Page 97 of Midnight Hunt
I led them farther down the mountain, frantically searching for a spot where we could make our stand. When I finally found a relatively flat open clearing, I ignored my instinct to keep running and skidded to a halt.
“No! We have to keep going!” one of the females cried, pushing past me.
I grabbed her arm and spun her around, shouting, “Stop! If we keep going, we’ll reach the boundary and trigger the collars. The best thing we can do right now is stay together and fight them.”
“Fight?” another female shrieked. “We’re outnumbered andweakwith these collars on. Fighting is useless.”
“No, it’snot,” I argued, whirling to face the others. “We’re still strong. Still capable. Still fierce female werewolves. We’re not helpless, and we’re not submitting to these feral bastards without a fight. There’s too many of them and not enough of us. Use thatagainstthem. Make them fight each other for you. Make themkilleach other. All I need to do is get that remote. Once I’ve deactivated our collars, the males don’t stand a chance. You know this. You’re freaking hybrids, soactlike it.”
Every single female stared at me in utter terror, sounds of the ravenous male pack closing in fast. I wouldn’t blame them if they tucked tail and ran right now, if they took their chances alone instead of agreeing to a flimsy plan that could get them killed. These males were stark raving mad, and who knew what they would do if the females didn’t submit.
I desperately wanted to flee myself, but I knew it wouldn’t get me anywhere. This was our only chance. We had tofight.
As the ground started to rumble, the sound of stampeding footsteps almost deafening, Desirae stepped forward and said, “I’m with you.”
Hope fluttered in my chest. I glanced at the others, and one by one, they all said the same thing.
“I’m with you.”
“I’m with you.”
“I’m with you.”
Giving them all a grateful smile, I replied, “Then stand your ground. Fight with everything you have. And remember . . .” I turned to face the approaching males. “Atticus is mine.”
Seconds later, several males burst through the trees and into the clearing. Spotting the females in the center, their stances far from submissive, they skidded to a halt in confusion. Several more arrived and did the same thing, clearly not expecting the females to be standing their ground.
As I saw Atticus and Ivan start to push through the throng, I let a grin stretch my lips. Crooking my finger at them in a taunting gesture, I crooned, “If you want us, come and get us, boys.”
Dead silence fell over the clearing. It was so quiet that I heard a snowflake land on my nose. And then . . .
The world erupted into chaos.
In a flash, the males rushed forward and collided with the females. Growls and screams echoed through the clearing. A male plowed into me and almost took me down, but I used the momentum to reverse our positions. As he hit the ground, I landed on top and immediately lit into him with all of my pent-up rage. After only two punches, I knocked him out cold.
I was immediately up again, but before I could engage another male, a cry for help distracted me. Not too far away, I spotted Desirae. A big male had her. Afamiliarmale. She cried out again as Jensen yanked her head back and savagely bit into her neck just below her collar.
At the sight of him forcing a claim on her, fury flooded me. I raced forward and jumped onto his back, snaking an arm around his throat. I squeezed and squeezed, clinging to him with all of my might. He released Desirae with a roar and tried to buck me off. I wound my legs around his waist and held on, ignoring the pain as he yanked and clawed at my arms.
He abruptly threw himself backward and landed on top of me. The move knocked the wind out of me, and my grip loosened. He jerked his head back and hit my cheek, making me see stars. My grip loosened even more. Just as I was about to lose, his head violently snapped to the side. The blow came again and again, pounding into him like a battering ram. Sobs reached my ears, but the hits kept coming until Jensen finally went limp.
With a grunt, I shoved him off me and reached for the sobbing girl.
“Desirae, stop.Stop. It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
She clung to me, shaking uncontrollably. Werewolves were fighting each other everywhere I looked. A few females were holding their own, teaming up to drive the males back. Several more looked ready to bolt but valiantly held their ground. Blood and carnage littered the white snow, and I saw more than one male rip into another male as they grappled over the same female.
My plan was working. The males werefightingeach other.
Now, I just needed that stupid remote.
As I had the thought, my eyes collided with a broad, black-haired male several yards off. I stood up with Desirae and pushed her behind me to face Ivan. His pupils were dilated, his gaze wholly locked on me. At the feral way he was looking at me, I mistakenly took a step back.Retreated. Like prey.
He surged forward, shoving male after male aside in his haste to get to me. I planted my feet and squared off with him, a growl of defiance burning my throat. Sable bristled, ready to aid me as best she could against the male determined to claim me. Feet away from reaching me, another male barrelled toward him with a roar.
Barely taking his eyes off me, Ivan twisted around and grabbed Jensen by the head. Using his forward momentum against him, Ivan savagely jerked Jensen’s head sideways and snapped his neck. I flinched at the awful cracking noise but continued to hold my ground, watching as Jensen collapsed to the snow dead.
Ivan started toward me again, bloodlust sparking in his eyes—only for another male to step into his path and draw him up short.
