Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 570(@200wpm)___ 456(@250wpm)___ 380(@300wpm)
Ezra’s boot slammed into Yvonne’s stomach, and Gwen tried lunging again. She failed again. One of Nelson’s arms released her, and cold metal dug into her forehead.
“Try that again, and I’ll shoot you right now.”
Fuck.
The wolf clamped his jaws around the leg of the barely moving cheetah. He spun the cat, sending it sliding into the murky river. Then he stood, sides heaving. His fur was matted with blood, mud, and the odious marsh water. His injuries burned, but the wolf ignored the pain.
The mercenaries were strong. Fast. But they did not work as a unit—not like the wolf, his pack mates, and the Phoenix wolves. That made the mercenaries vulnerable.
Sharp teeth dug into his rear leg. The wolf whirled hard enough to dislodge the attacker. The fox tumbled, rolled. The wolf pounced, biting down on the fox’s neck and raking open its stomach . . . watching as the life left its eyes.
At the sound of a roar, the wolf snapped his head up. A lioness was charging through the high grass, eyes blazing. The wolf braced himself, snarling.
Gunshot. The lioness stumbled. Staggered. Crumpled to the ground.
A shadow fell over the wolf. The human. Donnie. The wolf approved of him. He was fierce. Bloodthirsty. A predator.
“I don’t know if you can understand me, but a few other wolves are trying to take down a grizzly over there. They may need your help.”
The wolf did not understand the words. But his inner human urged the wolf to head in the direction that the human was pointing. The wolf ran, leaving prints in the mud, splashing the water pools.
Soon, he heard the distinct booming roar of a bear. The wolf skidded to a halt. Two of his pack mates were charging at the grizzly from either side—clawing and biting. The bear batted them away with its large paw, but it was bleeding heavily. Tired. Weak.
The wolf charged at the bear’s front and leaped. Hit it hard. Sank his teeth into fur and flesh. The grizzly batted him away. The wolf hit the ground, but the mud cushioned his fall. He stood, shaking his head.
A margay dropped down from a branch above them and landed on the bear’s back. The bear arched with a roar, and the wolf knew the margay had raked her claws down its back as she slid down to the ground.
The grizzly whirled to find the margay, who had jumped to expertly miss the human’s trap. The bear did not see the trap. It fell right into it and disappeared into the pit. Its agonized roar told the wolf that the grizzly had fallen onto the bed of spikes.
The wolf turned. Looked for more enemies. There were many dead bodies. He could not see or hear—
He froze as hate rushed through him. Hate and fear. Echoes of his mate’s emotions. Heart racing, the wolf whirled and ran for the house. He tasted his own fear. Fear for her. Fear of losing her.
As he neared the house, he heard human cries of pain. Female cries. But they were not coming from his mate. He knew through their bond that she was not hurt.
The wolf ran for the steps that would lead to the porch. A hard weight barreled into his side, sending him sprawling. The wolf crashed into the truck. Spots dotted his vision.
Rory stood over him. “Hello, brother. You’re supposed to be dead by now. Shame. But I don’t mind taking care of that problem.”
The wolf growled. He did not understand the words, but he heard the cruel intent in them. The wolf stood, snarling. He did not care that the male was his sibling. He wanted him dead. Wanted to taste his blood. Wanted to watch the life leave his eyes as he had with the fox.
“I didn’t want it to come to a fight between us. You’re my twin, after all. We’re part of each other in a weird way. Right? All you had to do was give me what was mine. I told you what would happen if you didn’t. I warned you. But you didn’t listen. You brought this on yourself, Zander. And now your little human will die, and so will you.”
Rage exploded inside him—the emotion came from the man within the wolf.
“I can smell her on you. Your scents have mixed. Congratulations on your mating. A pity you had such little time to enjoy it.” Rory lifted a gun, pointed it at the wolf. “I told Ezra that I’d let him have her, but . . . maybe I’ll claim that pleasure myself once I’m done with you and—”
Another wolf launched himself at Rory, knocking him down. The gun slid under the truck. Zander lunged for the surface so hard that the wolf did not have the opportunity to fight him for dominance.