I sat in the front seat of Jerrik’s truck, my fingers idly stroking Rory as he drove. Every few minutes, I shot the damn clock another glance, watching as the minutes ticked by. And with every passing second, my shoulders grew tighter. I didn’t even care that David sat behind me, watching the sun pass through the clouds without a care in the world. To him, this challenge meant nothing. To me, it bordered on everything.

Seven forty-three. Seventeen minutes left until my entire world imploded. If we didn’t make it in time, if they began the challenge…

I had to believe my father would win. I knew his strengths. He’d held the alpha position for over half a millennium. The thought of Benjamin winning today seemed ludicrous. Still, I couldn’t help thinking that one day, he would be too old to stop a blade. And maybe today was that day. Benjamin had planned this down to the last detail. Gone so far as to “kill” me in an attempt to take over. What if his attempt worked? What if my death did affect my father?

This wasn’t helping. I couldn’t think like that.

“Distract me,” I murmured to Jerrik, my nails clicking against my silver sword.

He stole a quick glance in my direction. “How?”

“I don’t care,” I whispered. “Talk to me. About anything. Just…distract me.”

“All right. Tell me about your mother.”

“Amalie?”

“Tell me why you always call them by their names,” Jerrik urged.

I flattened my hand against Rory and sighed. “My father always thought it would help toughen me up if I didn’t walk around calling for my mama or papa. Amalie hated it. She got this look every time I said her name. She’d scold my father and tell him I needed to be a girl a little while longer before he made me into a weapon, but Gabriel never listened. He’d always had this idea as to how he would raise his child. Eventually, she stopped arguing with him and just gave in.” A faint smile chased across my face. “But whenever we were alone, I’d call her mama just to make her feel better. And I remember how she’d melt. She’d wrap her arms around me and whisper in my ear that no matter what Gabriel said or did, I would always be her little girl.”

Tears pricked my eyes. Damn. I didn’t realize how much she still affected my life.

“She died fifty-two years ago, while delivering another child.”

“I didn’t realize Gabriel has another kid.”

“He doesn’t,” I whispered.

Jerrik reached out and took my hand, his thumb brushing over my knuckles.

“Not only was the child not his,” I said, “but it also passed away.”

“Gabriel didn’t…” David murmured in the back.

“No, he didn’t kill them. He and Amalie hadn’t loved each other in a very long time. They both had their affairs. But he would never hurt her. It was just one of those tragic things.”

I couldn’t help it, I checked the time once more. Seven fifty-two.

My heart slammed into my ribs. Eight minutes left and we were still ten minutes away, minimum. I knew Gabriel. The fight would start on the hour without delay.

“Jerrik, drive faster. Please.”

He put his foot down and accelerated without arguing. I only hoped the cops didn’t pull us over. But if they did, I’d run the rest of the distance. I didn’t care. Gabriel was hardly a perfect father, but he was the only one I had, and I refused to lose him.

“We’ll make it in time,” Jerrik assured me.

No, we wouldn’t. If we hadn’t taken the time to chase David down, we would have. But I couldn’t labor on that thought. Not with Rory clutched in my hands. Not while I burned with the desire to run someone through.

“Jerrik?”

His fingers tightened around mine.

“After the fight…” I shouldn’t be asking this question, but I had to know. “No matter the outcome, are you planning on leaving?”

A few tense moments passed before he released my hand and held the steering wheel instead. “I don’t know.”

I don’t know was better than yes, but still his answer burned. I wanted him to stay. I wanted more from him. But I understood his dilemma. My father would never accept him as part of the pack. I’d seen Jerrik’s strength, and I knew my father. The two would clash and it’d result in another challenge.

“Let’s not think about that now,” he said. “Focus on the challenge and Benjamin. We can talk after.”

A light chuckle rose from the back seat. “Never thought I’d see the day.”

I didn’t reach back and throttle him, but damn, I was tempted.

“The shadow wolf in love.”

I sucked in a sharp breath and snuck a peek at Jerrik. His white-knuckled grip tightened on the steering wheel and his jaw looked tight enough to shatter. That he didn’t deny David’s statement made my heart skip an entire beat.

“We’ll talk about this after,” he said.

I nodded. We definitely would. Until then, I leaned my head back against the chair and closed my eyes while counting my breaths. Staring at the clock wouldn’t help matters. We’d either make it or we wouldn’t. I had to focus on the things I could control.

With every breath, I centered my thoughts and focused on preparation. I’d borrowed a few of David’s weapons, and I took a silent inventory as the car sped through the city. Dagger strapped to my thigh, check. Rory in my hands, check. Two wrist sheaths with throwing knives, check. And for emergency purposes, a sleek Barretta tucked against the small of my back. The packs generally used silver blades for their fights—carried over from the good ol’ days. But I refused to run headlong into a gun fight with only a sword.

The car turned and I snapped open my eyes. My father’s estate filled my vision—a massive, vintage mansion that sat on the edge of town. Gabriel loved his space, and had purchased the surrounding thousand acres of land. In other words, no one around for miles to hear the fight.

Jerrik squealed to a stop in front of the countless other cars and slammed the car into park.

Seven fifty-eight. We’d made it. But now, we needed to find my father. Without hesitation, I shoved open my door and climbed out. Rory’s scabbard rested against my back, but I held him in my hands, just in case. My father had always used the oversized backyard to fight his battles. Less to break and more space to maneuver. From the sight of the teeming crowd gathered around the side of the house, it seemed the challenge was about to begin.

Screw that.

I bolted toward the house, ignoring Jerrik’s calls behind me. Sorry boys, but my father was the last of my family. I refused to stand around and wait for them.

The second I reached the crowd, three of Benjamin’s wolves turned toward me, their mouths dropping open.

“You’re supposed to be dead.”

“Sorry to disappoint,” I growled, knowing they’d hear me over the din. “Move.”

They shared a glance, then flexed their hands—claws like scythes sprouting from their fingers.

I lifted a brow. “Seriously?”

“You’re supposed to be dead,” the first repeated. “If Benjamin hears that we let you through…”

Jesus. Was the whole pack in on his scheme? Maybe I shouldn’t have bothered trying to prevent a war.

“You’re gonna wanna rethink this,” I snapped. “Attack me, you die. Let me pass, and maybe Gabriel will give you enough time to run back home before we hunt you down like the traitors you are.”

“Traitors.” The second wolf shook his head. “We’re loyal to our alpha.”

“To Christian?” I demanded.

The third spat on the ground. “He ain’t our alpha.”

A coup then. Which made me wonder how many here were loyal to Benjamin, and how many to Christian. It also made me wonder if Christian was even still alive.

The sound of my father’s deafening snarl rent the morning air. My pulse quickened—I needed to reach him, needed to assure him that I was alive.

Which meant cleaving my way through these asshats and whoever else wanted to stand in my way. I leaned forward and unleashed my alpha stare. “You really don’t want to test me.”

The first and third shared a grin. “I think we do.”

I stepped back and held out my arms. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

One of the wolves leapt forward. I didn’t stop to see which. His claws sliced at the air near my throat, but I feinted back. A typical attack. Everyone went for the throat. The belly was next, and I dodged to the left, leading him away from his two friends. As a default, all werewolves were dangerous. But my father had spent the past ninety years training me to fight. With a small smile, I stepped to the side when he lunged, grabbed him by the back of the neck and buried Rory through his chest, piercing his heart in one swift move.

Somehow above the din, I caught the sound of his startled gasp. Before he could fall, I yanked Rory free and spun, cleaving my blade through the next clawed hand that swiped in my direction. The werewolf howled and staggered back, clutching at his bleeding stump. Thankfully, Jerrik stuck his own blade through the werewolf’s open mouth, ending his cries before they attracted the rest of the crowd.

“Oh, didn’t see you there,” I commented.

“Yeah, I noticed. You’ve got some blood on you.” He pointed at my face.

I shrugged. Probably wouldn’t be the only blood on me before the end of the morning.

“Jesus,” the third werewolf whispered, stumbling backward.

Others turned toward us, the scent of blood drawing their attention. They turned one-by-one, their eyes glowing. Fighting really did bring out the worst in us. I debated shifting. But if I shifted, I’d lose the ability to speak and reason with people. I didn’t want to kill everyone.

“Well?” David asked, appearing on my left.

“We do what we have to,” I said. The sound of my father’s battle waged on, and the fact that he hadn’t yet put Benjamin down worried me. “I need to get up there. Can you two handle this?”

Though Benjamin’s people surrounded us, it was the familiar faces in the crowd that I looked to. My packmates stared back at me with identical shocked expressions.

“Yes, I’m alive,” I called out. “And I need to speak to my father. But Benjamin’s pack won’t let me pass.”

A steady thrum of growls broke through the crowd, my own people rising to the occasion. Bodies began to shift everywhere, the sound of clothing tearing open. The massacre I’d hoped to avoid seemed inevitable now. Who knew how deep this coup went? But that wasn’t my job to sort out.

“Stand aside,” I said, before pointing down at their two dead wolves. “Or join them.”

The crowd moved as one, and from every direction, my loyal wolves poured toward me, drawing an invisible line in the proverbial sand. Benjamin’s wolves weren’t sure how to respond, their anxious gazes darting to me. Christian was nowhere in sight. So either, Benjamin had already killed his father, or he somehow remained oblivious as to his son’s actions.

I studied the many faces staring back at me. They didn’t encompass the entirety of the wolves Benjamin had brought to our country, but close. In fact, almost equal to the number of my wolves now standing at my back. Had they limited the number of people allowed to attend the challenge? My father had done so in the past.

When Benjamin’s wolves didn’t move, I nodded and spun Rory, flicking the blood off my blade. “This is your last warning. Stand down.”

I caught sight of my father, a towering inferno of a beast lumbering backward. Injured. I didn’t have time for this.

“Screw it. I’m going through you, even if that means cutting each of you down.”

I took a step forward, spinning Rory in my hand for dramatic effect. One of Benjamin’s wolves darted toward me, but before he closed the distance, I grabbed one of the daggers in my wrist sheath and let it fly. It slid through my challenger’s eye like butter and dropped him in two seconds flat.

Silence spread through the remainder of Benjamin’s wolves. They didn’t look so confident anymore. So I shoved through them, and kicked down the next one who stood in my path. The solid boot to his gut drove him to the ground, where his own people held him down.

“Let her pass,” they started to murmur amongst themselves.

Wise decision.

The moment I made it to the clearing, my heart leapt into my throat. Benjamin actually had the upper hand. My father stumbled to the side, blood gushing from a series of wounds sliced into his sides. Practically eviscerated. I needed to stop this, but the two were lost to their bloodlust.

Gabriel straightened, and swiped at Benjamin’s throat, catching chunks of flesh. With a deafening snarl, he lunged forward, his teeth bared. For a moment, it looked as though Gabriel would win, but Benjamin feinted to the side at the last moment and caught Gabriel’s other side with his claws.

Gabriel toppled over, his legs sliding out beneath him. Benjamin rose, a towering tawny-colored wolf, and rushed forward for the kill.

“No!” I screamed.

Time slowed the second I darted into the fight. Distantly, I heard Jerrik yell my name, I heard the howls of my pack, but I could only see my father, helpless and injured, his eyes defeated. He knew he would die here. I refused to let that happen.

I rushed between the two massive werewolves and dropped to my knees. I slid on the ground beneath Benjamin and slashed with my blade. A hot splash of blood sprayed my face. Not enough to kill Benjamin but enough to get his attention.

Darting back to my feet, I turned and faced him, Rory clutched between my hands. His eyes shot wide at the sight of me, his lips reared back.

“Surprised?” I mocked, hoping to keep his attention on me and away from Gabriel. “Come on, big boy. I’m the one you want, right? But instead of challenging me, you hired assassins.”

Gabriel picked himself up with a loud snarl, his furious gaze burning a hole through Benjamin. A little of his old fire flared in his eyes as he stepped toward me.

“This challenge between Gabriel and Benjamin is unsanctioned!” I shouted to everyone listening. “Your packmate, and my so-called fiancé put a hit out on my life! His goal was to kill me, so that when he challenged Gabriel, he’d be emotionally compromised.”

“It’s true,” David spoke up, fulfilling our end of the agreement. “When the first assassin failed in his task, Benjamin sent me to finish the job. I stand here before you because Reagan allowed me to live when she could have killed me. I promised to testify before both packs.”

“And for those who need further proof, we have photos and a recording of Benjamin speaking with one of the assassins he hired.” I could have mentioned Jerrik, but I wanted to keep his name out of this. I knew I’d need to tell my father, but the pack didn’t need to know who he was. Not yet.

Gabriel’s claws dug into the earth as he limped toward me. To say he was pissed would be an understatement. He looked like a demon, eyes blazing and lips reared back over his monstrous fangs. He stood next to me, a mountainous wolf, his head nearly reaching my shoulders.

“Perhaps you should all ask yourself if this is the alpha you want! If Christian is too weak to hold or control your pack, handle it as real werewolves. Find someone better suited than this scheming coward who put out a hit on his fiancée to take over an entire pack.”

Benjamin snarled, his head dropping low. I saw his intentions clear as day and gripped Rory tight. There wasn’t enough time to shift to compensate. And I refused to let Gabriel take this blow.

Without warning, Benjamin lunged, his lethal claws extended. I sucked in a breath, my gaze narrowing on his throat when an enormous black wolf leapt into the fray. Jerrik. He smashed into Benjamin’s side and the two spilled to the ground, snapping and biting at each other. Jerrik came out on top and raked his claws down Benjamin’s chest, splitting him from neck to navel. Benjamin howled in agony, but still darted to his feet. Jerrik lunged forward and ripped off a chunk of his shoulder with one brutal bite, then threw him like a rag doll across the yard.

I released the breath I hadn’t realized I was holding and strode toward Benjamin and Jerrik, my father at my side. I twined my fingers through Jerrik’s fur, content when I saw him uninjured. The same couldn’t be said for Benjamin who lay moaning on the grass. Sinew, flesh, and fur rolled over his shoulder in an attempt to heal the injury. We werewolves were tough bastards. If I walked away, Benjamin would heal the gaping wound, but I refused to let that happen.

“Watch out,” I told Jerrik.

He stepped back, his muzzle slick with blood. There, in front of every last one of Benjamin’s loyal wolves, I raised Rory above my head and brought him down on Benjamin’s neck, severing his head from the rest of his body. It rolled off into the grass, the fur melting away from his face until his human half was all that remained.

Not that it mattered.

Benjamin was dead. And with his death came an eerie silence.