Hannah winced as blood sprayed—she couldn’t tell whose it was.
She’d thought aligning herself with Vincent would secure her future, elevate her status within the pack.
Protect her.
Now, as she watched him struggle against Nick, the foundations of her carefully laid plans crumbled beneath her.
Nick was relentless, each of his attacks pushing Vincent back, forcing the alpha to defend rather than attack.And in Vincent’s expression, Hannah saw something she’d never witnessed before: fear.
The realization hit her like a physical blow.Vincent was going to lose.And if he lost, what would become of her?
Hannah’s breath came in short, panicked gasps as the implications raced through her mind.She had betrayed the rebels, spied on them for Vincent.
If they won, if Nick took control…
She whimpered, pressing a hand to her mouth to stifle the sound.
What have I done?
Everywhere she looked, she saw only chaos.Wolves locked in combat, the air thick with fur and blood.There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.
Nick’s jaws closed around Vincent’s throat.Time seemed to slow, the world narrowing to this single, defining instant.
With a savage twist, Nick ended it.
Vincent’s body went limp, falling to the ground with a finality that echoed across the battlefield.Everything seemed to freeze, the fighting pausing as the reality of what had just occurred sank in.
Then, as if a dam had broken, a chorus of howls rose into the air.Hannah watched in horror as members of the pack descended upon Vincent’s body, tearing into it with a ferocity that made her stomach heave.She turned away, unable to bear the sight of the alpha she had once revered being reduced to nothing more than meat.
“This can’t be real,” Hannah breathed out, squeezing her eyes shut.“This has to be a nightmare.Wake up, Hannah.Wake up!”
But when she opened her eyes, the scene remained unchanged.Vincent was dead, and with him died all Hannah’s plans to rise in the pack hierarchy.Panic rose within her, threatening to overwhelm her completely.
What was she going to do now?She had no allies among the rebels.Her association with Vincent would be enough to condemn her.Would they kill her too?Or worse, exile her?The thought of being forced out of the pack, left to fend for herself in a world that held little love for lone wolves, sent a fresh wave of terror through her.
Hannah’s breath came in short, sharp gasps as she tried to think.She needed a plan, needed to find a way out of this mess.But the enormity of her situation overwhelmed her sluggish mind.
A movement at the edge of her vision caught her attention.Hannah’s head snapped up, her body tensing in anticipation of discovery.
But it wasn’t a rebel wolf shifter.
It was Gregory Torrance.
Gregory, Vincent’s right-hand man, stood not far from where Vincent had fallen.His face was a mask of shock and disbelief as he stared at the remains of his alpha, his expression morphing from disbelief to fear to determination.
With a quick glance around to ensure no one was watching, Gregory began to edge away from the main body of the fight.
Like Hannah, he’d opted to remain in his human form—a sign that he had no interest in joining the battle.
In that moment, a plan began to form in Hannah’s mind.Gregory had been even closer to Vincent than she had been.If anyone was in as precarious a position as her, it was him.And if he was trying to slip away…
That’s it.That’s my way out.
As she moved, Hannah’s mind raced.Gregory was smart, resourceful.He had to have a plan, some way to escape the fallout of Vincent’s defeat.If she could just catch up to him, convince him to take her along…
It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.
She paused behind another rock formation, taking some time to catch her breath and survey the area.The fighting had largely died down now, the rebels clearly victorious.Nick stood tall amid a group of his supporters, his presence commanding even from a distance.She glanced at the bodies of her packmates—at the bodies of her alpha and his mate.
