from their throats as the Twin Rivers male attacks from the side and drags claws down my mate’s flank. My wolf bares her teeth in vicious anger, and then she’s on the male, tackling him to the ground and tearing into his exposed belly. All she feels is the need to attack, to maim, to wound. Within seconds, her mouth is dripping with blood, and spilled guts pepper the ground around our feet.
Sharp teeth dig into her flank, the scent of our blood mixing with the others already permeating the air. A howl of surprised pain escapes us, and she spins her body around in hopes of throwing the new wolf off. But there’s no need. My mate lunges, jaw clamping down on the attacker’s skull, and then he bites down.
Bone shatters between his powerful jaws, the wolf unable to even whine in pain before it’s dead. The body is just another heap on the ground, further proof of the devastation of our savagery. Glowing brown eyes lock with ours, and the bond between Tyran and me pulses in proud satisfaction at how well we work together to take down our enemies.
All around us are the sounds of ferocious battles encircling and trapping us in their brutality. For a moment, my wolf’s senses become overwhelmed by the snarls, howls, and cries of pain. All she can think of is her pack being hurt, being slaughtered by the sheer numbers of Twin Rivers, but Tyran’s massive brown wolf rubs against us, drawing our attention to where he’s pointing his muzzle.
I see two Ruin Falls wolves battling side by side, each of them watching the other’s backs and fighting off the wolves darting at them. They defend themselves with fierce precision, taking advantage of the openings the Twin Rivers create in their haste to attack.
We may be outnumbered, but Tyran shows me that our pack is better prepared, better trained, and far more effective in battle than I realized. Bloodlust pumps through our veins as I turn back to him. With a happy yip, he jerks his head to the left and starts racing that way with a clear direction to follow him.
My wolf takes off after him, her violet eyes scanning the dark grounds as Tyran heads for the pile of wood. Wolves split off from the fight and move to surround us, and the