Chapter 2

Knox

The distinct smell of hot garbage and rotten meat wafts through the air. The four rogues are sizing Bennet and me up aggressively with their teeth bared.

I open a pack-wide mind-link, ‘Rogues have breached the trail, squad A report immediately, those on patrol stay at your post, everyone else stays inside until an all clear is issued.’

Nothing good can come from a group of rogues; there's a reason they were kicked out of their packs. I won’t let whatever half-cocked plan they have play out.

I call my wolf forward to shift, my bones snapping and rearranging, the air shimmering as I land on all four paws; Bennet’s large, hazel-brown wolf takes a defensive position to my right.

Baring my teeth, I let out a warning growl towards the matted, pack of mongrels in front of me. The sound of my warriors trampling through the forest offers me a bit of comfort, knowing we can quickly stifle the issue and avoid casualties.

‘There are four of them; let’s go with a boxing approach; no one attacks first; let them get nervous. That’s when they will make mistakes,’ I mind-link those fast approaching.

‘Yes, Alpha,’ rings through my head in multiple voices.

Why haven’t they attacked? We haven’t had rogue issues for years, but they injured Adam, and that's enough for me to give the order.

‘No mercy, they all die here,’ I say before blocking the mind link to focus on the fight.

The feral and packless pussies scan the area around them as they sense my men start to surround them. I can feel the fear rolling off them.

Snarling, I take the first step towards them, baiting them to act out. Just as I wanted, the one that seemed eager lurched towards me, jaws snapping. The others follow suit, lunging into the readied line of warriors surrounding them.

His teeth graze the nape of my neck as I duck my head with my jaw open and I latch on to his throat’s matted, mousy brown fur. The sickening, sweet taste of copper fills my mouth as he yelps and growls—adrenaline courses through my veins at the sound of my warriors tearing through the others.

I sink my teeth a little deeper as he flails around from the pain. One of his thrashing claws catches me across the ribs. I whip my head, teeth locked on his neck, slapping his body into the trunk of a nearby oak tree.

I flip him to his back, releasing his neck and placing my body on top of his. I lock onto his dark eyes, still dazed from the blow, and rip my claws through his neck. Blood splatters around me as I see the life leave his eyes.

No one fucks with my pack.

Shifting back, I task my team with disposing of the rogues as Bennet, and I carry Adam off to the pack hospital. His breathing is ragged, and he has lost a good amount of blood. Luckily for him, his shifter healing has kicked in. I can see his skin is slowly working its way back together.

As I pass through the automatic doors of the hospital, the stern face of the head triage nurse, Donna, greets us.

“Set him down on that stretcher, and I’ll take him from here, boys,” she says, motioning to the readied gurney with two orderlies ready to take him back. Donna has been the head nurse here since I can remember, she is kind and respectful, but once you enter her hospital, she takes charge.

Donna tells us that once they get Adam cleaned up and the larger wounds stapled shut so they can heal properly, he’d be ready and will probably be released in the morning.

The adrenaline from the earlier encounter starts to wane away, but in its place a weird anxiousness starts to eat at me. My wolf begins to whine at the feeling.

Bennet’s eyes glaze over with a mind-link. Crap, I need to drop my wall. As I do so, Bennet looks at me, his steely gray eyes flickering with concern, “It’s the Luna; she hasn’t returned to the community center; pack members are growing concerned.”

“Who the fuck let her leave during an attackI” I growl.

Bennet stiffens before pointing out the obvious, “You, as well as anyone, know that if Lyra wants something, she will make it happen. She isn’t one to stand down from a fight, man.”

My fists clench and unclench at my side before I roll my neck, feeling the subtle crack. I turn to Bennet and nod in response.

Lyra is very strong-willed, which is part of the reason I fell in love with her. She is feisty and scrappy since she grew up with two brothers and only her father. She is nothing less than a force to be reckoned with.

I start to cross the clearing where we were celebrating the supermoon just hours ago when frantic cries for help begin to ring out. As I turn towards the tree line, a young she-wolf, Sarah, stumbles out with blood pouring from her leg. Her sun dress is torn, hanging from one shoulder.

“Alpha,” she sobs, “it’s the Luna; come quick; a rogue has her.”