The Woodland Packs

We’d need help, and Grayson’s crew shouldn’t be far.

The bears broke through the woods line on all fours, running at full tilt.

I started towards them, growling and snapping as I assessed the best way to attack. I leapt through the air and tore my teeth along the side of the Alpha bear’s ribs and flank.

He stumbled and fell, and I jumped on his back, tearing at his throat as I attempted to roll him over.

He lifted a massive paw and pushed me down, hard.

More bears ran past us and I wanted to scream in frustration. They were headed straight for my house!

I jumped off the Alpha and ran after the bears that had broken away.

I sunk my teeth into the leg of the one in front of me. A pack of six wolves joined us.

Grayson’s and Axel’s packs. Good. We were going to need them.

I tasted blood as I tore at the bear’s flesh and it swiped at my face with its other massive paw, tearing at my cheek.

I glanced around. There had to be a dozen bears.

They’d never attacked with such numbers before. Why now?

My mother’s silver wolf bounded down the back steps of my house, growling and snapping at any bear that came close.

Fear whistled through me.

They were here for Claire.

Should I get her out of the house and drive her to safety, drawing the bears away?

Or should we kill them all?

There were more wolves coming now, we were outnumbering them two to one.

I raced over to my mother and stood in front of her, baring my teeth at the bears who’d made it to our house.

Did I dare shift back? I would be vulnerable if I did, but it seemed to be the only way to get them to explain this attack.

We’d been rivals for years, however nothing had ever come out of these useless fights.

I let go of my Alpha wolf, the shifter howling in anger as I released my strongest self.

I stood on my back porch, naked and angry.

Some of the bears had begun to retreat but there were three still fighting, including the Alpha I’d taken down.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I managed to bellow out, though my voice was strained and garbled from shifting. “Explain yourselves!”

The wolves fell back to line up with my house, guarding the town.

My pack stayed in wolf form, and rightly so. No one would be stupid enough to shift back, except me.

The Alpha bear began to transform. In his place stood a massive man, with a shaggy black beard and tattoos covering his upper body.

I walked down the two steps to the ground and glared at him. “What are you doing here?”

“We came to see your mate.”