battle go on. From their smi rks , a s well as the way they are exchanging knowing nods , I get the impression that not only did they expect this , the y’re betting on the outcome .
As panic invades my stomach , I pull in a quick, sharp breath and fight down a strangled cry. I know I need to put a stop to this chaos before they kill each other. But before I can do anything, L ogan pins Stone beneath him, his big paws holding his shoulders down . Stone ’ s dark , wild bark of fury echoes off the mountains a nd using his back legs he tries to kick the alpha off and gain purchase.
My skin prickles because I know Logan is in “ kill or be killed ” mode , and I fear he’s about to puncture Stone’s jugular and let the life bleed out of my childhood friend right before my eyes . A pained expression rips across Stone’s muzzle and somewhere behind me I hear a soft, hungry growl as the cannon thunders on the mountain.
As I watch the violence, I can feel my own blood draining . W ith the situation becoming dire, completely out of control, I know I have to do something. I ’m about to make a move, but the master steps up beside me , his large body casting shadows over my small animal frame . I’d been so caught up in the fight , so worried about the outcome that I hadn’t even heard his approach.
Not smart for a wolf with a mission.
His hand rakes over my fur, smoothing down my hackles and since I can’t stand his touch, I shift back to human, hurry to my nightgown and pull it back on. Once I’m dress ed the master moves close.
“It seems our rogue is a powerful one , after all,” he says as he comes to a stop beside me .
I don’t look at him . I can’t. Party because I can’t stand t he sight of his face, and partly because I’m so focused on the fight —on the amount of blood being spilled—that I ’m unable to peel my eyes away.
“I told you he was , ” I say between grit teeth.
From my peripheral vision I watch the way the master folds his arms across his chest and rocks back on his heels , an irritating habit he has . “Now why do you suspect they’re fighting , Pride ? ” he asks and I know he’s baiting me.
I angle my head and give him a defiant look , one that suggests he’s dense, and when I meet his evil eyes , a black wave of darkness churns inside me, pulsing, rising to dangerous proportions until my wolf is clawing at my insides .
My wolf howls and she do esn’t care about the punishment that will come with my next words when I deliver them. “That’s what happens when you put two alphas in the same yard. Surely you expected this , ” I challenge.
He glares at me, his annoyance palatable . The taste of his anger settl es on my tongue as I wait for the hard slap to the face, but it doesn’t come. Instead he looks past my shoulder and gives a nod to the guards. I resist the urge to exhale a relieved breath and instead roll my tongue around my dry mouth when I hear g unshots crack the air .
A moment later the two wolves separate, both breathing hard as they continue to circle one another , bar ing their sharp fangs . Saliva drips from their muzzles , and their fur is a t angled mess of dirt and fresh blood , but neither one is quite ready to back down .
G un in his hand Mario steps up to them, his footsteps are slow and cautio us as the wolves watch each other, both panting heavily . Clearly Mario is smart enough to know better than to place himself between two feuding alphas. He’s speaking to them, using words meant to calm. Logan is the first to shift back, and I’m proud of him for it.
Once they’ve both returned to their human form , they stand at their full height, and Mario fits Stone with a collar . He gives the alpha a hard warning glare before he tosses him a pair of jeans and shirt . For a minute I wonder if Mario is trying to tell him something. For a minute I wonder if they’re on the same team .
The master slants his head and a dark , warning shiver pulses
As panic invades my stomach , I pull in a quick, sharp breath and fight down a strangled cry. I know I need to put a stop to this chaos before they kill each other. But before I can do anything, L ogan pins Stone beneath him, his big paws holding his shoulders down . Stone ’ s dark , wild bark of fury echoes off the mountains a nd using his back legs he tries to kick the alpha off and gain purchase.
My skin prickles because I know Logan is in “ kill or be killed ” mode , and I fear he’s about to puncture Stone’s jugular and let the life bleed out of my childhood friend right before my eyes . A pained expression rips across Stone’s muzzle and somewhere behind me I hear a soft, hungry growl as the cannon thunders on the mountain.
As I watch the violence, I can feel my own blood draining . W ith the situation becoming dire, completely out of control, I know I have to do something. I ’m about to make a move, but the master steps up beside me , his large body casting shadows over my small animal frame . I’d been so caught up in the fight , so worried about the outcome that I hadn’t even heard his approach.
Not smart for a wolf with a mission.
His hand rakes over my fur, smoothing down my hackles and since I can’t stand his touch, I shift back to human, hurry to my nightgown and pull it back on. Once I’m dress ed the master moves close.
“It seems our rogue is a powerful one , after all,” he says as he comes to a stop beside me .
I don’t look at him . I can’t. Party because I can’t stand t he sight of his face, and partly because I’m so focused on the fight —on the amount of blood being spilled—that I ’m unable to peel my eyes away.
“I told you he was , ” I say between grit teeth.
From my peripheral vision I watch the way the master folds his arms across his chest and rocks back on his heels , an irritating habit he has . “Now why do you suspect they’re fighting , Pride ? ” he asks and I know he’s baiting me.
I angle my head and give him a defiant look , one that suggests he’s dense, and when I meet his evil eyes , a black wave of darkness churns inside me, pulsing, rising to dangerous proportions until my wolf is clawing at my insides .
My wolf howls and she do esn’t care about the punishment that will come with my next words when I deliver them. “That’s what happens when you put two alphas in the same yard. Surely you expected this , ” I challenge.
He glares at me, his annoyance palatable . The taste of his anger settl es on my tongue as I wait for the hard slap to the face, but it doesn’t come. Instead he looks past my shoulder and gives a nod to the guards. I resist the urge to exhale a relieved breath and instead roll my tongue around my dry mouth when I hear g unshots crack the air .
A moment later the two wolves separate, both breathing hard as they continue to circle one another , bar ing their sharp fangs . Saliva drips from their muzzles , and their fur is a t angled mess of dirt and fresh blood , but neither one is quite ready to back down .
G un in his hand Mario steps up to them, his footsteps are slow and cautio us as the wolves watch each other, both panting heavily . Clearly Mario is smart enough to know better than to place himself between two feuding alphas. He’s speaking to them, using words meant to calm. Logan is the first to shift back, and I’m proud of him for it.
Once they’ve both returned to their human form , they stand at their full height, and Mario fits Stone with a collar . He gives the alpha a hard warning glare before he tosses him a pair of jeans and shirt . For a minute I wonder if Mario is trying to tell him something. For a minute I wonder if they’re on the same team .
The master slants his head and a dark , warning shiver pulses
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