8. Shya

Chapter eight

Shya

A s we burst out of the Alpha House, the gravity of the situation hit me like a physical blow to the chest. Our Pack was under attack, and every second counted. The bell in town was toiling, and my phone was vibrating, our warning system kicking in. It would tell humans and Shifters alike to take cover.

Dad's face was grim as he turned to Mom. "I'm—"

"Go!" she interrupted. "I'll be right behind you."

Dad took off, sprinting toward the sound of fighting, his powerful strides eating up the ground.

Mom turned to me. "Shya, I need you to make sure the humans in town are safe. If any of Tristan's men get past us, they'll head there. You'll be our last line of defense."

Tristan hated humans with a passion; he wouldn't hesitate to slaughter every last one of them if given the chance.

I nodded. "I won't let you down."

She gripped my arm, her fingers digging into my skin. "If they break through our lines, you get the humans out of there. Do whatever it takes to keep them alive."

Mom pressed a quick kiss to my forehead before racing after Dad.

I didn't have time to watch her go. Marnie would be in her shop. I kicked off my Dior pumps—I wouldn't be able to run fast enough in them—turned, and sprinted toward the east side of town, a cold knot of fear twisting in my stomach.

Adrenaline raced, and I could feel it sharpening my senses. In the distance, the sounds of battle drifted over the town. I wanted to turn around and fight with my parents, but Marnie and the rest of the humans needed me, and I wasn't going to let them down.

As I neared the center of town, the familiar sights of the local bakery and the old-fashioned barbershop with its red and white spinning sign blurred past me. The usually bustling streets were empty, the shops closed up tight in the face of the impending danger. Good. Everyone was inside.

I was passing the hardware store when movement caught my eye. Two men I didn't recognize stepped out from the alley beside the building, their eyes fixed on me.

I slowed my pace and caught sight of three more emerging from behind the parked cars that lined the street.

Shit! They were boxing me in, cutting off escape routes. I came to a stop in the town square, next to the old stone fountain of a wolf and human sharing food at its center.

That's when I saw Cliff. He'd been one of Tristan's most loyal followers, and I'd never liked him, even when I was dating Tristan. He'd always been too sycophantic, too eager to please Tristan by any means necessary. Cliff, with his bulky frame and close-cropped blond hair that made him look more like a military grunt than a werewolf, stepped out from behind the fountain, dragging Marnie by her hair.

My heart clenched at the sight of my friend. Marnie's usually neat chestnut hair was tangled and matted with dirt and blood. Her face was a canvas of bruises, her left eye swollen nearly shut, and a nasty cut marred her cheekbone. Her clothes were torn and disheveled, as if she'd put up a fight. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth, staining her lips crimson.

I felt a surge of anger. Marnie was tough, but she was still human. She couldn't heal like we could. The fact that they'd hurt her so badly, knowing this, made my blood boil.

Marnie's eyes met mine, and I saw a flicker of fear in them.

Cliff's gaze never left mine. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the princess herself."

"Cliff. And here I was enjoying my day."

"Run, Shya! It's a trap! Forget me; go now!" Marnie yelled.

Cliff yanked Marnie's hair, eliciting a pained gasp from her. "Shut up, bitch!" He said it so casually, like it was something he said every day. "Look who we found. Your little human friend here thought she could say no when we told her to come out and play."

"Let her go, Cliff," I said, keeping my tone bored and uninterested. "This is between us. Marnie has nothing to do with it."

Cliff's smirk widened. "Oh, but she does. I'm here to prove a point, you see. To drive home the fact that you will always be weak, will always be defeated because you think of humans as more than just pets. Your attachment to them will be your downfall."

To the left and right, four more men dropped down from the tall oak trees that surrounded the square, completing the circle that now trapped me. I recognized some of them—werewolves who had once been a part of our Pack before they'd followed Tristan in his rebellion.

If I could distract them, could Marnie make a run for it?

I looked straight at her. "You know what I do in my rainbow sneakers?"

She tensed slightly, then gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"Fucking focus, Shya!" Cliff growled. "You're surrounded. There is no escape. You're too predictable, you know that? Rushing to protect your precious humans."

I circled around him, drawing attention to myself. "At least I'm playing for the right side. What's your excuse? Boredom? Or are you compensating for a tiny dick?"

His eyes flared with anger, and I knew I had him.

"You're fighting a losing battle," he taunted, stepping toward me and loosening his grip on Marnie. "Humans are fragile, expendable. Why waste your strength on them?"

"Because they matter," I replied. "Now!" I shouted at Marnie, then lunged at two werewolves to the right. I threw a punch into the first one's jaw and used the momentum to follow through with a roundhouse kick to the second one's head.

Marnie didn't hesitate. She threw a punch to Cliff's groin, and when he shied away, she yanked out of his grasp and bolted. She came straight at me, jumping over the first werewolf as he hit the ground, and darted away.

Cliff swore. "For fuck's sake! You guys are fucking pathetic!"

"You want us to go after her?" one of the werewolves to the left asked.

"No," replied Cliff. "Let the stupid bitch go. We have what we came for."

I had a horrid feeling he meant me. I tried not to show the panic that was weaving its way through me. There was no easy escape for me; I was going to have to fight my way out. I swept my eyes over the men, assessing them. They were all big, heavily muscled, and battle-scarred. None of these guys wanted to be brought down by a female, and definitely not one as pampered as they all thought I was. Maybe I could goad Cliff into fighting me by himself. One-on-one, I could kick his ass. He'd always been too quick to get angry in a fight. It made him sloppy.

"I'm flattered, Cliff. All this for little ol' me? What? You didn't think you were tough enough to take down the Pack princess alone?"

Cliff's lip curled in a sneer. "You think you're tough? Think you can take me?"

I forced a laugh. "Fuck, yeah! I'm not the one who had to bring nine of his buddies to take on one little girl."

One of the other werewolves growled, stepping forward menacingly. "Shut her mouth, Cliff! The bitch talks too much."

Cliff held up a hand, stopping the man in his tracks. "Easy, Des. All in good time."

He turned back to me, his eyes glinting. "You want a chance at this?"

I rolled my shoulders, warming up. "You talk too much, Cliff. You always did. We doing this or not?"

Cliff narrowed his eyes, but he smiled. "I'm going to enjoy watching you beg for mercy."

I shifted my stance, preparing for the fight of my life. I might win against Cliff, but the others weren't just going to walk away. I was outnumbered and outmatched, but I refused to show them my fear.

"Bring it on," I growled, my eyes flashing with challenge. "I'll show you what an Alpha's daughter can do."

And with that, he attacked.

I met Cliff head-on, my fist slamming into his jaw. He staggered back, but I didn't have time to savor the small victory.

Cliff yelled, "Fuck it. Get the bitch!"

And then they all came at me from all sides, a whirlwind of fists and feet.

I let my instincts take over, my body moving on pure muscle memory. Mom and Dad had trained me for this since the time I could walk. They knew that being an Alpha's daughter, I'd have to fight for my life, and they made sure they prepared me for it.

I ducked and weaved, landing blows where I could and dodging those I couldn't. A fierce joy surged through me as I felt my fist connect with flesh and bone, as I heard the grunts of pain from my opponents.

But for every hit I landed, I took two more. They were relentless, a tide of fury and aggression that threatened to sweep me away. I could feel my strength starting to wane, my breathing coming in ragged gasps.

Cliff and his men pressed their advantage, sensing my growing fatigue. They came at me harder, faster, their blows raining down like sledgehammers. I felt my ribs crack under the onslaught, felt the blood trickling down my face from a gash above my eye.

Still, I wasn't going to yield. I was an Alpha's daughter, and I would not go down easily.

My vision was starting to blur, my limbs growing heavy and unresponsive.

I saw Cliff's blow coming and knew I would be too slow to dodge it. His massive fist caught me square in the temple, and the world exploded into stars.

I felt myself falling, my body crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was Cliff's sneering face, his eyes alight with glee.

Then, there was nothing but the void, a yawning abyss that swallowed me whole. As I spiraled down into unconsciousness, a single thought echoed through my fading mind.

I had failed. The humans were defenseless now, at the mercy of Tristan and his thugs.

And it was all my fault.

The darkness took me then, and I knew no more.