Series: Werewolves of Wall Street Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59360 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 297(@200wpm)___ 237(@250wpm)___ 198(@300wpm)
He leaps, shifting into a giant black wolf, and goes for my throat. His followers score my sides. I snap at them, and they retreat, only to press into me. Teeth graze my legs, my flanks. A heavy weight lands on my back–a wolf trying to pin me, so Scar Face can tear out my jugular.
In a fair fight, I could destroy every one of them and not break a sweat. But I‘m outnumbered, ten to one. The sheer number of bodies threatens to crush me.
Billy stands free of the wolf pile, lunging at anyone who comes close. He’s looking for an opening, ready to jump in to help me fight.
In a burst of energy, I throw the wolf on me off and rear up. I climb over the seething black mass of wolves and leap to freedom. I’m running again, with a whole host of red-eyed wolves lunging at my heels. They’re not going to stop until they’ve dragged me down.
All the while, Madi is out there, freezing to death. How can I save her?
Billy pushes close, knocking a few of my pursuers off their feet. He’s at my side, fighting.
He’s never made a secret of how much he hated Madi. I’ve been punishing him for that. He used to be my right hand wolf. My top fighter.
I have to trust someone. Madi’s life is on the line.
“Billy!” I slash my hand out, waving him off. “Go!”
Two more Adalwulf wolves tear out from their hiding spots under the snow laden bushes. I dodge them. I don’t have time to stop and fight.
Billy dashes around them, too, and glances behind. I don’t have to look back to know the Adalwulfs are growing in number. And who knows how many wolves they have waiting to trap me.
“Go,” I shout to him again. I can’t bear to say this, but I have to. “Save her for me.” I want to be the first to reach her, but the Adalwulfs are going to keep attacking me, and they’ll slow me down. The minutes are precious for a frail human–the difference between frostbite and hypothermia. And she's in danger, hunted by hostile wolves.
If I know she’s safe, I can lead these Adalwulfs into a trap of my own. Jake and the others will catch up with me eventually. I can hear their howls in the distance. They probably stopped to fight as many Adalwulfs as they could, and now are coming to level the fighting field. We’ll deal with our enemies and meet up with Billy and Madi as soon as we can.
“Alpha,” Billy says. Indecision wars on his face. “You’re sure?”
In the past few weeks, I’ve shunned him for how he treated Madi. I’ve cut him out of my inner circle and withdrawn my favor, wounding him the best way I know how.
But now he’s Madi’s only hope. And he’s still my pack. The fiercest wolf I know. I trust he will find my mate and defend her to the death.
“Brother,” I say, and his expression transforms, the harsh lines in his face melting away. He can see how much I need him, and for the first time in weeks, the chasm between us disappears. “Go.”
The fastest Adalwulfs have gained on us. I see their black heads out of the corners of my eyes. Their scent is everywhere--they probably mapped out this territory and planned this route. That and their sheer numbers are the advantage they have in this fight.
Teeth snap at my legs.
I tear off my coat to make it easier to shift and skid to a stop.
My abrupt halt makes the wolves on my tail go flying past me. I leap, shift midair, and land as a wolf. I knock two of the Adalwulfs aside and veer left, leading my enemies away. The last thing I see before the red-eyed wolves close in is Billy’s white and gray wolf, bounding down the mountain towards the lake, with two black Adalwulfs hard on his heels.
Hang on Madi. Help is on the way.
Madi
By the time I reach the treeline, my body’s sagging, my heart’s exploding in my chest. As grateful as I am for the boots, they don’t quite fit me. I have to half trot, half shuffle to keep them on, and my calves and shins are screaming. Snow’s fallen in and frozen my feet.
But the wolves are coming. Their howls have intensified, blending with the whistling wind.
My boot hits a slippery patch, and I go down. The fall knocks the air out of me. I crawl until I can rise. My palms throb and so does my ankle. I can’t put my full weight on it, but I do the best I can, limping forward.
Two black wolves race out of the swirling snow, their paws pounding on the ice. It’s almost a relief to see them, to put a face to the ones hunting me. They’re eating up the distance like it’s nothing, heading toward me.