Page 57 of The Wolf

“Then keep them off me,” Farah grits out, her fingers glowing as she starts working on the first collar.

I nod to Edwin, and we move to intercept the soldiers. But they’re prepared now, advancing in tight formations, their shields forming an impenetrable wall. A flamethrower spits fire, and I’m forced to leap back. Avoiding getting hit by silver bullets from every side is already challenging enough.

“Help me push them back!” Edwin shouts, ramming into the nearest shield with enough force to send the soldier staggering. Tristan follows, his claws hooking over the top of another shield and yanking it down. But for every soldier we take out, another steps forward to take their place.

Farah curses behind me. “It’s not perfect, but it’s off!”

The reptilian’s collar falls to the floor with a dull clang, and for a moment, the creature just stares at her, bewildered.

“Go!” Farah urges, but the mutant doesn’t move.

It takes me a second to understand why. They’re not used to freedom. Not used to making choices.

I grab him by the shoulder, forcing him to meet my eyes. “Fight or flee, but dosomething,” I snarl. “We’re not your enemies. You’re free.”

His serpentine gaze flickers with uncertainty, then with a low hiss, he bolts—not toward the soldiers, but down the hallway.

“Damn it,” I mutter.

Suddenly, the grenade detonates with a sharp, bone-rattling explosion. The blast is deafening, and the shockwave slams me into the wall, knocking the wind from my lungs. There’s static in my ears, and for a moment, everything is a blur—flashes of light, heavy smoke, the copper tang of blood in the air, and the acrid sting of silver irritating my nose.

Through the haze, I spot one of my kind—a loyal friend—lying crumpled on the floor. His chest rises and falls shallowly, his fur singed and matted with blood. The grenade has torn through him, and I can see the telltale burns where the silver has seared his flesh.

“Diego!” I call out, coughing. I push myself to my feet, shaking off the disorientation, and rush to his side, ignoring the burn of a stray silver fragment lodged in my arm.

I drop to my knees beside him in the pooling blood, my claws digging into the floor. His breathing is a visible struggle, his body isn’t healing, the glow in his eyes fading fast.

“Tabatha…” his barely audible voice falters.

Before he can say anything more, his chest falls one last time.

And doesn’t rise again.

The battle around me fades into an eerie stillness as I allow myself a heartbeat to grieve. My claws press deeper into the ground as I wrestle with the helplessness threatening to choke me. He deserved better than this…theydeserved better. He and his mate, who stayed back home with their newborn and a toddler. Tabatha, who is now gone too—in a split second, just like him. And their children, who now have no one.

“FUCK!” I bellow, the anguish tearing out of me. Around me, I hear a low, mournful howling as the others realize he’s gone.

Julia…

Alex? Are you okay?Her voice sounds in my head, making the world disappear and my heart full again for the tiniest moment.Something is happening with one of the witches. We’re on our way to check it out in the village.

I love you.It’s all I can manage,the words are a fragile whisper in my mind.

I love you, too. Please be careful.

I glance over to check on Farah. The next collar comes off, but the result is the same. A tiger mutant takes a single look at the battle scene, murmurs an apology, and escapes, shoving past her to vanish into the shadows.

“They’re running,” Edwin growls as he dodges another burst of flame.

“They’ve been broken,” I say more to myself, ducking down from another barrage of bullets.

Farah is sweating now, her magic faltering as she works on a centaur. Oh, yes, the government somehow got their hands on a centaur, though they’ve been extinct for centuries.

“This is slowing me down,” she grits out. “They used a mix of silver and iron to mold these collars.”

“Penny!” I growl to my sister again. “We need more witches down here. And bring some vampires inside, now!”

“A little busy up here, brother!” Her voice reaches me, sharp and focused.

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