Jasper froze and Kyle’s smile widened slowly.
Displaying his fangs, Kyle said, “You don’t seem too thrilled at the prospect of having me as a pack mate.”
“You...you’re not a wolf.” Jasper swallowed. The color was fast draining from his face.
Kyle hiked his broad shoulders in a shrug. “There are packs and clans that are made up of different shifter species,” he said reasonably.
“We don’t want you in our pack,” Jasper snapped.
“Why not?”
Jasper’s eyes darted around.
Kyle leaned in, his fangs elongating as his eyes turned feral and deadly.
“Every member of the pack has the right to challenge the Alpha and Beta for leadership,” Kyle said. “You know that if I become a member of the Black Blade pack, the very first thing I will do is issue a death challenge to you and your Alpha.”
“How dare you!” Jasper slashed down at Kyle with his claws, but Kyle blocked him easily.
“I’ve exposed your weakness, and you’re scared,” Kyle said, glancing over Jasper’s shoulder. “You don’t want your minions to hear this. You don’t want them to know that they have this right. You’re not a very secure Beta, are you Jasper?”
Jasper’s face twisted. “Destroy everything!” he roared to his lieutenants. “Wreck the whole fucking place!”
“No you don’t!” Ian yelled.
Both Shane and Ian had just arrived and had parked their cars across the street. Once they got out of their cars, they saw Kyle facing off against twelve men. Swiftly and silently they split up so that they could attack on opposite sides.
Kyle, Shane and Ian exploded into action at the same time.
Ian had half shifted so that golden fur was covering his arms and neck. He brought down three lieutenants from the Black Blade pack in one fell swoop, and pummeled their faces in with his massive fists.
Kyle grabbed two men who were trying to destroy some of the equipment in the garage and slammed their heads together. He stomped his boot down hard on their hands, and there was the satisfying crunch of bones.
He spun round and pulled another two guys away from a customer’s car which was parked at the back of the garage and threw them against the wall.
Shane had shifted fully into a black bear, and was tearing into the wolves with his fangs and claws.
Some of the lieutenants had shifted into wolf form for the fight. In animal form they were faster and stronger, and their senses and instincts were much sharper.
Kyle didn’t shift but he let his bear rise to the surface. With a roar, he lunged at the wolves who had overturned a worktable and used his claws to sever the ligaments and tendon in their hind legs.
He slashed down brutally, and whirled round to search for Jasper.
But Jasper was already running towards his car. He let out a howl and his lieutenants swiftly retreated. Shifting back to human form, they dragged their wounded comrades to the cars and piled in quickly.
Horns blared as the cars swerved and zigzagged down the street.
Ian growled and wanted to go after them but Kyle stopped him.
“Let them go,” Kyle said. “For now.”