The snow fell around us.
A pulse rose behind me. And even though the storm in my head thundered, it didn’t compare to the strength of my pack.
Carter arrived first, moving until he stood next to Mark, shoulders brushing together.
Some of the hunters took a step back.
Ox came next. His eyes burned furiously.
Rico pressed his hand against my back.
Joe’s paws crunched the snow as he came up on our left. Chris and Tanner stood on either side of him, Chris bleeding from a gash on his head and Tanner limping. But they were defiant.
More wolves came.
Elizabeth and Robbie, both shifted and growling, tails swishing as they stood next to their pack.
Jessie brought up the rear. She tapped Ox’s crowbar against her shoulder.
The hunters were scared. The barrels of their rifles shook. The first one who fired was going to be the first to die. I would see to it myself.
“The Bennett pack,” Elijah breathed. “How… expectant. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Elijah. The wolf pack that came before you killed most of my clan. I am here to make sure that never happens again.” She glanced at me. “I’m told my brother, may he rest in peace, warned your witch of me.”
The feeling of blue threatened to overwhelm me. It came from Elizabeth. I realized then that aside from myself and Mark, she was the only one who had faced Elijah before. Had seen what she was capable of. She had survived only to live in the aftermath of the destruction of most of her pack.
And I had kept Elijah’s existence from her.
But that wasn’t—“How did you know what your brother said?” I demanded. “The only person I told was….” No.
No, fuck, please no.
The wolves were confused, but it was lost to my horror.
“Philip Pappas,” Elijah said, the smile fading from her face. “Who in turn told Michelle Hughes. Michelle Hughes, who asked my clan to return to Green Creek and eradicate the infection spreading amongst the beasts that haunt this town. I must admit, it wasn’t exactly ideal, forming an alliance with the wolves, but she promised me I would have my revenge. I just had to wait. But as a prophet of the Lord, I understood that one day, my time would come. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all.” She lifted the wolf head up and off, letting it rest back on her shoulders. She’d shaved her hair down close to the scalp. The scar on her face etched its way up the side of her head. Snow landed on her skin and trickled down her face like tears. “We have a code. No humans are to be harmed unless they actively assist the wolves. As long as the people of Green Creek stay out of my way, they will not be touched. As for the traitors standing with the wolves, I will afford them this once chance. Walk away. Leave this pack behind. At the borders of your territory stand witches prepared to allow you through the wards they have commandeered from Gordo Livingstone. You have until the full moon, when I’m told that part of your pack will turn feral. If you do not accept this offer, you will be shown no quarter and hunted as if you were a Bennett.”
It was Jessie who spoke. “We’re already Bennetts, you cunt. And if you were taken out once like you say you were, then it can happen again.”
The wolves rumbled around us.
Elijah’s mouth was a thin line. “I see. I was warned of your… loyalty. I’ve witnessed it before. The way wolves assert their control over humans. It is unfortunate that you can’t see what you’ve become.”
There was the telltale snap of muscle and bone, and Oxnard Matheson stood upright slowly, nude, snow falling onto his shoulders.
“Alpha,” Elijah said, nodding in deference. “I’m told you’re unusual, even for a wolf. The mate of the boy who would be king. A human Alpha who gave in to the sin of the wolf.” She reached up and touched the skin of the wolf hanging off her back. “Yours would be an impressive pelt to own. I think I shall have it.”
“It appears you’ve been told many things.”
“A necessary thing in warfare.”
“You have already made a mistake,” Ox said quietly, taking a step forward. The rifles tracked toward him, the hunters beginning to murmur their unease.
“Oh?” Elijah asked, voice cool. “And what would that be exactly?”
“You came into my territory uninvited,” Ox said, “with the intentio
n of hurting my family. Omegas came once, intending to do the same. We were smaller then. Unsure. Scared. We thought ourselves alone.” His eyes flared red. “Only a few of them crawled away. The rest had their throats ripped out. Their blood drenched this earth, and I swore then and there that I would do whatever it took to keep my pack safe.”
Elijah’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t fear you, wolf—”