Page 55 of The Wolf

I flop onto my back, getting comfy in the sheets again. But when it’s all calm and quiet, and I stare at the high cathedral ceilings above, I get that sinking feeling in my stomach as reality sets in.

Alex…

19.

King

The stench of fear hits me first. Sharp. Bitter. Human.

The lights of the military base flicker in the distance. Humans believe they are safe behind the walls with all their top security measures in place. They always do.

Until we remind them who the more advanced species are. And once invaded, it’ll be nothing but their fucking casket.

But they are panicking inside, already knowing we’re closing in, and the backup is on its way. This highly remote area has the finest surveillance, after all. And, of course, the witches fried all of their tech gadgets—no drones, no turrets, no more toys to hide behind. It is just us and them now.

They didn’t expect a hit in the daytime, which is why we chose that—it limits their vampires to underground action. My friends lived long enough not to be affected by the sun. Only a few are a bit younger and not at full potential, but they are still here ready to fight.

I bare my teeth, tasting the desert air as I crouch by the fence. My team of werewolves is ready in the shadows—musclescoiled, claws digging into the dry sand. There’s a dozen of us, and we are at the forefront of the attack.

Then Farah does her thing, far from the mountaintop, where Satan’s also waiting for his cue. Her power lifts like an invisible mist, and the electricity is cut off. It will take a second before the backup generator kicks in. But a second is enough—we are the strongest and fastest beings on earth.

I raise my hand in a silent signal and we leap forward, barely a whisper of fur and muscle, but I can hear their hearts pounding. It’s not from fright. No, we are born for this. The humans inside that base will soon know it, too.

It’s theexcitement.

The perimeter fence crackles with the last surge of electric charge before it dies. Not that it would do us much harm. But we don’t want to raise the alarm yet. We move as one—over the fence, through the first line of defense—and are inside before the guards even register the breach.

A shout. Gunfire. Too slow.

I am already on the first soldier, my claws slicing through his throat before he can pull the trigger. Blood sprays into the air, and his body crumples to the ground, limp. His weapon falls from his hands, useless. Another guard screams. I snarl and dart toward him, my vision narrowing as adrenaline surges through my veins. Right after, I rip through another soldier’s armor with a single swipe, his body collapsing under me.

The military has numbers, but we’ve got something they don’t—animal rage. Pure, wild, and untamed.

Behind me, the others move like lightning, tearing through the soldiers that rush out of the barracks. A barrage of bullets lights up their way, but they barely graze us. Their eyesight can’t even keep up with our movements. They don’t stand a chance.

I howl—a guttural sound that sends a ripple through my people—and we surge forward toward the entrance, Edwin rightby my side, ripping apart the incoming humans better than any machine they could ever make.

It's time for the vampires and other witches. Penny leads them to scatter the surroundings and attack any incoming backup once we storm the inside of the main base.

As we break through, the thick steel doors buckle like paper under my claws. I feel the vibrations of the impact reverberate up my arms. Inside, the cool, metallic odor mixes with chemicals, gunpowder, and the unmistakable scent of trapped lives.

The government-made weapons. I can smell them in the air. They aren’t like us—born naturally with our power and abilities. No, the humans twisted them into something worse. Tools for war. Slaves. Beings that should’ve never existed. Creatures locked away, tortured, and forced to fight for the ones who made them and imprisoned them.

But they don’t have to fight for the humans. Not after tonight.

We tear down the last door. From there, we take the staircase to the underground level, entering the long, white-tiled hallway holding a row of cells. The sterile white lights flicker harshly above as the electricity kicks back in. We don’t need it with our night vision. And somehow, it makes the place grow colder, more eerie.

Before I can reach the first cell, I hear footsteps approaching—heavy, armored. Human soldiers round the opposite end of the hallway. But they aren’t alone. A vampire and werewolf mix leads them, bigger than my kind, his eyes glowing red under the harsh lights. The same type of hybrid that we fought back in Michigan.

He growls, hunching, ready to attack. I meet his gaze, and for a split second, I see something there. He isn’t like thehumans. He has tasted power, but he doesn’t know freedom. Not yet.

We charge.

He leaps toward me, claws in defense. I meet him mid-air, slamming into his side with a force that shakes the space. We hit the ground hard, rolling in a blur of fur and fangs. He is strong. Stronger than I remember, but I’m not affected by silver this time. I know I can end him. His claws dig into my arm, yet I twist away and lash out with my own, ripping through his chest.

He snarls in pain, but it only seems to drive him further. We circle each other, breath ragged, muscles coiled. Then, he lunges again, aiming for my throat. I duck under his attack, ramming my shoulder into his midsection. He gasps as the air is knocked from his lungs, and I slam him against the wall, crushing the tiles under the impact. My claws are at his throat now, his heartbeat pounding against my hand.

“You don’t have to fight for them,” I growl, my voice low. “Look at yourself. You’re not one of them.”

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