Chapter 25 - Evan

I'm almost home when I hear my brother scream. His voice cuts through the darkness, a desperate cry for help, and it sends me into a panic. In an instant, I shift and race to him, my guards and I converging on the scene at the same time.

What we find turns my blood to nice. A dozen men from the Stardust Hollow Pack have Rafe cornered. His blood stains the dirt around him.

Seeing him in danger sets off my rage, and without thinking, I attack the closest shifter from Stardust Hollow. I knock him off his feet and tear into him, ripping his throat out in one fluid motion. Before his body hits the ground, I'm moving onto the next, my anger and adrenaline fueling me.

Guy and Glenn both charge in, leading the others as they move in behind me, forming a protective line between the attackers and the rest of the pack. Our women and children are asleep and unaware of the danger lurking just outside the gates. I can't let these monsters hurt them.

But we're not prepared, and there's only five of us. I can't even count how many there are from the Stardust Hollow Pack; they're all viciously attacking with their fangs and claws.

A roar tears out of my mouth as another shifter sneaks past the wall of my guard. They move in, swarming Rafe again. He's not moving, and I can't tell if he's still alive or not, but he's completely surrounded. My vision goes red. All I can see is the need to save him, to kill anyone who tries to touch him.

I throw myself at the closest attacker, and we both go down. His teeth graze my shoulder, but I barely notice the pain. My claws slash across his throat. A spurt of warm blood sprays my face, but I don't stop. My jaws snap shut on the back of his neck, and I feel his spine crack under my teeth.

Rafe screams again, and this time, it sounds more like a snarl than a plea. My brother is fighting, which means he's alive. That gives me the strength to continue, so when another body crashes into me, knocking me away from my victim, I'm ready.

I whirl around, my jaws snapping shut around the shifter's leg. He yelps in pain, but I don't stop. I yank him off his feet and then release him, tossing him into the others. They go down like a house of cards. While they're tangled up in each other, I lunge forward, taking advantage of their confusion.

I charge into them, tearing fur and skin with my teeth. A claw slices across my face, opening a wound that will no doubt scar, and another hits me in the side, knocking the air from my lungs.

But I keep fighting, because it's my job. It's what I've always done. The moment I became the alpha of this pack, I swore an oath to protect them, no matter what. I've failed so many times, but I won't fail them now. They need me, and I will not let them down. If they get past us, the rest of the pack is vulnerable. Our women, our children, and the orphans—they will have no one to protect them.

And they will take Mia from me.

I started this war, I know it deep down. Ram may be the one who ordered the attack, but I'm the one who caused it. In his mind, he's protecting one of his own. He may be my enemy, but even I can see that much. When Rafe brought Mia to me, I could've sent her home. I could've let her go, and then we wouldn't be here. But the truth is, I'm glad I didn't.

If I'd let her go, I wouldn't have met the love of my life. I wouldn't have found my mate. And without her, there's no reason to fight. But I have to fight.

Glenn and Guy are holding their own, as are our other three shifters, but I can see they're starting to get overwhelmed. More shifters keep showing up, and there's no end in sight. We're surrounded.

Rafe has managed to push some of the attackers off him, but he's bleeding profusely from his side and his leg is bent at an unnatural angle. He's injured, but just like a true Woods, he doesn't give up. Even though I can see the pain on his face, he continues to fight.

I throw myself at one of the men attacking him. Our bodies slam together, our teeth and claws tearing into each other. He manages to land a good hit to my side and his claws rip open a large wound. My teeth close on his neck, and I feel the warmth of his blood coating my tongue.

Rafe screams again, and my heart shatters. This is my fault. I brought this upon us.

The next thing I know, a large hand closes around the nape of my neck and I'm being dragged away. I snarl and fight, snapping my teeth and kicking my legs, but it's no use. Whoever is holding me is much larger than I am, and he's not letting go.

I'm thrown down onto the ground, and before I can get up, a boot slams into my side, pinning me in place. I twist my head and look up, coming face-to-face with Ram, the alpha of the Stardust Hollow Pack.

His face is a mask of rage and hate, and he leans over me, putting more pressure on my ribs. I can barely breathe from the pain, which only seems to delight him.

"Cease the attack!" he shouts over the noise. "Let's see if we can talk some sense into him. I have a feeling he's ready to make a deal."

His wolves comply, and mine hunker back to lick their wounds, but they remain on alert. They form a tight circle around Rafe, guarding him and ready to die to protect their beta.

"Let's talk," Ram says, giving me a grin that is all teeth and no kindness. I try to move, but the pressure of his boot is too much, and the pain in my ribs is intense. It feels like I'm being ripped in half. He chuckles, a dark, cruel sound, and then he steps back. "Man to man, shall we?"

He wants me to shift back. He wants to talk. Fine. If it stops the bloodshed, I'll talk.

I nod, letting my body relax. I close my eyes and let the shift wash over me. My bones crack and pop as they return to their human forms, and my muscles ache as they shrink back down. By the time the change is complete, I'm left naked, panting, and covered in dirt and blood.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Ram?" I growl.

"What are you doing kidnapping someone from my pack?" he counters. "I thought we had an understanding after you brought your mutts into my territory and attacked me."

"You know damn well why I did that," I remind him. "You had one of my wolves!"

"And now, you have one of mine. It seems we've come full circle. Now, what are we going to do about this? How are we going to solve this problem, huh? You know I can't let you take her."

"Mia is my wife," I manage between painful breaths. "You can't have her."

He kneels down until he's at eye level with me and smirks. "Unfortunately for you, Evan, I have more wolves. You can give her back to me, or we can take her. But I warn you, should you choose the latter option, I will leave you and your men in pieces. And then, when I'm finished with them, I'll go for the rest of the pack. We'll bring the women and children back with us, give them a real home and a true alpha. Is that what you want?"

Fuck, no. "Don't do this, Ram. We don't have to go back to the way things were. We don't have to fight each other. There are better ways to handle this."

He laughs. "That's the problem with you, Evan. You like to run around stirring up shit and then get pissy when there are consequences. Well, I have news for you, asshole. There are always consequences. So, either you can give me the female back, or we'll take her and kill you. It's up to you."

To hear him refer to Mia as simply "the female" is enough to drive me crazy, but I'm helpless. All I can do is glare at him. It just makes him smile wider.

"That's what I thought. The good news is, you don't have to worry about the painful goodbyes. Callie has already made it to your cabin, and by now, she and Mia are probably halfway to Stardust Hollow. So, here's what's going to happen. My men and I are going to walk out of these woods and go home. Then, you and your shifters can go back to your little den and lick your wounds. After that, we'll pretend like none of this ever happened. And you can stay away from my pack. That includes Mia. She doesn't belong to you. She belongs to her own people. She's one of us, and she's not yours to keep."

I'd love nothing more than to launch myself at him and sink my teeth into his neck, but I'm too injured. The very idea of shifting at all right now makes me dizzy. When I look over at my brother and my wolves, I realize they're in the same state. There's no way we can fight them and win. Not like this.

This is it. Ram has won. And I have no one else to blame but myself. I knew he would come after her. I should've been better prepared. I should've brought more shifters in from town to help keep watch, but I didn't. And now, I've lost the best thing that ever happened to me.

I don't fight as Ram and his shifters begin to retreat. They leave us there, wounded and defeated. It isn't until they're completely out of sight that the tears start falling, and I let out a mournful howl.

They're going to take her from me. And there's nothing I can do to stop them.