Behind them, on the banks of the creek that ran under the covered bridge, violet eyes began to glow.
At first there were only a few of them, blinking slowly in the dark. And then came more. So many more than I ever expected. They stretched along the creek, going down as far as I could see.
Some were shifted completely.
Others were caught in between.
A few were still human.
They were in the bridge, eyes glowing in the dark.
Two stood on top of the bridge, the wood creaking underneath their feet as they stepped forward.
One of the men at the rear heard them first. He turned slowly, his breath coming out in great gasps as his chest heaved. “Oh no,” he whispered.
The other witches whirled at the sound of his voice.
And then they froze.
“This moment,” I told them. “This is the exact moment you realize why no one fucks with the Bennett pack.”
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The man with the nasty smile was the first to move. He stumbled back toward the wards, eyes wide. The line of wolves behind us snarled angrily, and he slipped in the snow, trying to stay on his feet. “You can’t do this,” he said, sounding breathless. “You wouldn’t. You’re an Alpha. You’re supposed to protect.”
Ox leaned forward, face almost pressed flat against the ward in front of him.
The man cowered.
The Alpha wolf said, “All I wanted to know was your name.”
In the end, it was swift. The Omegas surged forward, moving quick and sure. Some leapt over the creek bed and took off down either side of the wards, heading for the other witches just out of sight.
Others shifted in the covered bridge, their claws digging into the wood as they tilted their heads back and howled.
The two on top of the bridge jumped down and crouched low in the snow, fangs bared at the witches trying to hurt their Alpha.
The witches fought back. There were flashes of light as the ground split beneath the feral wolves. Some were knocked off their feet, crashing down hard on the ground. One of the men clapped his hands together in front of him, and a burst of compressed air flew out around him, slamming into the approaching waves of Omegas. They flew back.
Most got up immediately.
The witches were hopelessly outnumbered.
In the distance, I could hear the shouts and screams of the other witches in the woods, could see light bursting in the trees.
The man with the nasty smile was the first to fall, throat torn out, blood gushing onto the snow. He was on his knees, head tilted back as he gurgled. A blood bubble burst from his mouth, red mist landing on his face. He turned his head toward me, eyes locking with mine, pleading silently.
I didn’t react as another wolf descended on him, and he was no more.
One of the remaining men tried to run.
He didn’t get very far before two half-shifted wolves landed on his back, fangs and claws tearing.
The last man turned and ran toward us, through the wards. He wasn’t afraid.
He was going for Ox.
He didn’t make it.