CHAPTER 8

Part of her hoped that going this direction would allow her to meet up with Alex. He was her knight. He always rode in when she was in danger and made everything right. She wanted to be held by him again. Or hold his waist while they bumped and trundled down the road on Mutt’s old motorcycle.

Damn their luck. It had held out so far, but it going only be stretched so thin. When would it finally snap? It seemed like it was doing exactly that right now.

Gloria was in the rear, she was old and nowhere near capable of running away from Scab. How many new bikers did he bring along with him? Ten? Fifteen? She lost count.

Her inner wolf was begging to be let out. It wanted blood. She was fast; she could easily outrun these bastards. If only these kids weren’t here. Every instinct inside her wanted to abandon them. Survival of the fittest. But, every ounce of humanity drew her back, kept them close. They were people’s children. Daughters and sons. They represented the future of the pack. If they were to die, then the pack would die. No, she had to save them all.

Still, maybe she could buy them some time to get away. If she was fast then maybe she could go on the attack. She could hit them hard and retreat to safety before they could retaliate. At this point it was beginning to become her only option.

“Gloria!” she shouted, “Make sure they get to safety!” She tossed the child in her arms to Gloria while she sprinted against the pack.

“Cynthia!” she shouted. There was no time to register regret. She’d made her decision. There was freedom in knowing that there was no other path available. Exhilaration took hold within her chest.

She saw Scab and his boys running after them. The smallest of them was still twice her size, but that just meant they were all slow. She slipped off her jacket, letting it billow to the ground, then the tiny tube top around her chest that she called a shirt. With a flick of her finger she undid the top button of her jeans.

It felt like riding a roller coaster. The rush of adrenaline latched on to her and wouldn’t let her go. She rid the wave as it cascaded through her body. Is this what they called a warrior’s high? Fur sprouted from the back of her hands as they reshaped into the paws she always knew. Bloodlust overcame her senses as she fell to all fours, ready for a fight. Her bones stretched into her wolf shape while her muscles snapped to cover them. She growled from somewhere deep within her throat. A place she’d never touched before.

If she had a mouth she would have laughed.

Where are you Alex?

She wanted to be held by him again, at least one more time. She wanted to pet her hand through his raggedy hair and feel his muscles under her fingers. If she knew where he was, she would at least have had some measure of hope to drive herself forward. But, maybe hope had become her crutch. It was time to face facts.

Her body lurched forward as fast as she could. The thick underbrush whipped at her eyes as she passed. The air in her lungs mixed with the fire in her belly as she exhaled fire.

Just a few days ago she’d stared down the barrel of a gun, Scab’s gun, the same one that Torque had threatened her with just earlier today. Now she was facing down at least fifteen men, all of them with guns. Each one loaded with silver bullets. Just one shot would be enough to put her down. So, she had to be faster.

The first barrage of bullets came. One grazed her shoulder. A line of thick crimson spread out to meet the sky. Still she charged. There was only one neck she wanted first, Scab’s. That skinny, silver-haired bastard was the one that betrayed her father. If she could take at least one guy with her, she wanted it to be him.

Another barrage of bullets followed soon after. This time one found its way through the tip of her ear while another clipped at her cheek. More blood flowed through her open wounds. Her frantic running was doing no help it aiding to stop the blood flow, if anything she was making it worse. But, still she charged forward.

“Stand still you stupid bitch,” Scab shouted.

Not in your dreams

She barked loudly as she leapt with all the strength her hind legs would allow. She watched as his eyes went wide. Her powerful jaws sunk deep into his neck as she tackled Scab to the ground. His gurgled screams horrified his comrades who stopped firing their guns.

When she lifted her bloody muzzle she could see that her attack had weakened their resolve. But, it hadn’t killed it. With Scab dead on the ground beneath her feet she howled into the air. The blood curdling scream echoed past the lake, through the trees, deafening her would be attackers. Then she leveled her eyes at the rest of them.

The first few began to back away, more keen on running rather than fighting the demon dog that had just killed their leader. She dared not stop, otherwise the sting of the silver that scraped at her skin would set in and she would be unable to fight onward. Even now it was begging her to stop, but she dared not listen.

She dashed forward again. Within a second she was on the next wolf, who was trying his hardest to run away. She tackled him to the ground, wrapping her jaws around his neck.

More gunshots rang out. She wasn’t even fazed by the bullets anymore. Accepting death gave her freedom she’d never known. She thought back to all the times her grandmother kept her inside the house. It felt so small, so insignificant now being kept inside by something as simple as a scolding.

She wondered what happened to her grandmother. She was supposed to be at Cliff Walker den, but when Cynthia arrived, hoping to revive their unfinished conversation, she was nowhere to be found. Had she run off? Or was she killed by the hunter as well? Whatever the case, it didn’t matter now.

“Screw this,” said one of the wolves. He cast off his gun, tearing his jacket from his chest, roaring as he began to shift. A few other dogs got the same idea.

Good, let them come.

Four of them stayed in total. In wolf form they were quite intimidating. Scars stood out against their patchy fur. The largest of them had an old wound that tore out part of his lip. Perhaps an old fight for dominance?

Why couldn’t I be an alpha?

The four of them started to surround her. Seeing her chance, she sprinted away. They gave chase but were too slow. Their heavy bodies weren’t made for speed. Without their guns they wouldn’t be able to catch her. A glimmer of hope returned to her mind. Maybe she really could make it out.

That came crashing down when she hit a hidden tree root, raised just far enough from the ground to catch her leg, and just low enough that it didn’t breach over the top of the thick brush.

Fuck.

She tried to stammer back to her feet to continue the run, but the leg wouldn’t listen. She’d hit it too hard and twisted it too sharply. It was broken. The fight was slowly leaving her as the wolves eventually caught her. They circled around her like buzzards eyeing fresh meat.

She rolled to her stomach to defend herself. She was still in this fight, one way or the other. Looking down the pathway she didn’t see any of the children or the women that accompanied them.

Good, they must have escaped.

She had at least accomplished that one feat. For that, she was proud.

The wolves all took turns, prodding her defense. One would advance and try to nip at her dead paw, she’d turn her head to bite back and fight him off. Then another would strike at her from another angle, she would whip around with a bark.

They were trying to tire her out. She clenched with her broken paw. The bone was definitely broken. There wasn’t an escape from the jaws that were clamping down tighter and tighter around her.

Fuck them.

She heard a rustle of leaves. It wasn’t the wind. It was loud, like someone running through them. She wheeled her head around to investigate the noise, as she did, a thick furry body leapt over her head, tackling one of the wolves to the ground and biting at whatever part his teeth would sink into.

His fur was black from head to toe. His body was lithe and agile; his movements were fast and precise. Cuts covered his body, sending blood dripping down his dark fur, staining him a rich dark crimson.

There was only one wolf with fur that dark; Alex. She’d spent so much time worrying about him. Having him appear from nowhere to save her life sent her heart aflutter.

The other wolves turned to meet their new foe. Despite his bloodied, torn body, he made short work of them as though they were puppies trying to fight a bear. He lumbered over to Cynthia, his body changing as he walked.

“Cynthia!” shouted Tess from behind.

Cynthia reached out to her human side, letting it return. Her arms lengthened, returning to the pink fleshy things they normally were. Her fur faded as her hair grew back to its regular color.

Alex fell to the ground just a foot away from her, collapsed from the strain of his fight. He deserved the rest.

“We found him not long ago. I assume they’re with you?” Tess asked.

The group of children ran playfully behind Tess. Connor held a couple of the kids over his shoulders; one was playing with his short hair. Gloria still huffed and puffed her way alongside the group. Samantha came along with Alex’s clothing, dirty from the ground in her arms. Cynthia allowed herself a smile.

“Cyn!” Samantha screamed, “You’re okay!” She tossed the clothing at Alex who was beyond exhausted. “He couldn’t stay away from you. When he heard your howl he took off like lightning.”

How about that?”

Cynthia clasped his hand tightly then pulled herself along the ground closer. She kissed him on the lips, his eyes opened to greet her.

“My hero,” she said. He smiled and they lied together for a moment, broken but satisfied.