without her fighting me to death. I can’t let her win.
“Whatever you do, don’t let your wolf come out,” I cry out, bending forward as I grit my teeth, my body trembling furiously.
7
Narah
Pain beats into me, scratching and gouging at my insides, while my heart breaks for my wolf, who’s whining in fear. I’m on hands and knees, my body convulsing. Blocking a wolf from emerging shouldn’t be such a problem, except right now she’s so out of her mind with terror, she doesn’t know anything but the primal desperation to flee. This isn’t my wolf normally...
A strangled cry rushes past my lips, followed by her threatening growl. It’s what cornered animals do—they strike back—and mine feels abandoned.
Tears squeeze out of my shut eyes as I’m torn from the pain pummeling into my sides.
You don’t need to be afraid, please, I plead with her, trying to connect with her, but she’s not hearing me. Or perhaps she’s choosing to ignore me. It feels like there’s a wall between us, and I hate this so much.
She stirs inside me, shoving for escape, her emotions like a rope strangling me until I can barely breathe.
A ravenous snarl spears through the air, stealing my attention. I snap open my eyes and jerk my head to the right where three of the Alphas are on the ground just like me, writhing in agony.
But it’s Crius my sights set upon. He’s on his feet, breaking into a song. It’s in another language, but the tune... oh, the tune is a powerful war song. It glides into my mind, slides over my body like a silk ribbon. My wolf quiets down as if drawn to his music, and with it, the sharpness cutting through me starts to ease.
Crius’s voice booms, the song on his lips boisterous and fast, each word punched out like an arrow fired to hit its target. His chant reminds me of the battle hymns the Storm Wolves would sing before marching out to face an enemy clan.
He comes to me in two long strides and scoops his hands under my armpits, then wrenches me to my feet with ease.
I turn to face him, his hand sweeping from his mouth to mine, never stopping his song. For a man who has only shown an arrogant side of himself, his voice seems to have a way of stealing all that is wrong with the world.
It’s only when Ragnar breaks into the same hymn, on the same beat as Crius, that I understand. He wants me to join him in the music. I don’t know the language, but I’ve got the melody stuck in my head, so I begin to hum. From the moment I do, a spark of energy rushes down my body. It’s as if the music has single-handedly stripped the pain from my body and calmed my wolf.
I don’t question it but hum louder, even if my throat starts to sting. Stone and Nikos are also on their feet, bellowing out the melody, and I would be blind and deaf to not be utterly mesmerized by these four men harmonizing together. All we’re missing is the tavern and beers in their hands.
The sound brings with it deep-felt emotions where moments earlier there was nothing but agony. With it, I feel a vibration buzzing through me. Is it strange to feel a sense of envy at wishing I knew the words?
Ragnar looks at me, his chest pumping in and out as he delivers the loud chorus, his fist punching into the air. There’s so much pride in his face, the corners of his mouth close to breaking into a smile. And here I thought the guy had no idea how to experience pure happiness. Except it’s staring me in the face. He is so proud of his Northern heritage... they all are.
Which then begs the question, Why does he want to take over the Savage Sector if his heart belongs in Denmark?
Crius falls silent first, and the others follow. I do the same, swallowing past my dry throat and hugging my middle, my wolf settled.
“How did you do that?” I croak. “My wolf hasn’t been this calm in months.”
His lips turn upward in a prideful grin. “Music calms the beast. Plus, it’s our war hymn to prepare our wolves for battle and be focused.”
“So if needed again, we break into a unified song?” I ask.
He nods. “At our core, we are blood-hungry animals, and such music should help.”
But when Nikos brings his attention