Chapter 39
Olivia
The air turned to ice before the shadows moved.
A thick, cloying trace of cedar and sandalwood curdled with rot rolled over the moss—a foul, intrusive scent that didn’t belong in our territory. Before Rue could pivot to run, the pine fog parted, and a wall of teeth and dark fur materialized from the darkness.
A dozen skeletal wolves slithered out from between the pine trunks, circling us with silent, military precision. The vanguard lines had been ghosted. The perimeter was compromised.
Rue, link Odis! Ethan! Anyone! I commanded, my wolf baring her fangs as I searched for a weak spot in the circle.
I reached for the link, intending to rip the sky open with a distress signal, but I slammed into a wall.
I can’t! Rue’s panic scratched at the back of my skull.
The front line parted. A massive black wolf stepped into the silver moonlight, his jaw elongating with a series of wet, grinding pops. Fur receded, brown skin stretching over straining shoulders until he stood naked, completely indifferent to his vulnerability.
The exiled Half Moon prince.
He’d left a rogue and returned an Alpha.
Shane cocked his head, his lip curling in disgust. “I can taste your fear, Olivia. I’m going to enjoy this.”
He took a step forward, his shadow swallowing my wolf’s frame.
“Your Alpha took something that belongs to me,” Shane said sweetly, his fingers hovering inches above Rue’s snout. “Don’t you think it’s only my right… to take something in return?”
Rue’s ears pinned flat.
“Two choices,” Shane whispered, as his pack stepped forward, muscles coiled. “Fight my men, or surrender the fur, and walk out of these woods alive.”
Rue’s muscles bunched. If I died here, the slaughter would bring Gabe rushing into the wild with his stitches unzipped, ready to die for a mate who had already broken his heart. I wouldn’t give Shane his blood.
Gabe. I shoved his name deep down. I couldn’t afford to break.
Twelve against one. Even with Rue at full strength, we wouldn’t survive a fight, not against numbers like this.
I wouldn’t win. With heavy reluctance, Rue stood down.
I suppressed the wolf, letting the fur recede until I stood on two feet, entirely exposed in the freezing air.
I kept my shoulders square and my chin high, channeling the discipline of a commander.
“I’ll go,” I said, my voice flat.
Shane’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Too easy. I was hoping you’d make this fun.”
“How are you doing it?” I asked, keeping my tone steady. “How are you blocking me from reaching my pack?”
Shane paused, his gaze darkening with amused pity. He shook his head slowly. “You know nothing, Olivia. Pitiful.”
I looked back toward the dark canyon one last time.
Don’t panic, Rue whispered. We aren’t giving up—we’re infiltrating.
I didn’t look back. I crossed the line and stepped into the dark, as the others followed.