82. Jax

82

Jax

I'd barely given my wolf permission before he tore out of me. Before I couldn't talk to her, I snarled at Anna to head to the basement before I barreled out of the room. It was the safest place for her, not that I would let any of the wolves get within half a mile of the house.

Nobody was touching her.

I had to stow the pain and sorrow of the deaths. I couldn't let it weaken me. When this was over, and my land was drenched red with the enemy's blood, I would mourn and cry for them, but for now, I needed to protect.

My home was in the heart of the pack, but I still felt like it took too damn long to reach the western border. My own wolves were racing from their houses to fight and protect. Everyone had felt the deaths and the panic. Everyone felt the alarm.

The boundary was in chaos. There had to be at least fifty wolves fighting, and many I didn't recognize. Even more were coming from out of the woods. I roared to my wolves, and they roared back. I jumped into the fray. The first wolf to jump on my back, I flipped, pinned him beneath me, and raked my claws through his throat. Blood poured out of him, and his eyes were dead within seconds.

I moved on.

Two wolves howled behind me. Elonso. London.

Ignoring them, I leapt deeper into the fray and felt another bond die within me. With a grunt, I turned to see London just standing there. His wolf was out but it didn't look like he had an ounce of control. London just looked helplessly through his eyes.

Two of London's men had done this. Maeve was right. She had moles within his pack, and he'd brought them to my territory. They'd killed my men and let this wave of death bear down on me. I wanted to launch myself at him.

But could I blame him? Bridget had been my third. I'd trusted her with my secrets, with my mate, and with my pack, and she'd nearly ripped it all out from under me. She'd killed her own men, and I'd never suspected a thing.

This was not London's fault. This was Maeve's, and she would pay. She would pay painfully.

Two wolves were creeping up on London, and he either didn't notice or care. With a roar, I bounded over him and took them both down. One was dead within seconds, but the other one got purchase and flipped out from under me. Claws scored my shoulder, and when I turned around, London had come to life.

With a howl of anguish, London sank his teeth into the other wolf's throat.

They had belonged to him. Was it just the two traitors, or were there more?

London was back in the fight, and that was all that mattered. I turned, my wolf having sensed something before I did. Finn. Amelia. They had joined the fight. Finn was vicious, tearing through the wolves. I could only hope that he was taking a moment to identify the threats and not just any wolf that came within his path.

That was not who my wolf had sensed.

There she was. My little blonde wolf, with her horrifying scars, taking on a wolf nearly twice her size. She hadn't stayed behind. Had I really expected her to? I watched as she used his size against him, running up under his length and sinking her teeth right between his legs.

Ouch.

Behind her, Lunessa, Evalina, Janelle, Irene, and Ava had formed a circle. With their backs to each other, they flung magic through the air. Evalina had her eyes trained on Anna, and when a second wolf tried to jump on my mate, its head spun at an unnatural angle, and it was dead before it even touched her.

She could fight. She had back-up, but I still couldn't leave her. Someone, anyone, could take her. Racing toward her, I landed right in front of her and growled at her. She growled right back and ducked as a wolf tried to bowl her over. I grabbed the rogue by the throat and shook until the bones snapped under my teeth. Then, she was by my side, and we were fighting together.

Protecting the pack, together.

I was bleeding, but I didn't feel anything. The pain would come. Physical pain. Emotional pain. This fight was hardly the most vicious thing any of us would face today, but it felt good to fight with her. To remind myself that we could do anything when we were together.

Finally, when there were more of us than of them and no one was targeting Anna, I shifted. Part of me felt dead inside over the wolves that we had lost, but I threw back my head and screamed into the sky. Wolves joined me.

It was over. Their attempts to take Anna had failed. She was here and she was mine. Maeve would have to try a little harder than that.

Focus, you idiot!

Evalina's voice screamed in my head, and I turned. Two wolves were dragging her from the property line. In the fight of it all, I hadn't even noticed.

No one had.

"Lunessa," I roared. "Irene!"

There was no time to shift back. I raced and felt the heat of the witch's magic brush past me.

And then fizzle.

In horror, I watched as a slender man stepped out of the bushes. He thrust out his hands, and one of my wolves who was racing for Evalina fell dead.

One of mine.

"Fall back," I roared. "Protect my mate!"

My legs pumped even harder. Behind me, screams pierced my soul, and I looked over my shoulder and watched as the new witch's magic knocked Lunessa to the ground. Anna bounded over to her and stood over her prone body. I felt the tug of her magic.

Focus, fool. We don't have much time. He's using dark magic, and he'll kill them. They need me alive. Do what you need to do, Alpha. Kill me now.

The wolves didn't even stop as I reached them. I was in human form. No threat to them. The witch looked at me and smiled. "You've lost, just as she said you would," he said, not unkindly. "The Crone is ours."

Lunessa is my granddaughter, born of the daughter I hid away. No one knows. Let my sacrifice save her. Protect her, Alpha. From Maeve and from herself. Save your mate. Save the mountain. I have always believed in you, even if you're an idiot.

I looked at the witch. "Why don't you take your shot at me?"

"You're off limits. Maeve wants to see your face when she takes your mate." The man sounded like he didn't care one way or another, but he'd said exactly what I wanted to hear. Reaching down, I grabbed Evalina's ankle and yanked her away from the wolves. They growled at me.

"Really?" The man said dryly. "You're just going to drag her back?"

"No. I'm not." Reaching down, I grabbed her head, begged for forgiveness, and snapped her neck.