26. Twenty-Five

Twenty-Five

Lincoln

"Wolfsbane grenade!"

I ducked and slowed down as the grenades we'd put together catapulted through the air. They landed hundreds of feet away, right in the thick of my dad's men. The second they hit the ground they exploded. A puff of smokey poison shooting out of them.

I jogged forward, making sure the wolfsbane dissipated before I got too close. I shouldn't have worried about it. My dad's men kept running through the mist like it was nothing. They had to be affected...at least a little.

I pumped my fists, narrowing my eyes as my pack and my dad's collided on the battlefield. I slammed into the first guy with my shoulder, wrapping my arm around his waist and lifting him up. I tossed him to the ground, put both hands on either side of his head and snapped his neck.

I shot back to my feet. I'd lost Sloane in the chaos.

The only thing I could feel was the adrenaline, fear, and hope radiating off her. There were just too many wolves and people to keep tabs on where she was.

I had to hope that my training with her was enough. She had to be okay.

Movement to my right caught my eye. Dad hadn't joined the fight. He was at the back of the brawl, watching. Our gazes met. Pure rage filled his face. His lip curled up and his nostrils flared. I marched forward, shoving his men out of my way as I went.

He stood at the top of the hill, arms crossed, glaring.

He had his familiar cronies circling him. All of them except Drake.

I chanced a glance over my shoulder. Drake wasn't behind me, so where was he? I'd have to worry about that later. I needed to focus on the four men approaching.

They were Dad‘s most skilled fighters and could even give Sawyer a run for his money. I pumped my fists by my sides. I darted my gaze between his men, watching for a tell to see who was going to make the first move.

The enforcers loomed but didn't make a move. I sidestepped so the thick brush was at my back. It cornered me, but also made sure no one could sneak up behind me as well.

I sank into a fighting stance. Dad moved closer, so he was only a few feet away from his men. A sneer covered his face. "Hurt him. I don't care how bad. Just make sure he's alive and conscious for when we put his new pack in the grave."

He narrowed his eyes at me as a smile slipped over his face. "I want him to see when I kill his little girlfriend. I want him to watch and hear every agonizing scream as I torture her."

A growl tore free from my throat so ferociously it gave the enforcers pause. He wasn't getting anywhere in your Sloane.

The two guys in front lunged first, Jett and Mason. They came at me from both sides.

I ducked, twisting to my right, going for Jett first. I grabbed Jett's wrist, jerked him to toward me as I hit him with an uppercut under his jaw.

His head snapped back, and something cracked loudly. He groaned, his hands flying to his face.

I turned, kicking out at Mason, but he was too fast, catching my foot. He tugged, knocking me off balance and sending me to the ground.

I landed on a rock. The edge ramming into my spine. Tingles of pain shot down my legs, but I couldn't let it stop me.

I ignored the pain. Mason still had hold of my leg. I lifted my free foot and jammed it into his gut with everything I had.

He grunted and curled in on himself. I lashed out again this time catching him in the groin. He dropped to his knees, a cry getting lodged in his throat.

Jett grabbed me from behind with one hand going to my hair and wrenching my head back.

Max and Eddie decided now was the time to join the fight. Max attacked, throwing a punch right into my solar flexes.

I sputtered, the air whooshing out of my lungs, making it impossible to breathe for a moment.

Eddie helped Jett each of them taking an arm and holding it tight. Max came at me again. He punched me in my left eye. Pain exploded down my face. My vision darkened and everything went blurry for a moment.

Max threw another punch. I bobbed to the right. His fist clipped my ear, making it ring.

He chuckled as he bobbed and weaved in front of me like he was trying to toy with me. The joke was on him. I bent my knees and then jumped backwards, doing a front snap kick. I caught Max in the jaw. Then recoiled my leg and shoved him away with my heel.

I caught Eddie and Jett off guard, too. They stumbled into the thick brush, dragging me backward with them. Their grip loosened on my arms.

I fell against Eddie and rammed my elbow backwards. Then back fisted him in the nose. I spun and threw a right hook, connecting with his cheek.

I twisted, grabbed Jett's collar, and jerked him down as I lifted my knee into his face.

He stumbled away or tried to. I yanked him back towards me, putting my hands on either side of his head, and then wrenched to the side, snapping his neck. He fell to the ground, his eyes staring up vacantly at me, a permanent sneer etched onto his face.

Mason growled a second before he punched me in the back. Pain ricocheted through my chest, lighting it on fire. I couldn't breathe. My lungs screamed in protest.

Mason wrapped his arms around my waist, picked me up, and tossed me to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

I rolled, trying to get away from Mason, but Max was back, too. He kicked me in the face. My head snapped back. Blood gushed from my mouth, coating my upper lip and chin. I used the back of my arm to swipe it away.

Eddie crouched in front of me as Mason and Max stood on either side. They thought they had me. Let them think it. Dad's biggest mistake had always been underestimating me.

Mason and Max each grabbed an arm, hauling me to my feet. They drug me until I was standing in front of my dad.

He shook his head, his lip curling in disgust. "I thought you had more fight than that, Lincoln."

Eddie smacked the back of my head. "I always told you he was weak, Alpha."

Dad‘s nostrils flared as he stared at me. "Yeah, you have. I guess I just didn't want to see it."

Good. They thought they'd beat me.

Eddie hit the back of my head again. I ground my teeth and growled. He was pissing me off, and it was taking everything in me not to wipe the smirk off his face. At least not yet.

Eddie fisted my hair and jerked my head back so I had to look at him. "What do you want us to do with him now, Alpha? Should we rough him up some more?"

Dad crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "Not yet. Let's make him watch us destroy the pack that he's decided is better than ours. It seems fitting."

I snarled. "Do you really think you're going to win so easily?" Blood seeped between my lips as I spoke.

Dad laughed out loud like I told him a joke. "Look out there, Lincoln." He motion with his arm to the fighting. "Do you really think your little rag-tag group has any chance of beating us? You are outnumbered. We are the better fighters and we have the home field advantage."

I spit bloody saliva on the ground. "Your problem is that you always underestimate me and the might of a pack that values their freedom." I nodded at the chaos below. "It doesn't look like you have that many men here. Maybe you've stretched yourself too thin and haven't really considered how hard people will fight for what they believe in."

Dad rolled his eyes as he chuckled. "I don't need the entire pack here, Lincoln. Not when they can get even more reinforcements. The men I have here today are the best trained, and we still outnumber you."

And he had just given me everything that I needed. It was time to give the second signal.

I narrowed my eyes. "You know, Dad, you never really knew me at all did you?"

I didn't give him a chance to respond before I lifted my foot and smashed the heel over top Eddie's. I shifted my right hand into a wolf's paw so I could slip it through Eddie's grip. I spun and clawed Eddie across the throat. He gasped. Blood spurted out, coating my fur.

He clawed at his neck, stumbling away and collapsing on the ground.

I lunged, triggering my shift. I launched myself at my dad, but Max jumped in the way and I landed on him instead, tackling him to the ground.

I snapped at his neck, trying to get a good bite in, but he flailed and punched.

Mason ran at me, arms outstretched as he roared. I slid off Max, digging my claws into his torso as I went. He gurgled.

I crouched, eyes on Mason, waiting for him to make a move.

Howls erupted. Mason‘s attention shot to the trees. If I could grin as a wolf I would be. Our second group of wolves darted through the tree line, sprinting toward the fight.

Mason stumbled back. He put his hands up in a defensive position. "What no."

I use their distraction to my advantage. I lunged for Dad again, but Mason leapt in the way at the last second. I really, really needed his men to stop throwing themselves in front of him. It would make my job easier.

I latched onto Mason's arm, biting down as hard as I could and cracking the bone.

I tugged on his arm, causing him to stumble closer. I launched myself at him, raring up on my back legs and putting my paws on his chest. I swiped my right paw across his face, catching his eye and tearing it out too, so all that was left was a bloody socket.

He screamed backpedaling. I struck again, hitting him in the chest and dragging him to the ground. I put my jaw around his throat and clamped down, throwing my head back-and-forth until he gurgled and went still.

Max scrambled at me, holding a large stick. He swung. I ducked to the side, getting out-of-the-way fast enough, so all I felt was the whoosh of air as it passed me.

He jabbed the slick at me like it was a dagger. "Do you think that little tricks going to work, Lincoln? You're dead. Dead."

Not today I wasn't.

He shoved the stick at me again. This time, I caught the stick in my mouth and yanked on it, pulling him toward me. I dropped the stick and latched onto his leg. I bit down repeatedly, going for the artery.

He punched me in the side. I didn't let up. He hit me again. I yelped, taking an involuntary step back. I panted, my lungs screaming in protest.

Push through it.

I barked, and jumped at him again. This time going for his face. My paw caught his face, digging into the skin, and drawing blood. He stumbled. I clamped down on his neck, twisting myself back-and-forth until he collapsed to the ground and went still.

I pushed off him, searching for my dad. He was gone. I turned toward the fighting.

Where was he?

It only took me a second to find him and my heart dropped. He was making a beeline straight for Sloane.