Forever Home (Sawtooth Shifters, #1) by Kristen Strassel Page A

fuck you up.” Major had trained his brothers to be bloodthirsty, to take what they needed and not look back. Search and destroy.
    I couldn’t argue, it was a pretty good philosophy, and it was shared by most of the werewolf packs in Sawtooth Forest. We were dying out, killing each other. Now in Granger Falls we weren’t much more than a legend. Ghosts. No food and a lack of female wolves insured we’d be history by the end of this generation. I wanted a future, and we needed to change everything or else all we’d have was a past.
    We’d been brought up differently. Yeah, we hunted and killed, but we didn’t destroy. We protected our own. Less prey in the wild had me scared more for my brothers than myself. That mindset didn’t make the Channing pack popular in Sawtooth, but it wasn’t going to matter what anyone thought if we were all dead.
    But what really scared me was being without a mate.
    “I’ll take him,” I growled, pulling on my chain to get as close Major as I could. I’d had enough of his mouth over the last six months. I’d enjoy stomping on it. “Fight to the death.” I’d sunk to Major’s level, but hard time in Hell did that to even the strongest wolf.
    There was no reasoning with anyone during a dogfight.
    Archer nudged my haunch with his snout. “No,” my baby brother whispered. He’d taken my name, Shadow, to heart and become mine as soon as he was old enough to venture away from our mother.
    Major roared with laughter, angry pink skin visible where the chains had worn away his fur. We could understand each other when we spoke, but a human spectator would only hear barking and growling. I glared at Archer. He was weak, there was no hiding it. He hadn’t been a liability until we’d been captured. “You lose, Shadow, and your little pup belongs to me. I’ll make him a man. Somebody’s gotta do it. I don’t have time for the babying bullshit.”
    “He’ll never follow you.” Major and I stood snout to snout. The edges of his nose were dry and his threat was empty. My brothers were restless behind me. If I turned around, the Lowes would know my family doubted me. “I don’t plan on losing.”
    “I don’t either.” One side of Major’s lip turned up in a feral smirk. “He’ll be my slave. You can go to Hell with that on your conscience.”
    After a few more rounds of grunts and huffs, both Major and I retreated to our sides of the pen. If we’d had the chance, we’d settle it here. That bastard Ryker made sure our chains were too short to do any real damage to each other. He knew we’d have plenty of pent-up rage for the paying customers.
    They’d get their money’s worth tonight.
    “Eat,” I huffed at my brothers, kibble catching in my dry throat.
    “This shit?” Dallas said, kicking at the kibble. “It’s barely food.”
    No kidding, brother. “We need to be prepared.”
    “I thought you were going in?” Archer’s eyes widened. I pushed more of the kibble toward him. I’d been too busy scarfing down chicken last night to notice if Archer got anything more than feathers stuck to his tongue. Omegas ate last, and I was ashamed I hadn’t taken better care of him so close to the fights.
    “What’s your plan if Ryker actually lets you out of here, Shadow?” Baron asked quietly, not to be overheard by the Lowes. We learned long ago we could only trust each other.
    I glared at Major, speaking loudly enough for him to hear me. “I’m bringing that bastard down.”
    **
    W e might be emaciated and humbled, but no one would mistake us for meek or common as we were paraded to the ring by Ryker’s thug farmhands. Heads held high, nothing to hide. Even in chains we were stronger than these bastards. We were still proud.
    So close to freedom.
    The air was thick with beer, weed, and sweat. I’d dreamed of this moment since Ryker and his thugs had shot us all with tranquilizer guns and enslaved us.
    It was our own frigging fault. The Lowes had set their sights on