My mother strode across the clearing, her fiery hair a halo around her face. She picked up a younger Maclean wolf by the scruff of its neck and tossed it aside like an out-of-season purse.

Douglas’ teeth were buried in my shoulder. I was trying to ignore the burning pain as I tried to hook my back leg around him and slam him against the ground. As soon as he heard my mother’s voice, his whole body stiffened, and his teeth loosened from my skin. I dropped to the ground, too shocked to move. Douglas Maclean didn’t just let his enemies go free.

All around me, wolves were losing their fighting spirit. That my mother had such an incredible power over both clans was evident in the authority in her voice as she told them again to stop. I scanned the clearing for Angus, and just caught sight of his tail dragging something large behind one of the rubbish piles.

Rosa!

He had her by her bun, strands of her hair sticking out from either side of his mouth. She held her scalp, her legs kicking frantically, searching for purchase on the slippery earth. She sobbed quietly, her face twisted in pain.

Oh, no, you don’t.

I leapt up and bounded toward her. Pain seared down my arm as soon as my paw hit the ground. My whole front leg collapsed, dragging me down with it. Douglas had really done a number on me.

From my prone position, I noticed several wolves also on their sides in the dirt, blood dribbling from deep wounds. Irvine was on his back, trying to fend off a young Maclean wolf who’d torn a deep cut down his stomach. The air stank of blood and death.

No, this can’t be happening. I felt sick. Even though I hated what Angus and Douglas had done to me, I never wished for wolves to die. But here they were, bodies littered across the clearing, the victims of my rage.

I turned toward Douglas. He was standing on his hind legs, his head level with my mother’s face. He tried to lick her cheek, but she slapped him right across the face.

“That’s our boy right there.” She jabbed a finger at me. “That’s my son, who you promised to raise as your own. Why are you fighting one of our own?”

Douglas turned his snout toward her, and let up a keening howl. He ain't no son of mine, he snarled, even though she wouldn’t hear him. He deserted us for a clan of fucking circus animals.

SMACK. She slapped his other cheek. “I know what you’re thinking, and you can stop it right now. Of course Caleb deserted us to claim his birthright. What’s he got here for himself? An’ what’s this I hear about Angus stealing his mate?”

Douglas tried to rise up again, but she slapped him down once more. His wolves cringed away, and even Angus stopped pulling at Rosa and stared at his father in dumb shock. Even though my body ached from his bite, I couldn’t help but smile to see my mighty stepfather being chastised in front of his own clan.

He howled with rage. Angus wants the girl for himself—

“He can’t ‘ave her, can he?” Mum dropped Douglas’ throat, and slapped her hands against her hips. “He can’t go around trying to take another shifter’s mate, that ain’t right. That ain’t the Maclean way. You should be ashamed of yourself, Douglas Maclean, giving permission for such an abomination. That’s why I’ve come to put things right.”

Douglas bared his teeth at her. You sought an alliance with my enemy, he growled.

Even though Mother couldn’t understand Douglas’ wolven words, his message was crystal clear. But she didn’t even looked phased. “You can stop that nonsense right now. There ain’t no sense being mad at me for bringing the Bairds into this. They’re only here because you’re too stupid to listen to me, and if they weren’t here, your son would’ve killed our Caleb by now. I brought them because someone had to knock some sense into that thick skull of yours. Is that the way the great Maclean clan behaves?”

By now, every wolf had gone silent, listening to the exchange. Mum had been with Douglas through so many full moons, she knew him so well that it was practically as though they were holding a conversation.

Douglas reared up to his full height, tossed his head back, and let out a mighty howl. For a moment, I thought I’d have to leap in to stop him from attacking her. But then his body sagged, and he lay down on the ground, showing the whole pack that he submitted to her. Aye, you’re right, my dear. This is madness.

She patted his head. “Thank you, my love.”

Douglas barked at Angus. You let her go now. She don’t belong to you.

She don’t belong to no one, I thought. I watched with pounding heart as Angus dropped Rosa’s hair, and backed a few steps away. She held her head between her hands, her eyes filled with pain. I noticed blood splattered down her shirt from a nasty bite on her shoulder where Angus had marked her. Please let her be okay.

I took a step toward Rosa, but my leg caved again, and I fell heavily on my shoulder. Angus’ eyes caught mine, a blaze of anger and humiliation.

I didn’t have time to think about him. I needed to get to her. I picked myself up on my three remaining useful legs, and dragged my throbbing body toward her. With every step, my shoulder screamed in protest. But I had to see her; I had to know she was all right.

“Caleb,” she squeaked out, her eyes flooded with tears. “I can’t believe—”

A hundred wolf eyes watched me as I made my slow journey across the clearing, toward my mate.

As I got closer, I could see she was in bad shape. Her skin was deathly pale, and slick with sweat. Her head lolled on her shoulders. There was a lot of blood on her clothing, and she couldn’t seem to move her arm. When she saw me, the corners of her mouth turned up in a beautiful, dazzling smile.

“I knew you’d rescue me,” she said, reaching up with her good hand to stroke my fur.

The words were like a knife through my heart. I didn’t rescue her. I was the one who dragged her into this mess in the first place. I was the reason she was lying there with a wolf’s bite marring her beautiful neck, with another man’s scent all over her.

She’d been through so much already. All I’d done was put her through more trauma. Looking down at her, so happy to see me amidst all the horror she’d endured, my heart tore apart. I knew what I had to do, but it would take every bit of control I had to do it, and in my wolf form, I didn’t have a lot of that to spare.

I bent down and licked at the wound. My saliva mingled with her blood, helping to staunch the bleeding, and working over Angus’ scent. As my tongue met her skin, a surge of power rocketed through my body. Rosa’s eyes fluttered shut, and her body shuddered as it went through her, too. We were mated. Our connection had been forged.

I’m sorry, Rosa. This wasn’t how I wanted it to be.

I called Ryan and Marcus forward to collect her. They transformed into their human forms. All around the circle, wolves growled as two men materialised in their midst. But a barked command from Douglas held them at bay. They wouldn’t dare disobey their alpha.

“Here, sweetheart. We’ve got you.” Ryan picked Rosa up in his arms. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, but her eyes remained glued to mine.

Ryan carried her through the circle, to the edge of the clearing. He turned, smiling, and waited for me.

Irvine pulled himself along the ground, and placed his paw on mine. His eyes were filled with pain as he looked up at me. You did it, Caleb. You won the battle, and the girl. I’m proud to call you my ally.

At the sight of Irvine, Douglas growled, but my mother clamped her hand over his arm.

“You let him go, Douglas Maclean. You let our son go off and find his own way, or so help me god, you’ll be sorry.”

I glared at Douglas. Well?

Douglas’ face clouded over. My stomach tightened. The blood pounded in my ears. I didn’t know how much longer I’d be able to last against him if he decided to have another go—

He waved a hand at me. Go on, git out o’ here, and take your mate and your pack with you, before I change my mind.

All Douglas’ wolves took a step back, a clear sign they had surrendered. Rosa sobbed with relief. Luke bounded toward me, licking my face in a gesture of fealty. Help Irvine, I said to him. I’ll be fine.

I got to my feet, balancing on my three good legs, and started to make my way toward the edge of the circle.

“Caleb, watch out!” Rosa screamed.

Something slammed against my side. My bad leg collapsed from under me, sending me sprawling across the dirt. The momentum carried me into a scrap heap. Empty cans and bottles toppled down on my head as I struggled to turn my body to see what had hit me.

Angus’ teeth scraped my neck. I yanked my head away just in time, and his jaws snapped around thin air. I slashed at his face with my claws, tearing a shallow cut across his cheek. Angus growled, and his claws tightened around my neck. I tried to lift my arm to slice him again, but he clamped it under his paw, and bit into my neck.

Pain seared through me, a kind of cold burning in my veins, like plunging naked into icy water. My vision blurred, and red welts floated in front of my eyes. Angus’ raging eyes burned themselves into my brain, the last image I would ever see.

I’m gonna enjoy tasting your blood, Angus rasped in my ear. Warm saliva dripped from his mouth and ran down the side of my cheek. But not as much as I’ll enjoy taking your mate for my own.

Some mate you are, I snapped back, trying to keep myself alive through my anger. You attacked her, kidnapped her, sent her threatening text messages, wrote horrible things on her cabin walls—

That wasn’t me, he hissed inside my head. I never had her number, and I didn’t write anything on her wall. I would have no need to do those things.

Then who—

I don’t know, and I don’t care. And neither will you in a minute— his teeth dug deeper, and I faded, the fight within me dwindling away as the world exploded in a supernova of pain.

Angus, stop. I heard Robbie’s voice, but he sounded far away, like he was calling to me underwater. Angus, no. He’s our brother. You can’t do it to your own brother.

He was never our brother.

Angus, this isn’t you. This isn’t right and you know it. Damn you, Robbie’s voice wavered. Don’t make me into the brother of a killer. Don’t make me hate you.

Angus’ head snapped up.

What? Seriously? I thought. Does he actually care about what Robbie thinks of him?

Through the fog of the pain, a memory surfaced. When we were cubs, we were playing at the edge of the forest, when we happened upon a tiny cub shivering in a tree stump. It was a runt of a thing, likely abandoned by its mother to either die from the elements or torn apart by one of our pack.

Angus bared his teeth and growled at the cub. It froze with fear, trembling so hard it pissed all over itself. Angus had laughed as he dragged the squealing cub out of the bush by the tail. “I’m going to crunch all his bones,” he laughed cruelly. “Damn little thing will barely be enough for lunch.”

“Don’t do it,” I’d said. “He’s only little. We should take him to Mother, and—”

“Shut up, or I’ll cut you again.” Angus lifted a claw in warning. I winced. I already had a deep cut over my eye from the last time I disagreed with him. I backed away, not wanting to watch him do the grisly act.

Robbie stayed where he was, his eyes locked on his brother. “Come on,” I called to him, knowing how seeing something like that would upset him.

“No,” Robbie had said. “I’m not going anywhere. And Angus is going to let the cub go.”

“Why?” Angus growled.

“Because my brother is not a killer. My brother is honourable and wise.”

I laughed. Angus was neither of those things. But Robbie said those things with such a wide, earnest look, I could tell he really, truly believed that Angus was an honourable wolf.

Angus had the wolf clamped between his paws, but he didn’t bite down on its neck. Instead, he stared at Robbie, his mouth frozen in an open-mouthed grin.

“My brother is not a killer,” Robbie insisted.

Finally, Angus sighed, and lifted his paws. The tiny cub, once presented with the possibility of freedom, didn’t hesitate. With a final, piercing squeal, it rolled onto its feet and barrelled away into the forest.

Angus, Robbie’s voice carried that same earnestness as he begged for my life. Please don’t do this. You can’t never, ever take it back. And I will never forgive you for it.

Angus glared at me, his jaw quivering.

He sighed.

The anger in his eyes faded, replaced by … something that might’ve approached sadness if Angus were capable of such an emotion. The weight on my chest lifted. Angus backed away.

I groaned as I tried to roll over, and fresh pain flared through my shoulder. I gritted my teeth and tried again. This time, I managed to get my feet underneath me, but my leg collapsed again.

Angus reached down. I shrunk away, but his paw hooked around mine, and he hauled me to my feet.

His breath hissed against my ear. This isn’t the end of it. I’ll have her one day, Lowe.

You’re not having her. The thought hit me with the force of a freight train. She’s mine, and I’m hers. I love her.

I swung my arm up, wrapping my hands around his neck, and with a surge of strength that I didn’t know I possessed, I threw Angus aside. He rolled in the dirt, and I scrambled up and threw myself at him.

My teeth clamped around his neck. I bit down, tasting blood. Angus went limp in my arms. The fight fled me, and I dropped him, collapsing back on my hind legs. I was too tired to fight any longer.

I just bit my brother, I thought. I wanted to kill him. He was going to let me go, and I would’ve taken his life.

Angus lay in a pool of his own blood. He glanced up at me with wide, pain-filled eyes. Guilt rocketed through me. He may have been horrible to me, but he was still the only family I’d ever known. Even now, I was that little boy from my memory, just wanting approval from his bigger brother.

You win, he gasped, holding his hand over the wound in his neck. She’s yours.

She was never yours to give away, I shot back, backing away from him and the smell of his blood, before my instincts got the better of me.

I took a shaking step toward Douglas, and gave him a lick across his cheek. Virtue mine honour, I said.

Douglas’ lip curled up, the way it always did when he was secretly pleased. He leaned forward. I froze, waiting for his response, fully expecting him to rip my throat out. Instead, he dragged his long, wet tongue over my cheek, a gesture of respect, an alpha addressing his equal.

Virtue mine honour, he said to me. Now get the fook out of here.

I stepped away, hardly daring to believe that we’d done it. We were going to walk out of here.

My mother stepped forward, and threw her arms around my neck. “You make me proud, my son,” she whispered in my ear. “Keep my secret from Douglas, and I will come to you soon. We’ll find the ring together, and bring the truth to the world.”

I licked her ear, and she laughed. “That’s my boy.”

I looked into her eyes one more time, and saw my own eyes reflected back at me. We were alike in more than just genes – I too was willing to sacrifice a lot for what I believed to be the greater good.

Speaking of sacrifice …

I turned away, and addressed the rest of the clan. Bàs no Beatha. I gave a little bow to the rest of the clan, the pack that had called me a brother, albeit an unwanted one, for so many years. The wolves watched in silence, acknowledging my goodbye with their eyes.

I signalled to Irvine that it was over. He nodded, and silently, his wolves surrounded him, and helped him on his feet. They disappeared into the trees, a few remaining behind to carry off their dead.

Ryan was still standing at the edge of the clearing, Rosa slumped in his arms. Marcus was there too. He’d torn away a piece of her shirt and was using it to bandage the wound on her shoulder. Her eyes met mine, filled with pain and joy.

Everything else faded into the background. All that existed was her and me, the connection that had been ignited between us, and the freedom I had won. I hobbled toward her, standing on my hind legs so I could reach her face. I licked her cheek, the taste of her exploding across my senses. I could drown in the joy of her.

“Caleb.” Rosa’s voice rasped with pain. She raised a hand, and stroked the side of my face. “My beautiful wolf. You saved me, again.”

Her touch was like a burst of energy, shooting bright sunlight into my veins. Her smile drew me in, until I was drowning in her scent.

“I can’t say I understand everything that’s just happened,” she said, stroking behind my ears. “But I can’t believe you did this for me. You stood up to all these wolves to save me. I’m so sorry for doubting you, Caleb. Please, I don’t want to be apart from you ever again. I want to be your mate.”

This was all I ever wanted, all I’d dreamed about, to hear those words.

But now they were cold against my guilt. We weren’t right, Rosa and I. Not anymore.

I stared down into her eyes. She’d never looked more beautiful to me.

I have to go, I said, the words almost breaking me. She couldn’t hear them, of course, but she felt me pull away from her.

Her smile froze. “Caleb … Caleb? Where are you going?”

I backed further, heading toward the tree line, my eyes drinking in her pain, the pain I had caused. Every muscle in my body begged me to go back to her, to wrap her in my arms and never let her go. But I had to resist. Rosa didn’t need a guy like me.

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, for everything I’ve done to you.

I tore my gaze from hers and darted into the trees, pumping my legs as hard as I could with my wounds. I needed to put as much distance between us, before I succumbed to the tug of my heart, and returned to her. I had to do what was right, what she deserved.

I had to set her free.

Goodbye Rosa. I never dreamed I could love someone the way I love you. That’s why I’m doing this. That’s why I’m giving you your freedom back.