“How many are left?Maybe thirty or forty?”
“We think so.”
“We need to end this tonight.I don’t want to leave my mate every night.”
“Agreed.”
“Hey,” Logan says as he joins us.
“Hey, headed out for a shift, too?”I ask.
“Yeah.Have you heard any news?”
“Fifteen members were caught today,” Miles replies.
“They must be getting pretty desperate over there,” Logan says.“Their numbers are dwindling.Harris said he heard some families packed up and left.They don’t want to be part of this war.”
“Smart of them,” I muse.
Harris approaches us on the sidewalk, coffee in his hand.“Did you hear the news?”
“What news?”Miles asks warily.
“The Red Fog Pack burned down another house and attacked a family on the east side.”
“Dammit,” I hiss.
“The family is all right,” Harris continues.“Shaken up, but they’re okay.”
Logan sighs.“That’s good.”
The atmosphere changes, growing heavy.We’re all determined to end this.Tonight.
We enter the forest and walk to our patrol locations.Miles and I head east, and Harris and Logan head west.We nod as we pass a few exhausted-looking pack members on the way to our assigned area.
Miles and I are silent as we scan the area for movement.It’s quiet for a few hours before we catch movement straight ahead.I share a look with Miles, and we tense as we watch the shadows move closer.
They step into the clearing, and I freeze when I realize who it is.
The Alpha of the Red Fog Pack.
His son steps out behind him, and a few more members file out to join them.I frown as I size them up, noticing several humans with guns.
Miles looks at me, and I know we’re thinking the same thing.
We shift at the same time, howling to alert the rest of the pack.
Then, we attack.
NINE
Dillon
“Morning,”Mabel greets me as I enter the kitchen.
“Morning,” I rasp, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes.“What time is it?”
“Um”—she cranes her neck to see the clock on the microwave—“almost nine.Why?”
