I was taken aback to see them together, each cradling a child. I knew Alice had recently given birth—Akasha had told me—but seeing the worthless woman holding two infants was a shock. She looked scared, and I couldn’t help but smirk.
Her eyes flashed a violet hue, something I’d never seen in a wolf before.
He burst forth, looming over the two women. Alice must have said something to Astrid because she tried to step away with the babies. Gunnolf slammed his paw down, making my little toy jump. But Alice remained calm—too calm. She raised a hand, and I almost laughed at her audacity.
He lunged for her arm, but before he could clamp down, her wolf was there, her paw down my throat, choking me. Gunnolf recoiled quickly before she grabbed his tongue, and we found ourselves face to face with Aurora. Her eyes glared red at me, and despite what Akasha had said, I wasn’t prepared for this. She was larger than most she-wolves and could easily pass for an alpha.
She moved with a grace that belied her size, stepping side to side, each paw landing with a thud, like a predator ready to pounce. But Gunnolf was larger and had never been bested by another wolf, especially not a she-wolf.
Gunnolf lunged at Aurora. She was as quick as I’d anticipated, and we collided in midair, both of us crashing to the ground. She got a hold of Gunnolf’s neck, but he swiped at her face with his front paws, breaking her grip.
This was news to me. Akasha had been keeping secrets, but now he had as much control over my pack as I did. His voice in my head was the same as Aurora’s, but hers wasn’t controlling, just commanding.
Aurora lunged at Akasha, who deftly sidestepped her and climbed into the trees above us.
“One wrong move, Aurora, and this child dies,” he threatened, dangling the child. Aurora growled menacingly. “What will it be, Alice? Will you sacrifice your life for your child?” His mouth was smeared with blood, his eyes glowing red with malice.
She turned her back on him and advanced on me, her eyes hard, red, and furious. She pounced, and we tumbled around on the ground, jaws snapping, fur flying. Akasha was feeding me instructions, clouding my mind as Gunnolf transformed into the killing machine he was.
My vision narrowed as we focused on Aurora. We attacked with slashes and swipes, tearing skin and fur. She matched us blow for blow, leaving us with several nasty wounds.
“Bitch,” I spat as one of her claws caught the corner of Gunnolf’s eye, leaving a deep gash. Blood poured out, obscuring our vision. Gunnolf shook his head, spraying blood. That was the last straw.
Aurora came at us again. We’d never faced such a prolonged challenge from a single wolf before. She was tiring as we fought. That’s where my alpha blood gave me the advantage. My strength held steady, while hers waned.
A series of aggressive howls echoed around us. Draven’s men were suffering, as were mine. More wolves from another pack had arrived, and we were under threat. Akasha wasn’t calling it, but I was.
Aurora lunged at us again. Gunnolf met her head-on, sending her flying into a tree. She grunted, but the sound of her scrambling to her feet… She was getting back up…
The sound of pounding paws approached. It was what was left of Draven’s men, followed by some of my pack. Aurora stood glaring at me.
Aurora was sent flying as two of my warriors rammed her at full force, and I was sure I heard the crack of bones. With us all together, we fled as a group from the Greystone Ridge Pack appeared. We followed Akasha back to neutral territory between pack lands.
We’d set out to attack and destroy them. Instead, we’d weakened them. It was better than being wiped out, which would have happened if I hadn’t made the call. Of the fifty who left my pack, thirty-six returned. They were battered and injured, but they were alive and would heal, unlike Draven’s men. He was down to fifteen of the men he’d sent in.
Akasha hissed at us all as we changed and tended to our wounds. “Why did you disobey me?” He got in my face. “You had her. I ordered you to kill her.”
“No, I didn’t. She was weakening, but not giving up. More of them had appeared from the other packs to help out, and they would have overpowered us and taken down all of our men.” I gritted my teeth. “We got leverage, like you said.” I nodded to the child he’d handed off to one of my men.
“Yes, but I lost two of my friends in that battle.” Akasha clenched his fist, his chest heaving with anger. I looked around and didn’t see any vampires with us. Maybe he was mistaken? But then I spotted her, Lucinda. She was feeding off one of my guys, draining his blood.
Akasha lunged at me and stared into my eyes. “We will regroup and strengthen our packs. I think if we bring the Bloodclaw Pack into it, we can take them all out. I was holding them back with the humans I have under control, saving them for the next attack wave.” There was a glint in his eyes. Did he expect us to fail?
“What’s your plan for the baby?” I growled, unhappy that we now had a helpless being to care for.
He walked over and picked up the child, stared at it, then snarled. “Your men did enough damage to hold them back for now, but she will come for it soon.” The child seemed to calm, almost as if it understood what Akasha was saying. “I predict it will take her two hours, so be sure to be ready.” He turned his back on me. “I need her, so the child stays alive for now.”
With a grunt, I turned to my men and scowled. “Heal and prepare for another battle.” I stormed out of the caves, which were set into the mountainside. This was neutral ground, but that didn’t mean Aurora wouldn’t stop at nothing to get her child back.
I gingerly touched the healing cut on my face, a reminder of where Aurora had wounded Gunnolf. Her fierce protection of her luna and children hinted at a depth beyond her role as the beta’s mate. Alice, with her Conri blood, was a threat. Akasha was a mystery, his secrets piling up, and I was determined to uncover his intentions. His consumption of alpha blood was excessive, and it worried me.
My thoughts drifted to Astrid, that wretched woman, and her offspring. I wanted her to feel the pain she had caused me all those years ago. I had imprisoned her for a reason, a reason she was too young to comprehend at the time.
I shook my head, trying to dispel the haunting memories. I had let Astrid live, a punishment for myself as much as for her. The pain of what I had done to my mate still lingered, fueling my viciousness toward others.
“They are coming!” Akasha’s voice rang in my head.
