My wolf was all that was left of me.

Primal instincts had taken over. My heart was a molten core of lava at the center of my world, powering me on as Kade’s scent invaded my nose.

How did he find Harry?

It was the only thought in my mind as I leapt across the back yard, following the scent toward the trees.

The back door sprung open and the foxes leapt out, followed by Tate and Martin. Obviously they’d picked up the scent as well.

The night was dark, but the moon was high and bright and as I grew closer to the tree line, I saw them. There were three of them, in a row, and at the center, a white wolf with red eyes.

Kade…

I focused on him, aiming straight for him, readying myself for attack. Tate shifted beside me and shouted.

“Seth!”

His voice rang out somewhere beside me, almost like it was coming from another dimension. It barely registered as I raced ahead.

“Seth, stop!” He shouted again. This time, his voice was more clear. I glanced over my shoulder and looked at him. The others has stopped as well.

What the fuck?

But as I looked back, I realized why.

More scents caught my nose and the shadows moved behind Kade. More alphas, and a group of betas – at least five of them. This was a substantial pack. But how had they found us?

Without my pack at my back, dashing in like this was suicide, no matter how I felt inside. My fury was overflowing as Kade’s scent sat in my nose like a toxic fume, threatening to overwhelm me at any moment. But I fought through it, braced myself and slid to a stop, my eyes on the invaders.

Kade’s red eyes peered out of the darkness at me as he padded forward slowly, moving like a man who was in command and had already declared himself the victor. But as I looked harder at him, I saw something else behind his eyes…confusion.

What could he have to be confused about? He’d found us, somehow, and he’d brought his pack to get revenge on me for taking Harry from him. It didn’t matter how he ended up here. What mattered that he was here. Behind me, back at the lodge, was Harry, my fated mate, pregnant with my child, and nothing was going to take him away from me.

I heard the rest of my pack walk up behind me as I held my eyes on Kade, his white coat blowing slightly in the evening breeze. It wasn’t a cold night, but my bones were chilled as I stared him down, ready for whatever was going to happen next.

“There are many of them,” Red whispered from my right side.

“We can take them,” Kitchi growled. He was ready for battle, as I was.

“Who are they?” Tate asked. It was then I realized that none of my pack was on the same page as me. To them, this was a random pack of wolves who were infringing on our territory – nothing more.

“The white one there,” I said softly, indicating with a nod. “That’s Kade.”

“Kade!?” Tate asked, sounding shocked.

“The one who you saved your mate from?” Red asked.

I nodded slowly as my pack took in this new information. Kade still hadn’t moved, but I saw his eyes now focused on the foxes at my side. It was dangerous, standing here in human form, facing down an invading pack of alphas. Something had to happen.

Matias stood behind him. I didn’t recognize his wolf form, but I recognized his scent from the truck stop. His face was neutral, but his eyes were on me like he was trying to communicate something.

Finally, the tension got the best of me, and I screamed out, “You can’t have him!”

A couple of Kade’s betas jumped back at the sound of my voice. I heard Kitchi laugh behind me at their obvious weakness. He was ready to go. My fists were clutched at my side and my body was tense, ready to shift if they made a move closer.

I’d expected Kade to expose his teeth, growl or ready himself for an attack, but to my surprise, he cocked his head to the side in confusion. My eyes narrowed as I stared at him. He glanced over his shoulder to another one of his alphas, turned back to me, and shifted.

In human form, Kade looked more like a vampire than a human. He was pale, almost albino, with white-gray hair and beard. He was lanky, sinewy and had an unpredictable look about him. But there was no doubt about it – he was confused.

“Have…who?” He finally spoke, his voice cutting like a serrated sword through the thick air between us.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kitchi turn and look at me for my reaction. My mind was spinning.

Have who? Did he really just say that? My lips curled and I ran my tongue along the sharp points of my fangs. My bloodlust was overpowering. All I could think about was sinking my teeth into the bastard’s neck.

“Don’t play dumb with me!” I roared. “You think I don’t know why you’re here!?”

I’d expected his façade to crumble – for him to smile like a kid who’d just been found out. But he didn’t. His eyes darted across the rest of my pack, like he was trying to see if he recognized one of us. Did he really not mean to be here?

“I don’t know you,” he said slowly. He raised his chin at Kitchi and Red. “But we were tracking those two.”

“Tracking us?” Kitchi growled. “Why?”

Kade’s mouth curled into a cruel smile. “Foxes are smaller than wolves. Weaker. Make good workers.”

I felt Kitchi’s rage beside me. He was seconds from shifting and charging. Now it was my turn to place a hand on his shoulder and hold him back. His body was tense, and I knew he was ready to explode, because he didn’t say anything. When Kitchi stops talking and just stares at you, that’s when you’re in trouble.

“I think you would find you are mistaken,” Red said calmly. Nothing seemed to break Red’s demeanor. He was noble, regal and unshakeable. Sometimes I wondered how he did it.

Kade scoffed and turned his eyes back to me. “But, since you mention it. Who is it I won’t be taking?”

I held the son of a bitch’s gaze, probing for information. Was he actually serious, or was he just playing with me? It was possible that he wasn’t here because of me and Harry…

My eyes darted to Matias, and I could see he was tense, waiting for me to speak. Kade noticed, and turned to look at his alpha.

Shit…I thought. He really didn’t know.

But now he did. Kade smiled, realizing now what I was talking about, and the betrayal of his alpha.

“I see,” he chuckled. “Harry. You’re talking about Harry, aren’t you? It seems I have some dissention within my ranks.”

In a blinding movement, Kade shifted and leapt at Matias. Before I could react, he had his teeth embedded in his flesh. Matias yelped as blood spilled from his shoulder. Kade had barely missed a killing bite to his neck.

That was all the situation needed.

My wolf took over. I shifted and sprang forward, my vision narrowing into a tunnel with Kade at the end of it. With a howl, I pushed forward with all my might. My mouth opened as I closed in.

This is it, you son of a bitch. Now you die.