A sharp yelp echoes from behind me. A whimper. Is that Aspen? My gut twists and I glance back to see that he's a few yards ahead.
Aspen stiffens and lets out a loud howl of agony. He collapses to the ground as the pack surrounds him. The wolves pounce. We're done for.
I charge in, shifting my body to tackle one of the wolves to the ground. It's enough of a distraction to give Aspen the opportunity to run.
My teeth slash into the wolf. Its blood spurts onto my tongue and my stomach revolts, but I soon find myself in the middle of a sea of bodies. There's too many of them.
I claw into the flesh of one wolf hoping to bite me and add me to its disgusting pack.
A sharp pain streaks down my arm from my damn injury.
Another wolf lunges at me. I throw my weight against his chest and he falls. Before he can get up, my jaw locks on the flesh and bone on the back of his neck. I shake my head and rip out a chunk of his flesh.
The wolf tumbles backward, and I push myself to my feet, searching for another wolf to kill. My lungs squeeze for air as I try to grab another enemy
for air as I try to grab another enemy by his hindquarters. But the beast slips out of my reach. The agony of my shoulder sends my heart racing. I can't keep this up much longer.
A wolf pins me to the ground. I can't breathe. I buck against it pinning me but can't move.
The wolf's hot breath blows against my neck. Any second I will feel its teeth and then I'll be undead like it is.
I buck and twist as the wolf lunges for me, yellowing fangs gleaming. I'd rather be dead than turn into one of them.
My body tenses, but the wolf doesn't get the chance to snap his jaws. Aspen grabs him by the scruff of the neck and hauls him off me with a powerful jerk. The wolf stumbles back, ears flat and tail between his legs. He shakes his head, trying to focus his eyes that have suddenly grown too large for his face. He struggles to his feet, but Aspen is already on him, teeth bared, ready for another attack. Another wolf jumps into the fray, snarling, bringing Aspen down. I launch at the new wolf, sinking my
teeth into the fur of his back. His fur
Inaunch at me new won, Sinking my teeth into the fur of his back. His fur rips beneath my fangs and he yelps. He kicks out, knocking me away.
I push off the ground and race back to Aspen, who is still battling the two wolves. Growls and snapping jaws fill the air. I leap onto the first wolf and tear into its shoulder. The wolf thrashes and I barely hang on. I tear out a hunk and the wolf snarls.
The second wolf lunges at me, and I swing my head around in time to dodge his razor-sharp claws.
Aspen shifts forms and manages to get his hands around the wolf's throat and the wolf goes limp. The other wolf turns on Aspen and rushes him. I shove my body into the wolf, knocking him off balance.
It scrambles up onto all fours, and a low threatening growl vibrates in the air between us.
It pounces at me, but I spin away at the last second. I clamp down on the wolf's neck. The beast lets out a whimper and struggles to get away, but I cut off its cries and I rip the beast's throat out.
Next to me, Aspen tears open another wolf's stomach. The rest of
another wolf's stomach. The rest of the wolves scamper away. Except they don't appear like they're fleeing us, rather as if they sense easier prey.
Shit. That's the way Jessica and Raven fled.
Aspen looks up at me and we exchange glances. Without hesitation, we both race in the direction the wolves ran.
Aspen darts between the trees, much faster than me. His white fur is tainted with the blood of the undead wolves and I hope to the moon goddess that he hasn't been bitten.
I fight the urge to call for Raven and warn him about the surge of undead wolves headed their way. But he and Jessica already had half a dozen wolves chasing them that didn't fall for our retreat. He'll have enough on his hands without me diverting his attention from fighting and protecting Jessica
The pain of my wound throbs and my head spins. I'm so fucking tired. Yet, I push one paw in front of the other. We have to find them. I've been hurt worse and healed, but I can feel a chill deep in my bones.
I push myself faster and faster. My shoulder hurts like fucking hell and my legs feel like they are on fire.
It is hard to keep up with Aspen as he rushes to catch up with the others. My heart pounds with every step, but I can't get the image of Jessica with her blue hair splayed across the forest floor, her pale skin flawless.
Or the crimson stream of blood from her throat ripped open out of my mind.
I sputter, unable to speak for a second as his words feel like punches to my gut. "No. You're wrong. I can feel my wolf here." I touch my chest.
His gaze follows my movement and his growl rumbles deep. My entire face heats. His nostrils flare and I swallow, backing up a step.
"Wh-what about the others?" I ask in a voice that's squeaker than I'd like. All of me is suddenly aware of this Alpha male and me, locked in a dark cabin. He saved my life, my conscience nags me, but I cross my arms. I don't owe him anything more than a thank you. Besides, he sentenced Aspen and Dex to their deaths by leaving them.
He inhales deeply like he can scent the heat pooling low in my belly.
My wolf is quiet. Fear clutches at my throat and my body goes rigid.
He's too close to me and my wolf is silent.
"The others?" I ask again, hoping to change the tension in the air of the nearness of our bodies.
He's not answering me.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I ask, but my voice cracks in the middle betraying me I swallow