21. Twenty-One

I cut the ten minutes into five. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I was afraid it would beat right out.

The black Mustang had pulled over to the side of the road with both doors open. I didn’t see any sign of the Dennings or Alpha Dane’s men.

The tires squealed as I brought the car to a stop. I shoved it into park and got out, leaving the engine idling as I raced into the woods. Lincoln hollered as he chased after me, and the car doors thumped shut as my men followed.

My wolf wrestled beneath the surface, wanting to come out. We were too close to the town to do that, though, and judging by the yelling echoing through the trees, Alpha Charles’s men were still in their human form, too.

I pushed myself faster, the trees and brush whipping against me, leaving welts in their wake. I had to get there to help them.

A blur of bright orange caught my eye. It wasn’t hunting season, so it had to be one of the guys we were after.

He stood over someone as he jerked, like he was wrestling with them. I had the advantage of coming up on them from behind.

I leaped over a log, pumping my arms faster. He had the guy in a chokehold, and instead of punching and flailing to get free, the guy’s movements grew weaker by the second. He was running out of time.

I charged faster. I wouldn’t lose him. I couldn’t.

Roaring like a banshee, I barreled into Alpha Dane’s man, knocking him off his feet. I shifted my hand into a wolf’s paw and slashed at his chest and throat.

My nails dug deep, catching him right in the jugular. Blood spurted out and hit me in the face, making me flinch.

The guy didn’t stand a chance. He gurgled, his eyes going wide as he bled out in a matter of a few seconds.

I recognized the guy on the ground as one of Alpha Charles’s sons. He stared at me as he gasped, trying to catch his breath.

I got to my feet and offered him a hand as my enforcers finished dispatching of the other three guys.

I pulled him to his feet. “Are you all right?”

He rubbed his neck, where a bruise was already beginning to form. When he spoke, his voice sounded hoarse. “I think so, Alpha Sloane.”

I clapped him on the arm. “You’re safe now. We’re going to escort you back to the pack.”

I stepped away, but he caught my arm, making Lincoln growl low in his throat.

When he saw Lincoln looking at him, he took his hand off me and held both up in a show of surrender. “I’m sorry. My dad… He should’ve listened to you.”

My face fell, and I looked at the ground as I nodded. A heavy weight pressed down on me even though I’d done everything I could.

“Did he make it?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No, he gave his life so that the few of us here could escape. We barely made it out alive.”

I offered him my hand. “I apologize, but I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

He eyed Lincoln for a second before taking my hand and giving it a firm shake. “It’s Leo.”

I inclined my head at him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leo. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

I took in the other four men that were with him. A pack of thirty, and only five had made it out. That was disgraceful.

“Is there any chance that anyone else made it?” I asked.

I gazed at the trees and held my breath, hoping that someone else might appear. They didn’t.

Leo looked at the ground and dragged his foot across it. “No, no one else made it. I wish that they had. We lost a lot of good men.”

I let out a heavy sigh. It was awful to lose so many wolves when we could’ve protected them. “You have a spot in my pack. You and your men. We have a long road ahead of us, but we have every intention of seeing this war through.”

Leo’s eyes blazed. “Good. Because I intend to make Alpha Dane pay.”

He would have to get in line behind Willa and me, and probably Lincoln and Sawyer too. I didn’t even want to begin to imagine how far back that line went.

I looked out into the trees again as a sense of foreboding filled me. We’d dispatched Alpha Dane’s men quickly. Granted, they were greatly outnumbered, but this almost seemed too easy. Sawyer had mentioned a team, but he didn’t say how many.

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Something about this felt off. I looked over my shoulder at the road, where just the black Mustang and my pack’s cars were parked.

“Do you know if anyone else followed you?” I asked.

Leo looked behind him. “There were some wolves that were following us initially, but we thought we lost them.”

I met Lincoln’s gaze. “How many men does your dad usually send?”

Lincoln ran a hand through his hair. “More than this.”

Crap. There were probably more men out there.

“Keep your eyes peeled. Make sure no one else is here,” I called, loud enough for everyone to hear.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Leo. “Do you remember the last time you saw them?”

He scrubbed his eyes. “I’m not sure. We’ve been running nonstop for maybe an hour, two at most.”

I gritted my teeth. I knew how quickly time passed when you were in the thick of things. What if it had only been ten minutes, but it had felt like an hour?

“How many would you say there were?” I asked.

Lincoln scanned the area as he cocked his head to the side like he was listening for something. “They’re coming from that direction.”

He pointed along the river, which made sense. They would’ve had to come from that direction. The river made it nice in that respect. It was too deep and too wide to go around.

My fears were all but confirmed when a loud snarl came from about a few hundred feet away. My heart sank lower in my chest as I stared at the pack of thirty or so wolves.

They bared their teeth at us. We’d gone from having the numbers to now being outnumbered.

We hadn’t come out here prepared to fight, but I didn’t think we could run either, not without potentially taking casualties. It was a lose-lose for either situation.

I gave Leo and the four others a quick once-over. Their injuries looked mostly superficial. They must have shifted at some point.

“Can your men fight?” I asked.

He gritted his teeth. “Absolutely, Alpha.”

I looked at my enforcers. “We move swiftly and quickly. Don’t let any of them get out of here alive. You can take prisoners. It wouldn’t hurt to have some we can question.”

“Yes, Alpha,” my enforcers said.

Lincoln reached out to me through our bond. Sloane, you’re not ready for this kind of fight. You’ll be out in the open, exposed.

Sawyer joined us, his warmth surrounding me in a loving embrace. I’m here, brother. I’ll protect her. I don’t want to lose either of you tonight.

He skimmed his fingers down my arm. Assuming you’re okay with that.

I fought back a smile because this would be an awkward time for everyone to see me smiling. This really is the last time, and then I want to see you before you leave, for real this time.

He gave me a single nod. I want to see you both, too.

Good, because I would make sure that he came back with us tonight. No questions asked.

I pointed toward the wolves that stalked toward our group. “On three. One. Two. Three.”

I lunged forward, triggering my shift midair, and landed on all four paws. I raced forward, the full force of my pack on my heels. Since I was the fastest and the alpha, I led the charge.

The other wolves darted toward us. Birds squawked, and wildlife scrambled to get out of our way.

Sawyer pushed into my mind as our bodies merged. Sweetheart, we’re heading for the guy in front. He’s one of the brutalist enforcers my dad has. Together, we’re going to take him out and make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.

My lip curled up. Good, let’s do it.

My pulse spiked, and my lungs and legs burned as we closed the distance. This was very different from the fight I’d had with Thomas. There would be no yielding, no chance to give up. It would be a brawl to the death, and the better wolf would win.

I just hoped the better wolf was Sawyer and me.