Chapter Twenty-One
Jenny bared her teeth, refusing to back down. Her hatred for Davidson overwhelmed her fear, forcing her to action. She wouldn’t kill him—she wasn’t a murderer, but she wanted him brought to his knees while they waited for the East River pack to come. Connor’s howl would bring them soon.
Moving forward, she avoided Davidson’s knife once more, seeing the blood dripping from his other hand where she’d bitten him. The sight only fueled her further.
I can do this, Ross.
She didn't need to look at him or even need him to respond. She just needed him to trust that she could be part of the pack, work with him to bring Davidson down. Even with the Damson shifter attempting to defend Davidson, Jenny didn't lose focus. Everything around her became still as she focused entirely on the man in front of her—the man who had locked her in his cellar, who had tried to force her wolf out of her so that he could put a knife to her throat.
With a harsh bark, Ross launched himself at the Damson shifter, becoming a whirlwind of teeth and fur and growls. Suddenly distracted by what had happened, Davidson glanced away, giving Jenny the opportunity she needed.
Springing forward, she sank her teeth into Davidson’s arm, hearing his scream of pain. The knife fell from his hand, and she kicked it into the grass, ignoring the sudden pain in her paw as she loosened her grip. She couldn’t let him get it again.
“You evil bitch,” Davidson shouted, his face paling as his eyes bulged from his head. “I should have killed you when I had the chance!” Stumbling back, he pressed his arm to his waist, blood soaking his shirt.
Jenny advanced, refusing to let him run to safety. He would see that she was strong, that her pack was strong. He would be held by the East River pack until they found out everything they needed to from him. What happened to him after that wasn’t her concern. Her mouth rippled with a quiet growl as she saw the sudden sheen of fear in his eyes.
Without warning, Davidson turned and ran. Stumbling through the bushes and long grass, he looked back to her as he ran, attempting to get away. Jenny leaped after him—only to see him disappear completely.
His scream echoed as she came to a stop, slowly moving forward until she came to the edge. He hadn’t seen the drop, the deep expanse that had suddenly claimed his life. Her ears turned forward as she listened for him, to hear if he could still be clinging to life, perhaps gripping to an edge somewhere, but there was only silence.
Davidson was gone.
Relief flooded her bones, making her want to sink to the ground and just take in what had happened, but behind her, she could still hear Ross clashing with the Damson shifter. Turning around, she went to help him, only to hear Connor barking loudly to her left.
Pausing for a moment, caught between who needed her help the most, Jenny turned toward Connor’s bark, hearing the urgency in it. Following her nose, she quickly made her way through the long grass and high bushes before spotting Connor.
He was standing over another wolf, who was lying on her side, her paws up slightly to show her submission. Blood matted her coat. Connor had clearly fought hard.
Are you OK?
Connor glanced at her before turning his sharp eyes back on the wolf at his feet. I’m fine. She’s coming with us.
A sharp yip had the wolf rolling over and pulling herself to her feet, although Jenny noticed that she was limping slightly. Standing on one side of the Damson shifter, Jenny padded her way through the grass with Connor standing tall and making sure he showed his teeth. A ripple of suspicion raked through Jenny. She didn’t want to let this shifter get the better of her by somehow pretending to be injured.
Her ears caught another bark, but this time it came from Ross. A growl rent the air before the sound of clashing wolves came toward them.
Go, Jenny said, urging Connor to leave. I’ll be fine. Ross needs you.
He paused for a moment, before running on ahead, bounding through the undergrowth toward Ross and the other Damson shifter.
Jenny kept pace with the injured shifter beside her, trying not to wonder what the East River pack were going to do. They wouldn’t kill her, of course, but it wasn’t going to be pleasant for her. A shifter who hunts other shifters wasn’t exactly going to be welcome. They’d get whatever information they could from her about Davidson and his plans, but then Jenny had no idea what would happen to her.
Why did you do this?
She couldn’t help her question, never taking her eyes off the wolf beside her as she limped along, her right paw almost useless.
The wolf remained silent, eyes dulled with pain.
You hunted me. You tried to kill me.
Golden eyes lifted to hers for a brief second before her head lowered again. Apparently, Jenny wasn't going to get an answer. Not now, at least.
Coming into the slight clearing, Jenny's body tensed as she saw Ross and Connor backing the second Damson shifter against a large clump of trees. Blood was on each of their muzzles, but still this shifter didn't want to back down. Even though he was a little smaller than Ross, he didn’t seem intimidated by the two shifters trying to get him to surrender. His teeth were bared as a growl rolled from his throat, eyes flashing with anger.
Jenny stayed perfectly still, giving the Damson shifter a small nip on the shoulder to get her to remain quiet. To Jenny’s surprise, the wolf lay down almost at once, as though she was relieved to have come to a stop. This wasn’t the defensive, angry wolf she’d seen at first. Her mind tried to picture the woman in her human skin, remembering how she’d seen her a couple of times back at Davidson’s place. Struggling to remember, Jenny suddenly saw the scene play out in front of her. Davidson and the Damson brother had been the ones laughing and mocking her, trying to force her to shift, but the woman had stayed quiet, exactly like she was now. There hadn’t ever been a smile on her face, and she’d never joined in the mockery. Perhaps there was more to this shifter than she’d initially thought.
Her ears pushed forward as she heard a distant bark, followed by a long, drawn-out howl.
The East River pack!
Her body quivering with excitement, Jenny stood tall, her tail standing high as she waited for them to appear. Now the Damson brother would have no choice but to surrender. There was no way he could fight against Ross, Connor, and the entire East River pack.
Turning her eyes back to the scene in front of her, she saw that Ross and Connor had both heard the sounds, clearly aware of what was coming. Slowly, so slowly, the Damson brother dropped his head, eyes moving away from Ross and Connor and finding his sister lying on the ground beside Jenny. Ross and Connor advanced, ready to force him into a surrendering position—only for him to leap away. With one loud bark, the Damson brother took off through the trees, running away from Ross and from the East River pack.
A low whine came from the Damson sister, her eyes attempting to follow her brother. Feebly, she pushed herself to her feet, whining again, before collapsing back on the ground. Her energy was gone.
Connor barked and moved through the trees after the Damson brother, only for Ross to call him back. Both trembled from the exertion of fighting, and Jenny knew Ross didn’t want to push Connor to his limit. It would be best to let the East River pack follow him.
Suddenly, a wave of wolves rushed toward them, surrounding them all. Jenny stood still, waiting for Ross’s direction, her eyes still on the shifter next to her. She watched as the Damson sister’s eyes closed, her head pressing into the earth. She had given up entirely and was completely surrendering herself. For a second, Jenny felt a flash of sympathy for her before shaking that feeling from her mind. She wouldn’t feel anything but anger and hatred about what that woman and her brother had done to help Davidson.
The East River pack will take her, Ross said, walking over toward her. We’ll follow them and talk once we’re back at their place.
Jenny pressed her muzzle against Ross’s, letting it run underneath his. She needed the contact and the reassurance that they were all still alive and still OK. It was a relief just to be near him.
We’re going to be fine, Jenny, he said a little more tenderly. Come on. Let’s go and rest.