24. Mai

My head felt like it was stuffed with razor wire, a sharp throbbing making me wince with each pulse. With an effort, I opened my eyes. The world was upside down, and I was hanging, suspended in the cool night air. The acrid scent of gasoline hit me first, followed closely by the coppery tang of blood. Pain, confusion, fear, and anger swirled around inside the car. My heart pounded in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

"Ryan?" I muttered, twisting my neck to get a glimpse of him. He was there, his eyes closed. I reached over, but my seatbelt yanked me back.

"Ryan!"

He stirred, his eyes fluttering open, a look of confusion in them. Then his face snapped into extremely pissed-off mode.

"Mai, you okay?"

"I think so."

Shya, Mason, and Sam were all stirring, too. They looked pale and shaken, but they were all alive. I felt a wave of relief so intense it almost made me black out again.

"They're not attacking," Sam said, his eyes searching the road . "But they've surrounded the car."

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I braced myself, pushing away from the crushed roof of the car. A rush of dizziness hit me as I fell, landing heavily on the shattered window.

"Dammit," I grunted, pushing myself to my knees. The metallic scent of blood filled my nose, and I swiped my hand across my lip, coming away with a smear of red.

"We have to get out of here," I whispered to the others, but they were already moving.

Crawling out from the wreckage, my gaze fell on a looming figure standing in the road, in the glare of the headlamps.

Korrin.

His broad shoulders were tense, his stance wide. He was waiting, a statue of patient revenge under the wash of the headlights.

Korrin was the outside contact. He had come for his retribution. I could almost taste it in the air. His son, Seth, had kidnapped me, beaten the shit out of me, and tried to sever my Three Rivers bond using illegal witch magic. Despite this, Korrin had loved Seth, had been grooming him to take over his Beta spot in the Cocrane Pack. I'd escaped from Seth, and when he came after me, Ryan and I had killed him. Isaac, Seth's best friend, had warned me that Korrin would look for payback. I just hadn't expected it so soon or that he would join forces with Brock and Hayley.

With my heart pounding in my chest, I staggered to my feet, my knees trembling. It felt as if the whole world had frozen over, the only movement being the slow swirl of dust and smoke around us.

I glanced back at Ryan, the fury and resolve in his eyes calming my racing heart as he strode toward me.

Gritting my teeth, I turned back to face Korrin as Mason, Shya, and Sam spread out behind me. Behind Korrin, I counted seven—no eight—werewolves. Some in human form, some as wolves.

"So here she is! The stupid bitch who thought she could murder my son and get away with it."

"Korrin, you don't want to do this," I stated, feeling the anger that had lain dormant in my chest for the last few days swell to life. My wolf had been quiet, too quiet, grieving in her own way, but now she was awake and alert and wanted blood. Fuck Seth!

Fuck Brock and Hayley! And fuck fucking Korrin!

I'd had enough of being pushed around, of being driven out, of being attacked. And now, the fucker thought he could attack my Pack, too.

Korrin laughed. "And now the bitch is telling me what I want and don't want. Didn't my son teach you any manners? Looks like I get to rectify his mistake."

"What the hell?" I heard Shya behind me.

"It's a long story," Sam replied to her. "But the short version is Mai was kidnapped by his son, Seth. Ryan and Mai then killed Seth. I'm pretty sure he's here for revenge."

If Korrin heard Sam, he showed no sign of it.

Shya was silent for a moment, taking it in. "Okay, then," she said, stretching her arms as if she was warming up. "I get the guys on the right."

Goddess, I really liked this girl.

"Ready?" Ryan asked beside me, a green sheen flaring in his eyes.

"Hell, yes."

The stillness of the night shattered as we sprang into action as one. Five against eight. I didn't care. I welcomed it. I yearned for blood and action, and these idiots just offered it to me on a plate.

Korrin and his werewolves charged like wild beasts.

"Stay close, Mai!" Ryan shouted over the chaos, but I didn't have time to respond. I headed for a Caucasian werewolf with a trimmed mustache who was running straight at me, his frame bulky with muscle. He lunged, a feral growl ripping from his throat.

Instinct and adrenaline kicked in, the primal part of my mind taking over. I dodged his attack, feeling the rush of air as his fist missed my face by a hair's breadth. I ducked under his grasp and kicked at the back of his knees. He stumbled forward, then crashed to the ground with a grunt. I knew he wasn't down for good, but as I spun around, I barely dodged a snapping wolf's jaws. The female wolf snarled at me, baring her teeth as she prepared to attack again. I didn't wait for her move; instead, I charged into her, putting my full weight behind it. She yelped in surprise as we tumbled to the ground, rolling in a tangled mess of fur and limbs.

"Get the fuck off her!" The male werewolf was back on his feet, roaring in fury as he grabbed at me. I twisted out of his grip, using the momentum to slam my elbow into his face. He fell back, blood pouring from his now broken nose.

"Surely you can do better than that?" I taunted him, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I knew I shouldn't provoke him, but I couldn't help it—I wanted them to know they couldn't break me.

The female wolf came at me again, her teeth snapping dangerously close to my flesh. I darted to the side, grabbing a fallen branch and swinging it hard against her skull. She collapsed. I turned to see the male werewolf charging straight for me, his eyes wild. I spun a roundhouse kick straight to his jaw. He went down, lights out.

I heard the fighting going on around me, the grunts, the snarls, the sounds of flesh hitting flesh. I didn't know if we were winning or not.

Just a few feet away, Ryan was locked in a battle with Korrin. I felt the pulse of his anxiety for me shoot along our bond. I sent a pulse back.

I'm fine, concentrate on Korrin.

I had no idea if Ryan would get the gist of it, but I hoped so. I needed to help the others. I was about to turn when I hesitated, then watched in horror as Korrin pulled a sword—a fucking sword—from a sheath on his back. I blinked. Korrin wasn't taking any chances with his revenge.

We were werewolves. We were our own weapons and tended to look down on those who needed knives or guns or fucking swords to win a fight. This blade was short, maybe twenty-one inches. It would make it more maneuverable, especially in close quarters. Korrin made circles in the air with it, warming up his wrist like he knew exactly what he was doing. I ran forward, but stopped when Ryan held out his hand to me.

"Mine," he growled, his eyes on Korrin.

Alrighty, then.

I'd give him some leeway, but if things looked like they weren't going his way, nothing was going to stop me from jumping in.

Korrin moved, swinging the sword fast toward Ryan. Ryan jumped back out of range, but Korrin went with him, swinging at Ryan's face. Ryan ducked under it and slammed his fist into the side of Korrin's head. I caught a glimpse of Ryan's face—a mask of grim determination, his eyes focused, the muscle in his jaw twitching with suppressed fury.

Korrin attacked again, a roar ripping from his throat. Ryan dashed in close to Korrin, blocked the swipe, grabbed his wrist, and twisted. I heard the pop of his broken wrist from where I stood. The sword fell to the ground, and Ryan kicked it away.

"Shya, watch out!" Mason's shout pulled my attention away from my mate. I turned to see Mason throw himself in front of Shya, taking the brunt of a vicious swipe from one of the wolves. Blood sprayed through the air, and Mason crumpled to the ground, clutching his side.

"Damn it, Mason!" Shya cried out as she rushed the wolf, jumped on its back, bore it to the ground, and smashed its skull against the floor until it went limp.

I ran over to Mason just as I heard a sickening crunch of bone and Korrin howl with pain. I looked back to see Korrin on the ground, clutching his leg, Ryan standing over him.

"Go! I've got Mason," Shya called to me.

I looked around. Korrin and his followers were all down; some conscious, some not. I didn't look too closely to see if any were dead. I brought my gaze back to Korrin; he was glaring at me, the hatred in his eyes clear.

I walked slowly over to him, then knelt beside him, my voice soft but firm. "I'm sorry about Seth," I said, meeting his glare unflinchingly. "I really am. But Seth's dead. He deserved what he got. You keep coming at us, and you'll get what you deserve, too."

"This isn't over," he growled, and I knew he was right. If he had a contract with Brock and Hayley, he wouldn't stop until we were dead. I thought for a moment about killing him. He didn't just attack Ryan and me; he attacked our Pack. As Alpha, killing him before he could come at us again was the smart thing to do. But I knew I couldn't, not when he was beaten and defenseless. That wasn't the kind of Alpha I wanted to be.

Ryan placed a hand on my shoulder. He knew through the bond what I was feeling, just like I knew he disagreed with me, but that he'd respect my decision. I stood up as Ryan delivered a front kick to Korrin's head. He pulled it just enough to knock Korrin out, not to do any real damage. Ryan did a quick search of Korrin's pockets, pulling out a set of car keys.

"We need to move," Ryan called out, throwing a worried glance toward where Shya and Sam were helping Mason up. I nodded, standing up and leaving Korrin behind as I rushed toward a dark blue SUV parked a short distance away.

I opened the doors as Shya and Sam got Mason in the back seat, then jumped in the passenger side. Ryan started the car, and we sped away. Mason was struggling with his injuries, his face pale from the blood loss. Shya was beside him, her hand pushing against his wound, trying to stem the flood of blood, her face a mask of frustration and concern.

"You're an idiot, Mason Shaw," she said, her voice louder than she probably intended. "I can look after myself. I don't need you hovering over me like some overprotective bodyguard."

Mason met her fiery gaze, amusement glinting in his own eyes. "My apologies. I'll be sure to wait at least six feet away from you when you're fighting, lest you accuse me of hovering."

Shya let out an exasperated huff. "You know what I mean. I can handle myself."

"Of course. Though, perhaps you'd permit me to handle any attackers trying to sneak up on you before they get within striking distance? Only so you can properly handle yourself in the main fight, that is," Mason replied, lips quirking.

"You think you're so funny," Shya snapped, "but I'm telling you that if you ever get in the way of my fight again, it won't be my opponent you need to worry about."

"Er, guys?" Sam interrupted, his voice weak and shaky. "I think …" Sam slumped over into Shya's lap.

"Shit!"

"Pull over, Ryan," I ordered.

He swung the car left, and I jumped out, yanking open Sam's door. Ryan helped me get Sam out and on the ground. Ryan did a thorough search of Sam's body, trying to find where he was injured.

"Head wound. Probable broken ribs. Maybe internal bleeding."

We couldn't help Sam here. We needed to get him to a doctor.

"Put the back seats down; we can lie both Sam and Mason on that."

Ryan and Shya did what I ordered; we put the two men in the back, and we took off again. Sam's condition worsened with each passing minute, his breathing more and more labored. Ryan was driving with a grim determination, navigating the deserted roads back toward Bridgetown.

I squeezed his hand. "It'll be okay."

"We need to hurry," Shya called from the back, her voice tense. "They're both going downhill."