“Apparently, he just thought we were joking about coming here today,” Leon said, cackling. “Isn’t that funny?”

Max glowered at the gang of shifters that was gathered outside his shop. They were hidden in a narrow alleyway that most people didn’t even realize existed until they had seen it for themselves. He was really starting to get pissed off about Leon and his fucked up claim on Sadie. But more than that, he was annoyed at the other pack members for being so willing to follow blindly in the footsteps of a corrupt leader.

“I can’t believe it,” a bulky, unnerving shifter man said. He looked like one of the hybrids Max had heard rumored to be living around Stonybrooke. “This kid looks just like his father. What a piece of shit. He’s going to regret ever leaving his kid around for us to get our hands on.”

Max’s heart tanked painfully in his chest. What did these people know about his family? More importantly, what in the hell had he done to piss them off so badly that they had done everything they could to make the last sixteen years of his life a living hell?

“I have nothing to do with my parents. I hate them probably just as much as you do, if not worse. They never did anything right by me. I don’t think they even care or know who I am at this point. You wouldn’t be hurting them by hurting me.”

The group of shifters surrounding Max laughed loudly, and Max shifted nervously. He didn’t want to take all of them on, even though he knew that in his wolf form he was very powerful. If he was in fact dealing with a hybrid shifter, he would need more than just his quick wits about him to face all of these different men. Terry was supposed to be there somewhere, bringing some backup, but who knew when that would be? The group had come much earlier than he had anticipated they would, so now he was forced to try and understand why they were there and figure out a way to deal with it that would be in the best interest of both his health and his company.

It doesn’t matter whether your parents know you. They don’t even have to care about you. What matters to us is snuffing out their little bloodline once and for all. You never should have come back here, you know. You were safe where you were. But coming around here really fucks things up for us. You know?”

“What does it matter where I am?” Max asked. “I mean, if you are territorial about Stonybrooke, I guess I understand that. But it doesn’t really change anything.”

“Actually, it changes a lot more than you knkow,” Leon said, his dark eyes boring into Max. “You know how it is when the energy shifts and everything starts changing. None of us have the chance to really figure out what’s going on when that happens. It’s pretty disorienting, you know. And there is no way in hell that this is the kind of thing that just happens out of nowhere. There’s something in your blood that changes the energy that we are trying to work with, and it needs to be destroyed.”

Max arched his brow, stifling an unkind laugh. “Well,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief. “I don’t know what kind of freaky fucked up things you guys are into these days, but I’m pretty sure the Council wouldn’t approve. What are you trying to pull, anyway? This doesn’t make any sense.”

“You’ve heard about the portals. I know you visited Oak Mountain and talked to some of the bear shifters out there. It’s kind of that sort of thing, you know?” Leon said. “Except, this is going to help us, not the bear shifters and not the dumbass wolves who try and persecute our pack. They will never get anything. We’re going to find our way back to the home world and leave all this bullshit behind us once and for all. And killing you is going to help us do just that.”

“Killing me?” Max asked, laughing out loud now. “You guys can hardly string together a sentence, so what makes you think you can actually kill me?”

The truth was, he was disturbed by the intention, and their words, even though he was pretty sure he could take out most of these guys by himself. He was definitely nervous about the hybrids, though, and knew he would have to wait for backup before anything like that might turn around in his favor.

“I know you’re trying to talk a tough game right now, Max, but it isn’t fooling anybody. We know you’re scared. And you should be.”

The energy in the air started to crackle as the wolf and hybrid shifters began to change shape, their bodies contorting gruesomely until he was surrounded by several wolves and two grotesque looking hybrids. A deep growl formed in the back of his throat, and Max arched his back, shifting into his wolf form. It was a direct challenge, but it was one he was willing to face. Especially if it meant these pieces of shit would finally start to leave him alone, and maybe, just maybe, Sadie would finally be safe from Leon and his inappropriate fixation. It was an obsession that made Max sick to his stomach, but frankly, he hated the idea of doing anything to hurt Leon. He knew he hadn’t had much of a chance in life, not any more than Max had had himself.

But when it came to Sadie, well, that changed everything. He would be willing to go to hell and back to make sure she was safe and sound, and if his life was at stake, there was no way he would be able to protect her. He had to make sure he took care of himself too. He would be no use to her dead.

It was probably a mistake to get himself into this, but what other choice was there? He had to fight for his life now. And he had to do it without any reinforcements whatsoever. It wasn’t something he wanted to do, but he had no choice.

The first attack was launched by two of the shifters Leon had brought with him. They both had deep black fur, and smelled really similar. They were probably brothers. He recognized one of them as the one who had a grudge against his parents. And who the hell could blame him? His parents had been pieces of shit. But all this talk about energy had only left him feeling more confused than ever. What the hell did any of that have to do with anything? He probably would never really understand it, and that was just going to have to be okay.

The snarling and gnashing of teeth snapped his attention away from his thoughts of the bizarre energy currents that these shifters had been fixated on, and primed his body for battle. He let out a sharp cry when the jaws of one of them sank into his back legs, and he kicked it away, lashing out at the other wolf, who was aiming for his throat. He was far too outnumbered to survive this, especially if they all decided to attack at once. But there was an honorable way of doing battle, and they probably wouldn’t overdo it. Wolf shifters were well known for their strategic battles, and rarely attacked one target with more than three wolves at a time.

This was for two reasons. The first reason was because if a target was too strong, it was simply stupid to have the pack’s numbers wiped out right away by a single opponent. The second reason was a little bit more obvious, considering it wasn’t a very sportsmanlike thing to do. Even though the wolf shifters were often at odds with each other, shifter life was valued highly. It was coveted, really, and considered a source of ancient primordial magic. If that magic was desecrated, no matter who did it, there tended to be repercussions. And fighting unfairly tended to lead to many instances of bad luck in the future of whatever shifters had been stupid enough to break those unspoken rules.

But he didn’t have time to think about that. As soon as he felt his teeth make contact with the neck of the shifter in front of him, Max felt a searing pain in his ribs. The other wolf had attacked.

With a sudden burst of strength, Max ripped the throat out of the shifter he was gripping and whipped around to snap at the wolf that was tearing into him. He could vaguely sense some new energy coming into the area, and was relieved to smell the distinct scent of Terry, who was taking on some of the bigger shifters. Terry himself was a hybrid, and had always been loyal to Max for the way he never made him feel less than he was. Other wolf shifters were always wary of Terry for the fact, but he looked and acted more like a wolf than a bear. Max had never seen any reason to leave him out, and because of it, he had gained a friend for life.

The two of them fought viciously as the rival shifters attacked, until a sharp cry snapped Max out of it. He gazed across the yard, shocked to see Leon, who had shifted back into his human form. He was gripping Sadie by the throat, and she had her gaze locked on Max pleadingly.

A deep growl of rage escaped Max’s lips and he lunged forward, breaking free of the wolf that was attacking him. Luckily, Terry was right there and kept the attacker from pursuing Max as he lunged at Leon, who was turning away and dragging Sadie along behind him. She was fighting to free herself with all her might, but Leon was strong, and had apparently finally snapped. With Max back and now that he had his posse of thugs with him, it seemed that Leon’s obsession had escalated into something genuinely dangerous. Damn the Council for not listening to him! He had tried to warn them and now, Sadie was in danger, just as he had always feared she might be.

“Stop!” Sadie’s voice shouted, ringing out suddenly.  Both Max and Leon froze, and she squirmed out of his grasp as Leon gaped at her, furious. “I don’t want this! I don’t want either of you!”

The words stung Max, but to Leon, it was as if she had just said the most hilarious and rewarding thing of all time. It was infuriating, really, and Max glared at Leon, wishing more than anything that he could tear the man’s throat out finally, once and for all, after all this time.

“Hold it,” Leon said, his voice ringing out commandingly. The fight broke up and all eyes turned to Leon, who was grinning down at Sadie with a disturbing look on his face. “The lady is right. She doesn’t want us, so maybe we should just try to get along, right, Max?”

Max stared at Leon, his hackles raised, and swished his tail menacingly. He wanted so badly to leap over Sadie and take this guy out. He would do anything to protect her. Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

“You know what, guys? I think this is a little bit too easy. You might have taken out a few of my men, but you know your days are numbered, don’t you? And I think living with that weight on your shoulders is just the kind of vengeance I would love to reap. So maybe you should get yourself nice and comfortable, because you don’t have a whole lot of time left to live, do you, Max?”

Sadie turned to Leon, her face drawn and dark in an expression of rage Max had only seen one other time in his life; the day she had driven him away and told him what a selfish good-for-nothing he had been acting like. And she hadn’t wanted to see him again for the rest of her life.

Max took those types of words to heart, and remembered them even now with a pang of pain in his chest. And yet, it was thrilling to see her move to Leon, swift like a lioness, and stare him in the eye.

“You may be a lot of things, Leon, but you will never be the man I love,” Sadie said coolly. The words were sharp enough to kill, and Max would have laughed at the flustered look on Leon’s face if he had been in his human form.

Finally, Leon laughed and shook his head.

“You’re both going to regret this day,” Leon said, snapping his fingers. The other shifters followed him as he disappeared into the alley.

Max and Sadie watch them leave in disbelief, the remaining shifters filing away and dragging their dead behind them. Once they were finally gone for good, Terry and Max looked at each other. Terry shapeshifted back into his human form.

“Do you want me to take you home, Sadie?” he asked. “I don’t know if I like the idea of you traveling on your own right now.”

Max’s eyes flashed at the thought, he clearly did not like the idea any more than Terry did.

“No, I don’t want to be a burden on anybody. I can get myself home.”

Terry looked strained, and looked to Max for a solution. Max gave him the nod that it was okay for him to leave without escorting Sadie. He would do it himself. Even if she didn’t want him to.

“All right, if you’re both sure. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, Max. You two stay safe.”

Terry left reluctantly, and Max settled his gaze on Sadie, sighing inwardly. This was going to be a long night.