Nick and Devin pushed forward through the clearing with the other four Council members close behind them. Dozens of other Caedmon male wolves had their back as well. During any battle or dispute, it was customary for the Council to stand on the frontline.

It was eerily quiet around them. Not a rabbit or owl scurried about in the forest this night. What was once a patch of land that was abundant with night critters was now barren. It didn’t take a mad scientist to figure out that they were not alone.

Nick lifted his muzzle to the air, scenting a threat. At the same time, Devin broke the rank, stepped forward and howled toward the moon. It was a call to the opposing side.

Darius met him in the center in human form while a dozen of his followers circled in wolf form.

A beam of light flashed around Devin’s body as he shifted to human form.

“I see you brought a little army.” Darius grinned.

“And I see you’ve recruited a meager band of followers,” Devin replied.

More of Darius’s followers came out of the woodwork.

“Let’s cut to the chase.” Darius began to circle Devin. “Your rise to alpha was a mistake.”

“The only evidence you have to back your claim is your fifty one percent stake in Caedmon lands,” Devin replied.

“Isn’t that what makes us one of the leading packs…the territory? And the followers?” Darius asked.

“Territory is only the half of what defines us. Our values define us. Our morals define us. The culture and the ability to extend the wealth of our people through trade and manufacturing as we’ve done for decades. That defines us. We’ve built a strong foundation for the Caedmon people, but under my reign we will build an empire.”

This declaration caused the wolves that backed Devin to move forward. Dozens of wolves entered the clearing ready to fight on command.

Nick silently cheered for Devin, and by the determined stance of the others behind him, he knew they were proud to stand by their Alpha as well.

“If you were so concerned with the pack and the well-being of our people, you would not have left five years ago.”

“How did I know you would bring that up against me?” Devin asked. “I was rejected by my own father. It was a mistake he admitted to.”

“He saw flaws in you back then. The fact that he changed his mind on his deathbed sickens me,” Darius scoffed.

“The fact that you would hold your own people captive against their will, attempt to rape a human, and plunder our village killing an innocent woman at a school and an elderly man in the market place sickens me. You even captured a child!” Devin spat. “Have you no shame?”

Darius smirked. “That’s the price to be paid during a time of war.”

“It all ends here.”

Darius stepped forward and for a moment the moon beamed directly on him. The scar he’d earn from the last fight with Devin remained on his face. Something to remind him what one earned for being greedy. “Your untimely death will be such a pity.” He clucked his tongue. “First father. A son. Now a bastard.” He laughed. A deep throaty laugh.

“My brother’s death was no accident. You killed him.”

“He went down like a bitch.”

A series of growls broke out from Devin’s side.

Nick was so enraged that he could hardly contain himself. His nostrils flared and he breathed hard, disturbing the dust on the ground before him.

Devin and Darius began circling each other. The anger and heat between the two of them fueled their followers.

Darius was the first to turn wolf. He did it slowly and with the grace that only descendants of the first line of Caedmon could pull off. It was a reminder that no matter how insane Darius had become, he was still powerful…and capable of anything.

All hell broke loose as the two sides collided in battle.

Nick’s very first assailant lunged for him, almost catching him off guard. They toppled across the rocky forest floor in frenzy, trying to gain the upper hand over the other.

He pounced on top of the wolf and went for the throat without hesitation. Blood and tissue filled his mouth. He spat on the ground and with pristine adrenaline shooting through his veins, he took on another opponent.

Nick faltered many times, making it too easy for his attackers to injure him. There had never been a battle like this. One in which his strength and endurance were tested.

He felt ready to collapse as a wolf jumped on his back and bit into a shoulder blade. He bucked hard, shaking the wolf off with all his might. Impaling the animal, he captured the neck with his muzzle. He shook his head from side to side violently until the life was literally ripped from the wolf who jumped him.

Just before another wolf rushed him, he caught a quick glimpse of the mutiny around him.

Wolves of the same pack fighting like rival enemies. How did it come down to this?

Everything fell silent when a sharp yelp cut through the air.

A chill ran though his bones when he recognized the voice.

Nick glanced toward the other end of the field and sure enough, he saw Devin’s wolf huddled next to a barn with an injury to his side.

Blood seeped through his fur onto the ground.

Darius, now in human form, stood over Devin with an ax held high in the air.

Nick took off running in their direction, ready to die for his leader. His paws barely touched the earth as he sprinted across the field. The images before him faded in and out as he ran. His chest burned as he swallowed dry air.

He was too late.

Devin slowly lifted himself on all fours.

Darius leveled the ax with both hands gripping the handle.

Devin’s lithe wolf body shot up through the air like a rocket and he pounced on Darius’s chest.

Nick felt and heard the thud of the impact. His paws came to a skidding halt on the rough terrain.

Devin ripped out Darius’s stomach, and blood and guts splattered against the ground and barn.

Nick froze in his tracks. His heart pounded like a drum. His mind registered the fatal outcome in front of him.

Darius had turned human to gain the upper hand, but that move had cost him his life.

As Darius bled to death, Devin hovered over him and lifted his head with chunks of human flesh between his fangs.

He howled at the moon.

Nick and those that were left of Devin’s Pack did the same.

Darius managed to crawl from under Devin on his hands and knees into the barn, leaving loose entrails and bowels behind him in the dirt.

Darius’s followers began to retreat, leaving carnage and destruction all over the field.

Devin shifted into human form and other’s followed suit.

“Go retrieve my sister,” Devin commanded one of the wolves, who then nodded and took off toward the main building.

At that moment, a solid white figure emerged from the field where the other’s had retreated. It pushed through the last of Darius’s cowards as they escaped.

A white wolf. Delicate and graceful. Running as fast as the wind.

It was Silvia.

The leaves and bramble stirred up violently behind her as she ran toward her mate. There were two wolves in her path. She ran them over and ripped out their throats, killing them instantly.

The rest of them, including he and Devin, moved out of her way.

She shifted into human form and rushed toward Darius…but he was dead.

A vein-chilling scream tore from her throat. All the windows above the barn shattered. When her breath gave out, she pulled Darius’s face against her chest and rocked him.

“Come back to me,” she whispered to him.

Nick tore his gaze from the sight as his heart quaked in his chest.

“Look what you have done!” She shouted.

Nick had no choice but to look upon her once again. Her eyes had clouded over with silver, the aura of her magic.

“He was toxic, Silvia. You know this,” Devin said. “You didn’t have to live this way…in mayhem. The bond can be reversed…broken. Even now. I know someone who can help.”

“How dare you imply that I would break something I cherish?”

Devin hung his head.

“Silvia.” Nick stepped forward this time. “Let us help. I know you were rejected by your father. I know it led you to use your craft to do Darius’s evil biddings.”

“Shut up!” She shook her head. “You’ve taken everything away from me.”

“No, Silvia. Because of Darius’s greed, we have all paid the price. Look at all the bloodshed around us.” Devin waved his arm over the damage and mutilated wolf bodies on the ground. “It didn’t have to happen this way. I tried many times to reason with Darius. His refusal to control his self-righteousness cost him his life.”

Silvia frowned. “I don’t care what he has done. I live by my mate.” She snatched up a broken piece of window glass and viciously slit both wrists across the vein. “I die by my mate.”

Devin took a step forward. “Silvia—”

An unseen force shoved Devin backward. He caught his balance before tripping over a log.

Bright red blood flowed down Silvia’s palms to her fingertips and onto the ground, blending with the blood of her deceased mate. A once delicate and pretty face was marred in wild hatred. “Leave us!”

A sharp piece of wood rose up off the earth as though by magic, sailed through the air, and struck one of the men observing the spectacle through the heart. He expired on impact and the brute force knocked his lifeless body several feet back.

Silvia had hailed from a long line of witches. With the amount of rage now pent up in her heart, she could have taken every one of them out if she wanted to.

They began to fall back—quickly.

Silvia’s eyes were glassed over. There was no containing her magic now. She was beyond enraged.

The barn started creaking. Dust fell from the ceiling. Floorboards and beams that once held the place up began to crack. The barn suddenly slumped to one side. Wind picked up around them. Sand swooshed up, slapping them against the faces, and stinging their eyes.

They held a victory…

None of them had the heart to celebrate.