I turned and saw Mom and Jessie burst out onto the street. They turned toward Gregory and his wolves. Jessie fired four shots in quick succession, each shot hitting a wolf and killing them instantly. Gregory zigzagged, tattoos glowing fiercely. His magic was building, eyes wide and wet. He raised a hand, fingers flexing.
“Mom!” I screamed.
But she didn’t stop. She ran toward him, and as a burst of light grew around Gregory’s hand, she crouched low, preparing to jump.
I was too late.
My mother jumped.
And stopped almost immediately, hung suspended in the air.
She made a terrible sound, a low whine that she never should’ve been capable of making. Her body jerked in the air as Gregory closed his fist, her paws kicking out into nothing.
I ran toward them, ignoring the glassy voice in my head saying, carter no please carter no no NO NONONO—
A white wolf ran next to me.
It had black on its chest and back.
Its eyes were red.
It said, SonLovePack believe in me for i i i believe in you.
I reached over and pressed my hand against its back even as we ran toward my mother.
A powerful surge burst up my arm, rolling through my body.
The wind whistled around me.
I lowered my shoulder, crashing into the wolves that had moved in front of Gregory. The impact caused my fangs to rattle but I barely felt it. I reached out for Gregory, digging my claws into his chest, raking up his shoulder to his neck as I used him to stop my momentum. My arm jerked as I latched on, blood spilling over my hand as I spun around to his back. He barely had time to turn his head when I growled, “You shouldn’t have touched my mother.”
I drew my claws across his throat.
Blood sprayed out onto my mother’s stomach.
Gregory made a gurgling noise, dropping my mother to the ground. She landed on her feet, shaking her head before she darted in, fangs flashing in the starlight. Gregory’s ribs crunched
as she bit down.
Gregory said, “Oh.”
He collapsed to the ground.
He took one breath. And then another.
And then he stopped moving.
I pulled my hand back. It was coated with blood. Gavin moved, snarling furiously, tearing into everything that dared come at me. The wolves whined and yelped as his jaws snapped closed around them, flesh tearing, matted hair falling to the ground.
My mother pressed her snout against my chest.
I said, “I know, I know, I—”
A large hand covered my face. I kicked as I was lifted off the ground, claws prickling the back of my head. I reached up and grabbed the thick forearm. Hot, rank breath blew over my body as Livingstone brought me close to his face. His one red eye flashed brightly. “Carter,” he growled.
Below us, Gavin shifted back to human, surrounded by the bodies of dead wolves. My mother was at his side. He shouted, “Put him down!”
Livingstone jerked his head toward his son. “Betrayed. You betrayed me. Like all the others.”