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hunger. “You have no right to hoard a female in Heat. We
aren’t mated. She could choose any of us.”
“Unconscious?” Pale would have liked to sink his
teeth into Kroft’s jaw and hear it crunch like mulch. Just
because the packs were gone didn’t mean any sense of
honor had to go with them. “She made her choice.” He
hoped.
“If she’d chosen, she’d be imprinted already.” Kroft
took a deep inhalation, a sick smile spreading his lips as
he crudely acknowledged the scent of her on the air.
“She’s so ready, you can almost taste her.”
“Leave now, and I might not claw out your entrails.”
Maybe. Pale didn’t want to make any promises he
couldn’t keep. He didn’t dare take his eyes off the man
directly across from him, but he’d be stupid if he didn’t
keep the others in his peripheral vision.
“You can’t beat us all, Rysen.” Kroft’s soft taunt
came as the others stalked closer, sealing off escape.
No, he probably couldn’t. But he’d try.
Kroft leaped into the air with a roar, shifting in a
silent ripple midair, revealing bared teeth, colorless fur
and vicious black claws. With no time to do anything else,
Pale spun, taking the brunt of the white Wolf’s weight on
his back, falling to one knee rather than drop her. Fire
arced down his back as the Wolf scrabbled for grip,
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digging deep when he did. Sharp teeth clamped where
Pale’s shoulder met his throat, tearing deep gouges while
Kroft shook his head, ravaging toward a kill.
Pale roared, rolling Jade to the ground before
grabbing Kroft by the scruff and flipping him into the
darkness beyond. His flesh tore, blood sluicing from the
wound, but it wasn’t fatal. It would take far more than
that.
White fur gleaming even in the darkness, Kroft
twisted as he hit the ground. In less than a second, he was
back on his feet; only his friends were with him now,
growling and snarling. All five formed a half-circle
around Pale and Jade. He held his arm up in front of his
face, still kneeling, protecting her the only way he could
in his current form. As a man, they’d rip him to shreds. As
a Wolf, he had a chance.
He took a fleeting glance at the woman curled on the
ground of the filthy alley, unclipping his badge and his
gun slowly, tucking them beneath her. It wasn’t allowed,
but he’d be damned if they’d get her without a fight and
she was no match for them without a weapon.
They waited, knowing he couldn’t use his human
tools against them. This was a Wolf matter. The badge
was useless in a challenge and the gun, unforgivable. The
only law that held sway among Wolves was his right to
protect what was his—his life, his pups and, most
important, his female. They’d all die before he let them
have her.
A moment later, he changed. A howl went up in the
darkness and the enemies rushed in.
Dee Tenorio
Chapter Fourteen
Jade’s eyes fluttered open when something heavy hit
her legs, pinning them down. Sounds registered next—
angry barks and vicious snarls, high-pitched whines of
pain and submission. She lifted her head, then ducked as a
wayward paw whooshed past her face. She lurched
backward into a rough brick wall, dragging the rest of
herself toward it. Once she had her back to it, she kicked
at the weight on her legs. Belatedly, she realized it was an
unconscious Wolf. At least, she hoped it was unconscious.
Blood dripped from its neck onto her pants. She refused to
check it for any signs of life.
Rubbing at her eyes, she took in as much of the scene
before her as she could. Dim alley, small trash containers
knocked onto their sides, three piles of fur strewn in
different directions. Three more were still fighting. A
brilliant white, a more common gray coat and a giant blur
she made out more by the gleam than the color. A black
Wolf, the same shade as a raven wing.
Pale.
She wasn’t sure how she knew, but her heart thudded
with fear for him. This was what he’d warned her about.
A challenge. If he didn’t win, the others would try to rape
her. She looked around wildly for light, something she
could draw on to help him. There was some at the far end,
the parking lot. She reached, feeling the draw in her
fingertips, as if she were pulling at a fabric instead of the
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light. Very little came. Too far away and she was too
drained. She tried again.
A loud bark made her jump and she realized it was
Pale, barking at her. Milk-blue eyes met hers, a message
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