Alex swallowed hard and turned away from the carnage beside her. Reaching down, she grabbed Joshua’s gun from the pocket of her mangled jacket and jammed it into the waistband of her jeans. It wouldn’t kill a werewolf, but it might slow one down. Clutching the knife tight, she stepped into the small clearing.
The three wolves ripped, clawed and bit each other. Blood sprayed the ground as they growled and fought. Alex had never witnessed anything so brutal in her life. She swayed, but locked her knees. She had to be able to fight, to help Joshua.
Sucking much needed air into her lungs, she steadied herself as a deep calm settled over her. She and Joshua would defeat their enemies or die together here in the woods. Determination fired her blood as she took a step closer to the mound of growling fur that thrashed on the ground.
Joshua had one of his opponents by the neck, his teeth locked into the creature’s flesh in a death grip. The other wolf jumped on Joshua, sinking his teeth into Joshua’s black fur. Alex lunged forward and drove her knife into the rogue werewolf’s back. It raked Joshua’s sides with its claws as it jumped away.
Alex stumbled back as the wounded animal turned on her. The hilt of the knife was sticking out of its back. The wolf had moved so quickly, she’d lost her grip on her weapon.
Drawing the gun, she fired off the two remaining shots in quick succession. The wolf jumped to the side, but one of the bullets nicked him. Rather than slow him down, the regular bullet just seemed to piss him off.
She tossed the empty gun aside. She was on her own, weaponless. With one eye on the predator moving closer to her, she searched the ground for a rock or branch. Her back hit a tree and she stopped, but the wolf kept creeping closer.
The werewolf growled, saliva and blood dripping from its massive jaws. Alex braced her legs and got ready. If she was lucky, she could hold him off long enough to grab the knife from his back. Who was she kidding? She’d have her hands full trying to keep those large, sharp teeth from ripping out her throat. Not to mention the damage those long claws could do.
These guys were playing for keeps. Now that their leader was dead, she didn’t think mating with her was still on the schedule. Even if it was, she didn’t care. She was a fighter. If she was going to die then she was going to take this creature with her. “Come on,” she taunted. “Or are you too afraid to fight a woman. I’ve already killed a couple of you mangy critters.”
He leapt so suddenly she stumbled. She stuck out her arms and prayed for strength, as she was knocked backward. A low rumble seemed to fill the air and then the weight was gone from her chest. She turned her head and watched as Joshua dragged the smaller wolf away from her, his powerful jaws crunching the bones of the other beast’s neck.
She tried to sit up but fell back to the ground, swallowing a moan of pain. The wolf had raked her arms with his claws and they were bleeding. She watched, unblinking, as Joshua finished off the other wolf and dropped its body to the ground. The small clearing was littered with bodies, the stench of blood and death permeating the air.
Alex gagged and dragged herself as far away as she could get, which in reality was only a couple of feet. Soft fur brushed against her as she felt Joshua settle beside her. His tongue stroked over the torn flesh of her arms as if trying to soothe her. She gave a small hiccup—half-laugh, half-cry—and then began to cry in earnest.
Wrapping her arms around her wolf, she buried her face in his fur and sobbed. She didn’t cry for long, because in the back of her mind she knew they had to move. If these werewolves had found them, then others could as well.
Pulling her face away, she dried her eyes with the tail of her cropped shirt. Most of the bleeding on her arms had stopped. Hopefully, that meant the gouges weren’t deep, but just long and mostly superficial. Or maybe it was because her wolf was pushing more to the surface with each passing minute.
The massive black wolf lay quietly by her side, his chest moving up and down in a slow, steady manner. She came up on her hands and knees in a hurry, all pain and injuries forgotten. Joshua wasn’t moving.
She ran her hands over his sides and back and found several serious wounds. Jerking off her shirt, she began to tear what was left of it into strips and began to bind the worst of them. Joshua stared at her though his dark, liquid eyes, his expression unreadable. He’d taken on three opponents at once and won.
His tongue came out to lick her hand as if in reassurance. “I know that you’re fine, big guy. Just indulge me and let me tend to those injuries, okay?”
He nodded and closed his eyes again. She gave a watery laugh. Even exhausted and wounded, he wouldn’t admit to being hurt and tired. God, she loved him.
A twig snapped in the distance. Oh, shit, there were more of them. Jumping to her feet, she stumbled over to the body of the wolf with the knife still sticking out of its back. Getting a firm grip on the handle, she tugged with all her might. The blade came free and she hurried back to Joshua’s side.
How many of them were there? Joshua was in no shape to fight and neither was she. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she began to pull him back into the woods. She’d have to try to hide them. Joshua stumbled along beside her still in his wolf form, doing his best to help her. The rustling sound was getting closer. Alex stopped and hunkered down beside Joshua who was already getting to his feet. The man was amazing.
Four gigantic wolves entered the clearing. The largest of the bunch was dark brown with patches of black. He padded over to the body of the man and then the other two wolf carcasses and sniffed. His eyes bespoke of death as he studied the clearing.
Oh shit!
Alex swallowed, suddenly more afraid than she’d been since this entire mess began several days ago. This wolf was different from all the rest. Like Joshua, this wolf was lethal.
The other three wolves, all of whom were various shades of brown and black, fell into position behind the larger one. The leader swiveled his head in Alex’s direction and began to stalk toward her. He didn’t growl, didn’t make a sound, and the silence was all the more frightening.
But she had moved beyond fear and was ready to face death. There was no way she could defeat this latest threat. There were too many of them and she was too tired and injured. But she would defend Joshua and herself with every breath that was left in her body.
Slowly, she stood and stepped in front of Joshua. The knife was once again clutched in her hand. She held the blade low and at the ready. “Come on then,” she growled. “What are you waiting for?”
The large wolf cocked his head to one side and stared at her. She stared right back, refusing to flinch from its menacing gaze. Joshua suddenly appeared beside her, his huge black body inserting itself in front of her. He bared his teeth and emitted a low growl. The other wolf growled back.
Alex wasn’t sure what the heck was going on, but she stepped out from behind Joshua to stand next to him. He was her mate, official or not, and she would stand beside him.
A majestic gray wolf suddenly appeared from out of nowhere. Muscles rippled as it positioned itself between her and Joshua and the other group. It stared first at one group and then the other.
Alex’s breath caught in her throat. She recognized those golden brown eyes as they swept over her. They showed the same love and concern they had her entire life. The gray wolf emitted a huge rumbling growl when it caught sight of the blood on her arms and the bruise on her forehead and body. He pinned his golden-eyed glare on Joshua and then faced the group of four.
The tension in the air was so great, Alex thought her nerves would snap. Oh, God, her father was going to challenge the other werewolves. She swallowed the lump in her throat, almost afraid to breathe. The largest of the challengers growled and surged forward, stopping just short of her father and crouching low on all fours.