This was different. There was something vicious and threatening about that howl, something that had nothing to do with the chaos.
Andrea tensed and jumped off the bed, taking up position between me and the door. “No matter what you do, pup, stay behind me. If I tell you to run, do it and don’t question it.”
I nodded, beginning to feel increasingly dazed. “What’s going on, Andrea?”
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s bad.”
I didn’t realize how right Andrea was until the door splintered, and my brother rushed into Andrea’s small cottage. His eyes were glowing an ominous crimson. I’d never seen anything like it before. When he growled at Andrea, his fur almost seemed to stand on end.
What the hell was going on? I’d spoken with Stuart only a few hours ago, and he’d been fine. He’d been excited about the chaos and had promised to find a mate, someone who could make our family whole.
“I know you still miss Mother,” he’d said, “but when I find a female, things will get better. You’ll get another sister, pups to play with. It’ll be great.”
Even my father had been optimistic about Stuart’s prospects at finding a mate. So far, Stuart hadn’t been successful, but he’d believed he might have a good chance in the human settlements.
That optimism and warmth had completely faded today, leaving behind only savagery. “He’s gone feral!” Andrea howled. “Take cover, pup!”
I obeyed, shifting into my lupine form once again and hiding under the table. By the time I reached my hiding spot, Stuart had already attacked Andrea.
It was a very one-sided battle. Andrea was no fighter, whereas Stuart was an Alpha wolf, meant to take over the pack once our father grew too weak to hold the position. Still Andrea was stubborn. She howled when Stuart dug his fangs into her shoulder, but she fought back. When they went down together, with Stuart on top of her, she clawed at his exposed belly with her hind legs and did her best to bite his snout and his ears.
Blood splattered all over the floor of the small cottage. The coppery, metallic scent replaced the smell of the herbs Andrea liked to use in her healing practices. Terrified, I curled into a ball, wishing I could help Andrea in some way, but unable to make a single move.
Andrea’s thick fur protected her a little from my brother’s attack, but it was nowhere near enough. It didn’t take Stuart long to get a grip on Andrea’s throat and practically bury his fangs in her jugular.
If he moved now, he would rip her throat out and kill her. I’d seen wolves who’d died from wounds like that, usually after battles with the Firewolves. I’d never thought I’d witness such a thing myself, least of all with my brother being the attacker.
The knowledge gave me a strength I hadn’t known I’d possessed. I launched myself at my brother, landing on his back and trying to get him to snap out of it.
I knew better than to think I could hurt him, but my brother loved me. He had to fight off this temporary insanity. Whatever had happened to him, he could recover. He didn’t want to harm Andrea. I had to save them both.
I wildly overestimated my ability to get through to him, but my efforts weren’t futile either. He released his hold on Andrea’s throat with less violence than I’d expected. Andrea was still bleeding badly and she lay limp against the floor, no longer able to fight him.
But that was about the only good thing that came of it. Stuart threw me off like I was only a bothersome fly, and I hit the wall so hard I felt some bones crack. Pain exploded over me as my body struggled to heal me. But my werewolf instincts didn’t fail me. I got up, knowing the threat wasn’t over yet.
I shouldn’t have bothered. Stuart left Andrea where she was and walked up to me, pinning me with furious, evil eyes. “Stupid pup.” My brother licked his snout, and strands of bloodied saliva dripped to the floor. “Did you really think you could challenge your Alpha?”
The look in his eyes utterly paralyzed me. I didn’t know if he could recognize me or not, but in about ten seconds, it wouldn’t matter. He might have left Andrea alive, but he was going to kill me in her stead.
My instincts of self-preservation were screaming at me, telling me to flee, to take refuge somewhere. But I just couldn’t do it. Every muscle in my body seized up. The sheer intensity of his presence reminded me of the orders my father had given me using the Alpha Command.
“Please,”I mentally howled. “Please don’t kill me. I want to live.”
I wanted to run with the pack too, once I was older. I wanted to feel the embrace of the chaos properly. I wanted to find a mate and maybe have pups, like Andrea had said.
But Stuart didn’t care about that. He pounced toward me, ready to tear me apart.
That was when everything changed. Through the splintered door, two other wolves burst in. Their fur was a warm gold, almost as unusual as my own silvery one. Nate and Sam. My friends had come for me. Why were they here, now of all times? How had they guessed I was in trouble? I didn’t know, but I was very grateful.
Nate crashed straight into my brother, while Sam grabbed me by the scruff and pulled me out of harm’s way. It was difficult, but even at my age, I was still fairly small for a wolf, so he managed to carry me. He set me down just outside, his entire body vibrating with suppressed violence. “Run, pup!”
I should have listened to him. I should have fled. But a power that reminded me of the chaos kept me from doing so. Instead, I peered through the open door, back into the cottage.
My brother was facing off against the two golden wolves. He was a little older than them, and that showed in his size. But he was also furious, and that made him lash out blindly. He was reckless, and unlike Andrea, Sam and Nate were fast enough to dodge his attacks.
They clawed at each other, tearing into one another with savage fury. Sam and Nate fought as if they were one wolf in two bodies, their fluid motions so different from my brother’s jerky ones. Before long, they had Stuart cornered, bleeding from several wounds.
The injuries weren’t serious enough to incapacitate Stuart. They were already healing. And normally, that would have been a good thing. But not today, not during the chaos. Stuart refused to give up and attacked again.
