Hand in hand, we walked down the driveway toward Tate’s lodge where the wolves were staying and the feast was being held. I guess we were fashionably late, and neither of us was wearing a coat. I think we were both trying to live under the delusion that spring was actually here and that we didn’t need one, despite the fact that the sun was down and there was still a chill in the air.

I was probably doing better than Red was though. Ever since my pregnancy had kicked into gear, I’d been “like a furnace,” in Red’s words, and couldn’t seem to get my body temperature down no matter what I tried. I was always telling Red to turn the temperature of the water down in the shower, despite the fact that I loved them lava-hot. By the time I was ready to give birth, I’d probably have him spraying me down with ice water.

The wind was blowing from our right, and I switched sides to block some of it from hitting Red. He was too proud to admit that he was probably a little cold, but I was still a fiery hot ember and had no problems taking the brunt of the chill for him. That’s just what mates do.

But as I shifted my position, and the wind blew again, I smelled something that made my heart almost stop. I froze, and Red turned to me.

“What—?”

But then he smelled it too.

“Run to the lodge, now!” He shouted, shifting beside me. His clothes shredded as he took fox form. I waste no time either, shifted and sprinted as fast as I could down the driveway. There was no mistaking that scent. It was Sonny, and he’d brought men with him. If there was any chance of us surviving this attack, the rest of the pack had to be alerted.

I heard a snarl behind me, and although I was terrified for Red, I had to get the others. He couldn’t fight them off on his own, and if I stayed, I’d be killed too.

I howled as I raced toward the lodge and its lights came into view. A body leapt out of the back door and I saw it was Kyle. I howled again and he raced back inside. Within seconds, wolves and foxes began to pour out into the shadows.

I shifted and called out to them. “This way! It’s Sonny! Red’s fighting them off now!”

Tate and Kitchi were at the lead, followed by the rest of the alphas, of which there were many. They blazed past me as I shifted back and turned back to rejoin my mate. Someone yelped in the darkness, and it wasn’t Red.

Thank God for that, I thought as my legs propelled me forward. My heart was in my throat as the other alphas passed me. They were bigger and faster, and I was okay with that. We were going to need all the help we could get if we were going to survive this.

I was almost back to Red when I heard the sound of engines behind me and headlights lit up the woods in front of me. I turned and saw two black SUVs coming up the driveway. And then I heard gunfire.

Sons of bitches!

The alphas around me fanned out in all directions as machine gun fire pelted down on us. I dove behind a tree, then started to zigzag through the woods, trying to take cover as I raced toward my mate.

A fox, not one of ours, howled a death rattle through the night as someone killed it. More gunfire. A tree exploded beside me, sending chips of wood into the air, some stinging my face.

You’re pregnant! I thought. You can’t be doing this!

But then I saw them. Red and the rest of our pack, facing off against Sonny’s men before me. Tate and Bryce leapt at one of them and tore him to pieces immediately. Sonny had even brought some betas with him, and we seemed to be outnumbered. I had to help them. But as I leapt forward, a body slid in front of me and blocked my path.

The figure shifted and I saw it was Mikey.

“No, Casper!” he hissed. “You can’t! Come with me!”

I shifted and snapped back at him. “You can’t expect me to leave him!”

“You can and you will!” he replied quickly. “You are carrying his children! If something happens to you, neither of you will ever be the same! Red can handle himself, and the others are with him. Now come on!”

Mikey shifted and poised himself to run. I looked at him, then back to the battle raging in front of us, to the SUVs crashing up the hill with their guns blazing, and accepted what Mikey was telling me.

My heart broke as I ran in the other direction, toward the cabin, toward safety. I heard the sounds of battle behind me. The sound of tires screeching, engines roaring and bullets flying.

Howls raged through the night as I ran toward the cabin. More gunfire rang out and even though I was far from the actual bullets, my heart felt as though it was being struck each time a shot was fired.

I can’t do this! I realized as we neared the cabin. Without Red, my life was meaningless. I wasn’t going to lose him again.

I whirled and did a complete one-eighty, and raced off toward the battle. Behind me, I heard Mikey shift and cry out, “No, Casper! Stop!”

But I wasn’t stopping. Nothing could stop me now. I’d made a terrible decision long ago and it was the reason we were all in this situation now. All of this was my fault, and I had to face up to that.

I’d lost Red for ten years, and I wasn’t about to lose him for good. If I could do anything, I was going to do it.

Hold on, Red!