by Ryan Michele
Several nods from the group ensue.
“Remember, this is for all of us. All the wolves. If Lobo takes us out, that’s it. It’s a heavy ass burden, but I want that on your mind when they come after you. You have to give it your all to protect those you love,” Xavier finishes.
It’s one thirty in the morning and we all tried to sleep a little before this big meeting so we were rested. It didn’t work. Sabrea and I just held each other for the time we had, but sleep evaded us.
This is truly it. The turning point. Do we live or do we die? Nothing like a heavy weight sagging your shoulders to the ground.
“Everyone get something to eat.” Xavier motions to the kitchen where smells of bacon and burgers linger. “Gather your strength. The sun won’t rise for another two and a half hours, but we want to be prepared.”
The room is somber as wolves leave, knowing that for some of them this will be their last meal. We are not naive enough to think that all of us will come out on the other end. I am not naive to think that my time with Sabrea could end in only a few hours, and my heart breaks at the thought of losing her or her losing me.
I wrap her up in my arms, tightly. We eat in silence, every wolf in the room anxious for what is about to come.
Fuck, this can’t be the end. It just started.
The Raber Wolf Pack
“THEY’RE HERE,” Gary calls to the pack as he sees several wolves come from all different angles on the television monitor in front of him. “They’re coming in through the back.” Crackling and popping occur in the sky, caused by the security chain around the den blowing. “X, we need to hurry. They’ve done something to the security and now they are coming in rapidly.” Gary watches as more and more wolves enter their space. Lucky for the Raber pack, the intruders were still a ways away, but with their speed, would be there soon.
“Let’s go,” Xavier says, looking over at Zara. The love that has grown between them in such a short time is something he never dreamed of having in this life. After his father was murdered and his mother killed, he had little hope for this, but now that he has it, he’ll do whatever necessary to keep it. He grips Zara’s hand and pulls her close to his body. Her body trembles at his touch.
I’m scared, she thinks through the pack link, and Xavier can feel the fear dripping off her body. He pulls her in tighter, trying to give her some comfort.
We’ll get this done, Xavier thinks back to her and turns off all of his thoughts so his mate won’t be able to sense his resolve wavering even a touch. The link is still impossibly strong and there is no blocking that, but Xavier has learned to tap out his thoughts from time to time.
I love you. Zara says the most precious words to Xavier that he’s ever heard in his life.
I love you too. Let’s get this shit done.
Thor pulls Sabrea closer into his body as she shakes. He knows she’s scared and wants her to get it all out now so she will be ready. He absorbs all of her fear, taking it into him and releasing it just as quickly. Thor’s time with Sabrea has just begun and he’ll be damned if the Lobos will take her away from him.
Sabrea looks up at Thor. “We’ll get through this.” It must have taken her quite a bit to muster up the confidence that is in her voice, but the resolve in Sabrea’s eyes tells Thor that she believes it.
Without words, Thor presses his lips to Sabrea’s and puts all the passion he can into the kiss. Sabrea loves it and returns the kiss, letting Thor’s strength consume her. Their time together is so new there is no way that either of them will give it up.
“Well this is it,” Kenly says, staring up at Max, who’s been quiet. Max’s inner-wolf is crying to get out and rip those to shreds who dare threaten his mate and his family. He’s focused.
“We got this,” Max says, turning to Kenly and planting a kiss on her soft lips.
Yes, we got this, Kenly thinks to him as all the wolves begin piling out of the den.
Sarah runs up to her daughter Sabrea, giving her a hard hug. “You can do this,” Sarah states in Sabrea’s ear, and she hopes like hell that her mother’s right.
“Love you, Mom. Be safe,” Sabrea says before her mom walks away, joining her father. Sabrea begins praying to the Heavens as most of the pack does. Hopefully, their prayers will be answered.
Several of the wolves scatter off into the designated places that Xavier had planned. While the powerful six walk to the open clearing with about fifty other wolves surrounding them. In total, Xavier was able to round up about two-hundred-plus wolves. The sad thing is, these were most of the only good wolves left in the world. If they all died today, this would be the end. It’s the gory truth of the matter.
With the sun high in the sky shining down on the green grass, it almost looks serene. The evils that lurk just beyond the woods don’t exist. Anyone would think that the wolves are going out to work off some extra energy, but that is so far from the case.
Howls from some of the pack go off in the distance, alerting everyone to the danger approaching. The raunchy smells of the other wolves float through the air. The six along with their supporters stand in wait, watching, listening and smelling around them. Each one around sheds their clothes and makes the change from human to wolf. Their senses heighten, and they are able to reach each other through their pack link. The only unknowns are the other packs helping them and the Lobos.
X, there’s a lot of them. I— one of the wolves thinks but is cut off, as large Lobo wolves come after members of the Raber pack that were stationed closest to the point of entry. Fear slices through them at the sheer numbers and the rest of the pack feels that pain deep in their souls through the pack link.
Each wolf there fights with all their might. Teeth and claws fully extended, trying to defend their alpha and save the wolves. The Lobos come full steam ahead, nipping and cutting through their stomachs as they go without pause.
As each member of the Raber pack falls, the connection between them and the pack disappears, the rest of the pack feeling that loss. While the pain hurts, it only builds their resolve to fight for vengeance for their comrades.
Kenly cannot stop the tears from rolling down her fur as she begins to mourn each of the fallen wolves. Five to be exact. She cries. She feels.
Sabrea is right along with Kenly, nudging up to Thor’s side, getting that little extra confidence she can pull from him. Thor’s muzzle goes into Sabrea’s neck, giving her exactly what she craves.
Zara is angry, furious. No one hurts her wolves. Zara begins to bottle up all that fury and focuses on the brush, just waiting for these assholes to come.
Xavier is strong and confident along with Max. Although, they feel the disconnection from their own, they refuse to let it bring them down.
GET READY, Xavier orders, trying to pull them out of their mourning. He knows they all deserve time to grieve, but he can’t have their heads anywhere but in this moment. The Lobos are proving more powerful than anticipated and with not having the crystal, he fears that Camp will be right. Make sure you are in larger groups. Everyone to the clearing. At least twenty, move.
The pack responds quickly with a chorus of, Yes, sir.
Xavier is stunned that he can hear all of the wolves. All of them. Not just his pack. He’s able to hear Alpha Duke and each of that pack answer back his last command. He’s able to hear the thoughts swirling around in Sarah’s head. He’s able to hear it all. Xavier doesn’t have time right now to analyze this, but he’s grateful that he has communication with each of the members of the pack. He tries to listen to the Lobos but is unable.
The Raber pack members immediately make their way to each other, with the other aligning packs following in their steps. They are not retreating, but regrouping, becoming a bigger whole.
The tension in the clearing is thick, the smells of fear and determination filter through all of the wolves’ nostrils. The rustling of trees off to the right catches their attention, and Xavier is the first to take a whiff in that direction.
&n
bsp; They’re here. I love you, all, he says through the pack link, causing a huge whine from all the Raber wolves to come out in unison. He’s never expressed his feelings in such a way before. Sure, Xavier’s pack respects him and he them, but he’s never told any of them how much he truly loves them and that they are his family.
Xavier expressing this is huge not just for him, but the entire pack. It’s also a goodbye of some sorts and that is hard for the others to take. They all know that Alpha X is confident in them, but it is a small reminder that anything is possible.
We all fight today, for the freedom of all wolves. You are all honored. Xavier finishes just as the Lobo pack springs out from the outlying woods. Fifty, maybe sixty wolves come charging toward the Raber pack just as another forty or fifty come from another patch of the woods.
The Raber wolves steel themselves and run after the Lobo pack with all their might, the six included. Nana O pleaded with the six to stand back, but each one of them refused. They fight together because they are a united pack.
The blur of movement hits all at once. Lobo wolves attack the Rabers, and the Rabers fight with everything they have. Snarling, growling, and the clipping of teeth echo through the sky in a frenzy.
Thor fights off two wolves at one time. His claws catch one of the Lobo wolves, slicing its shoulder wide open. The other wolf barks and tries to go for Thor’s throat, but he weaves and is able to narrowly escape. Thor thrashes as one wolf comes at his head and another at his hind end. He kicks his back legs, but misses, catching a fang to his hindquarters. Thor howls, but continues to fight, catching one of the wolves on the arm and tossing him to the grassy ground in a thud.
The other Lobo wolf snarls and latches onto Thor’s ear, pulling hard and almost ripping it off his head. Thor moves out of the way, this time going directly for the throat, and biting it with ease, his anger coming out in a blaze. He digs into the flesh of the wolf, not taking any time to enjoy the kill as the two other Lobo wolves come at him. He’s outnumbered, and every wolf around is fighting off their enemies. Including his mate Sabrea. Fuck.
SABREA SNARLS AT the female Lobo wolf, going up on her hind legs and meeting the other wolf midair. Training with the other wolves has helped Sabrea greatly, and she doesn’t wait a second to lunge, her claws cutting the female on her side.
The connection between the pack and Mal breaks. Sabrea feels it hard but puts all her effort into the female in front of her. Anger pulses through Sabrea and she attacks full force. The female slices a small cut in the side of her face, but with Sabrea’s anger coming at her, the female is no match. Sabrea digs deep and after a tousle in the air again, Sabrea grabs the throat of the female, ripping it from her body. She has no time to relish in her kill as she is hit hard from behind and slams to the ground. She yelps as she fights off the male wolf now overpowering her.
The male’s claws dig deep into Sabrea’s fur, reminding her too much of what could have happened to her in the woods. Thor! she calls through the pack link, but hears nothing in return. Sabrea closes her eyes, gaining her strength and suddenly the weight of the wolf is gone. Sabrea opens her eyes, getting up quickly to see her sister Savannah on top of the male wolf. She rushes over to help her, but is attacked quickly, this time by a female, before reaching her sister.
KENLY’S FOUR LEGS are unstable. The pack tried to prepare her for what was going to happen. They tried to warn her to get her ready and even did mock fights in preparation. But nothing…nothing prepared her for this. This is chaos—horrible, utter chaos. The smell of blood infiltrates her nose as she tries to take in everything around her. She’s been lucky so far and no wolves have come her way, but not for a lack of trying. Max is fighting with all his might, trying to protect her. It’s not that she isn’t capable, it’s the overwhelming urge that she is going to do something wrong. The guilt is eating at Kenly that Max has to stay by her instead of being free to fight off the pack. She’s still so new to the whole wolf thing and wishes she had more confidence in her fighting abilities.
Kenly has never actually had a kill. Never, and the thought of doing it is eating her up inside. All the snapping and snarling around her is sending her back to that place where she was attacked, bringing up so many horrendous memories that she can’t focus.
A very recognizable yelp comes from her left. Sabrea is fighting off a female wolf who seems to have the upperhand. Fuck it. Kenly decides it’s time to pull up her wolf and get busy. She leaves the safety of Max and darts over to Sabrea, hitting the female on top of her with the top of her head, sending her flying to the dirt.
Okay? she asks Sabrea through the pack link.
Sabrea gets up, shaking herself. Yes. Kill her, she barks at Kenly and they both attack the female wolf.
Kenly uses every trick that the pack taught her. Her claws dig into the female’s flesh as her fangs nip her muzzle. Sabrea and Kenly work so in sync, it’s like they know what the other is thinking and move to accommodate each other’s steps. Now, Sabrea says and Kenly sinks her teeth into the female’s throat, feeling that first gush of blood inside her mouth.
Kenly relishes the taste only for a brief moment as she throws the flesh to the ground. Good job, Sabrea says just as two more wolves attack, one on Kenly and one on Sabrea. Kenly fights with all she has, trying to get her claws at the male’s stomach. Max taught her that if she couldn’t get to the throat to always go for the stomach. She’s unable to reach and keeps struggling, and all the while, Sabrea is doing the same.
MAX IS TAKING QUITE a beating from the three wolves that he has been fighting off. Lucky for him, he’s able to materialize from one spot to another, catching the wolves off guard. That’s how he got his first kill, by coming up one side while the Lobo wolf thought he was on the other side. One down, two to go. Max tried the move with the other two, but they were ready.
Four more pack links break, but Max doesn’t have time to mourn; he needs to fight for his life. The two wolves rush into him as Max lifts up, snapping his teeth and trying to get some part of either of their flesh. One of the Lobo wolves swipes at Max, getting his shoulder, but he doesn’t yelp.
ZARA HAS RIPPED out the throats of two wolves and sliced another with her claw down the stomach. Her tongue sticks out as she pants, but she keeps her wits about her and her eyes peeled for every single movement around her.
Two more links from her pack are broken and she lets out a loud whine. Before she even finishes the whine, three more links are broken. The Raber pack is falling hard as more links continually break while she searches for Xavier. This is no time to mourn, but knowing with each link disconnecting it is another life gone is taking its toll on Zara, sucking her energy as the ache for each one builds inside. She tries to push it away.
Zara turns to find a snarling male wolf. His teeth are exposed while drool drips from his fangs. His scent fills her and Zara’s insides freeze.
XAVIER FIGHTS OFF two wolves his own size, which means they’re huge. The two wolves keep trying to push him back, but he refuses to go. Xavier has already taken four lives in this battle. With each loss of his own pack, he feels it, but buries it down deep, knowing right now he can’t. It is just too much.
Xavier grabs on to one of the males, ripping his head almost totally off his body as he falls down. Xavier feels more of his pack falling victim to the Lobos, and it makes his stomach want to wretch, but he continues fighting. He takes on the male who bites and claws at him, ripping fur from his body.
Xavier! Seth has me! He hears from Zara and his world stops. No, no. no. no! The male wolf takes this opportunity to claw hard at Xavier’s side, ripping it open slightly. Xavier doesn’t give a shit as he turns and rips the throat from the wolf.
Xavier looks around, seeing his pack along with many, many Lobo wolves scattered around the grass. He searches for Zara, but doesn’t see her. Where are you? he calls, catching the attention of each of the pack.
She doesn’t answer back, but he still feels the links both mating an
d pack so she is alive. He tries tapping into her again as he searches. More wolves come at him, but he takes but a mere moment to tear out their throats or claw their guts open. Xavier is on a mission to help his mate.
SABREA FIGHTS WITH all her might, but her strength is waning. She’s able to get a small grip on the wolf’s throat and tosses it away as she collapses on the ground.
KENLY KICKS THE shit out of the wolf and his intestines fall out of his body in a rush, pooling on the ground.
Kenly, I love you, Max says and she stills. No, no no no! This is not happening. She turns and rushes through the dead wolves on the ground as more of her pack’s links are broken. Three wolves are on top of Max. He’s fighting, but it’s leaving him in a flash.
Someone help! she screams through the link, hoping someone will hear her. Kenly rushes to his side just as the wolves that were attacking him see her. Kenly has been so preoccupied with killing the wolves that she hasn’t attempted to use her power. She stares each of them in the eye. Kill each other, she says, and the three turn on each other in a dash. Kenly keeps an eye on them but nuzzles Max’s side as the wolves in front of her take each other out. Come on, Max, don’t leave me, she pleads.
I think it’s time, Kenly. I’m sorry. I love you, Max says through their mating link.
I love you too, baby. A tear springs from her eye. Stella! she screams as loud as she can and searches for her through the pack link.
Stella is fighting off another female and takes her down quickly. She hears Kenly’s call. I’m on my way. Stella rushes to where she believes Kenly and Max are, but gets attacked viciously by two males. Stella is unable to fight them both off and dying, crumbles in a heap.
Kenly feels Stella’s connection disappear and howls at the Heavens. She is lost and doesn’t know what to do. Sabrea! she thinks quickly, knowing that Xavier is looking for Zara.