Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,42

be his betas."

"But they didn't know about Seth and Lane?" I asked, wondering if I could get inside my car and lock the doors before she was on me.

The woman lifted her lip in the most animalistic snarl I'd ever seen on a human. "Everyone knows I was fucking them!"

Shit. Nope, I would not make it into my car. Instead, I had to scramble backwards as she came around the front, forcing me to hurry down the driver's side toward the back. This was starting to make me dizzy, but I knew I couldn't hold my own in a fight. I was a mother, for god's sake, not an MMA specialist!

"And you broke up," I said in the most soothing voice I could. "That's nothing to be ashamed of."

The woman changed directions, surging around the front of my car. "I will make you pay for ruining my life!" she growled, rushing me.

I barely saw the flash of Ashley in the doorway before I was moving. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough. My hip clipped the rear corner and I staggered on my heels, tumbling to the ground. All I could hear were the growls. A second later, something hard landed beside me. Without thinking, I scrambled backwards, aiming for the dry grass of the yard.

Then I heard the snap of teeth and even more growling. In the distance, voices picked up, and feet started heading toward us, but my eyes were locked on the beast lying in the driveway only feet from where I'd fallen. It was wearing Karen's t-shirt and pants. It also wasn't quite human. The snout was long. The hands ended in claws. Fur covered it, but it wasn't quite a wolf either.

The blonde creature standing on it, with her jaws around its throat was. That was Ashley. I knew that. I'd seen her as a wolf before, but the other? It had to be Karen, and she fit the stereotypical image of a werewolf. Not man, not wolf, but both. My mind ached just trying to accept that this wasn't a prank. I'd thought wolves were hard enough but that? That was a real live monster, and she wanted me dead!

"Elena!" Hands grabbed my shoulders, and Olivia's voice broke through my trance. "It's ok, Alpha."

Two other kids were there as well. A boy I didn't know, but who was about Roman's age, and an older girl. Over on the street, I could hear more voices. Glancing over, I saw a group of the younger kids. That, more than anything else, made me crawl to my feet, aware that my knee was burning.

"You're hurt," Olivia said.

"I'm ok," I assured her. "I just scraped my knee."

"It's bleeding," she told me.

I nodded, letting her know I could tell while still watching the pair of wolves on the ground behind my car. Slowly but surely, Karen was shifting back to human. Ashley was glaring at her, their eyes locked, most likely forcing her. The two older teens stood braced, clearly ready to assist their alpha's sister. The odds had turned in my favor, but my heart was pounding so hard and so fast, I felt just a little bit light-headed.

"Let me lean on you," I told Olivia.

She immediately slipped an arm around my waist. "Don't watch her," she whispered. "It's hard for your mind to process the change if you've never felt it."

"Yeah," I agreed, forcing myself to look at her. "Makes me dizzy."

"Xander," Olivia snapped. "I'm taking Elena inside."

"I'll watch that side," he promised, moving with us, always keeping himself between me and the pair of wolves.

Olivia half-carried me toward the door. My ears weren't quite ringing, but they felt full, like there was too much pressure in my head. My breathing was coming much too fast. My heart refused to slow down. Out there, I could still hear the low thrum of Ashley's growl - and possibly Karen's with it - but I couldn't think about that right now.

I wanted to cry because I felt so helpless. I wanted to scream because I had to have a group of kids save me. Instead, I just limped my way to the fireplace and sat on the brick lip, kicking my leg out before me to inspect the damage. This was my best version of holding it together.

"You need to have that looked at," Olivia said.

I forced a smile and looked up at her. "Hey, thanks. For, I don't know, helping me out there."

"That's what we're supposed to do," she promised.