Wolf's Pack (Wolves Next Door #3) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,179

as the guards. I barked at Trent and we hurried to follow, only to see Jesse bringing up the rear. The man was small, about the size of a border collie, and while he was technically a dog, that was where the similarities ended. His coat was brown with black and white patches. His ears were large, swiveling constantly, and I knew for a fact that the little fucker could fight. He was like a cross between a fox and a lion when pushed.

And then everyone around me began to move. Without thinking, I looked to see what they were moving away from and saw a whole line of Damon's wolves. I turned, growled, and braced up. Trent fell in at my side, and for a moment, I was sure the two of us were about to take this on our own. But then our women arrived.

Heather rushed them from the front, snapping at one just to dart away. That made Damon's largest wolves all turn to look - and it was their biggest mistake. Ashley hit one from behind. Kim took the next only a second later. The snarls were vicious, and those women were determined to kill the men they were latched onto. Then Heather rushed past me and slid to a stop, turning back with her tongue hanging from her face. Our eyes met, she nodded, and then a human voice rang out.

"Guard the center!" Gabby screamed from the doors. "Wolf's Run, pull back. The cavalry has arrived!"

Heather huffed as if this had been planned. I turned back to the oncoming wolves just in time for true horror to descend. I had no idea where they'd come from, but Nikolai hit first with Lev right behind him. The first wolf died instantly. The second was clawed so bad I knew he wouldn't live long. Trent barked in excitement, and the three of us charged in to help.

I knew I was a badass. I'd thrown around enough men and wolves to have proved it, yet I'd never fought beside a tiger before. Nikolai sprang into the air, twisted his body, and came down on the same wolf I was thrashing. I felt the moment the tiger's jaws broke the man's spine as the reverberations traveled through his body. The wolf went limp and I moved on.

But someone turned on Heather. I tried to help, but a bitch shoved in front of me, her teeth clacking together only inches from my nose. Heather yelped, but I couldn't help. Then Trent was down, ravaged by two others. I fought desperately, unable to turn back for my best friend or rush forward for my packmate.

Then the bitch coming at me was just gone. A blur of pale orange and black stripes flashed before my eyes, but Lev didn't stop until he got to Heather. Gold drew my attention the other way as I turned to help Trent. I took one of the wolves on him, but Ashley hit the other. The moment Trent was free, he joined in, grabbing the haunches of the wolf I was fighting. Like a toy, the two of us began to pull, ignoring the fool's screams until they finally stopped.

Carnage. The whole thing was complete carnage, but I had no idea where Ian had gone or what had happened to Seth. Lane was with Elena, and she'd be with the teens we'd saved. But where were the bears? How many more wolves were out there? What had happened to Damon?

Slowly but surely, we fought back, breaking the line and leaving dead and wounded behind us. The stench of blood was thick in the air. The fight felt like it was never-ending, but to my left I saw Lev reach over to lick the side of Heather's head. She leaned into it, but there was something so protective about the way the big cat stood over her.

To my left, Nikolai was with Gabby and Roman, the pair of boys clearly guarding their alpha, but Gabby was sticking close to the building. Theo was braced before the doors with Olivia at his side and... Was that Xander? Clearly, they'd just become the sentinels. Behind me, Bridget scurried among the wounded, and Jesse kept pace. Another wolf had joined them, the man's coat just a bit too red to be compared to a coyote.

Which meant we were winning. Slowly but surely, we were pushing Damon's pack out! I couldn't stop to think about the injuries, or if any of