Page 58 of Nick
This was a stand for the freedom of every shifter under Vincent’s iron rule.
Nick stepped forward.
Like a thunderclap, the standoff fractured.The stillness of the mesa shattered into a thousand shards of action.
A shifter from Nick’s side lunged forward, his form blurring into the sleekness of a wolf, teeth bared in aggression.He collided with one of Vincent’s loyalists, and the mesa erupted into a frenzy of fur and flesh.
The air vibrated with the energy of supernatural abilities unleashing.
Nick shifted seamlessly, bones and sinew reshaping, his human cries morphing into a wolf’s howl.His tan fur bristled along his spine, instincts sharpening his senses as the desert blurred into a kaleidoscope of movement and color around him.
A piercing howl cut through the clamor—a signal.Members of the Sunburst Pack hesitated, their loyalty fracturing under doubt.About a third turned tail and fled, their figures diminishing into the unforgiving landscape, unwilling to choose a side in this war for their souls.
Amid the disarray, Sarah was a force.She moved with a lithe grace, as if she had not spent the night being tortured, shifting midstride into her powerful wolf.
As she raced toward the last place they’d seen Karla, one of Vincent’s wolves blocked her path.Her teeth sank into the trespasser’s arm, drawing a yelp of pain before she released him, tossing him aside like a rag doll.
Nick joined her.The two of them became a whirlwind of tooth and claw as they protected each other’s flanks.Nick felt the bond between them pulse like a living thing, an invisible tether.
And he could sense Javi through the bond, too, he realized.
Sarah’s eyes met his, fierce and unyielding, even as blood dripped from a gash across her muzzle.
As they fought side by side, Nick knew that no torture could stifle her, just as nothing could keep her from Javi.
With every snap of jaws and swipe of claws, Nick was driven by an anger simmering beneath his skin—anger at Vincent for his cruelty, at Karla for taking Javi, at himself for ever doubting Sarah.
His gaze, fierce with a lupine glow, darted across the battlefield to where Malcolm and Larissa had climbed atop the boulder Vincent had used to pronounce judgment on Martin.
“Hit them where it hurts!”Malcolm’s voice cut through the chaos.
“Divide and conquer,” Larissa called out.“Flank them from the east!”
Their commands were swift—and dead-on, giving the rebel ranks enough information to beat Vincent’s loyalists.Pack members peeled away, executing their directives.Nick watched as their strategy began to dismantle Vincent’s defenses piece by piece.
Amidst the dust and snarls, Anders moved with calculated intent, his gaze fixed on Vincent.He ducked under a snapping jaw, using his momentum to barrel into one of Vincent’s henchmen.Rolling to his feet, Anders faced Vincent.
For a moment, Nick didn’t face any foe—he had time to check on the others.
In the thick of the fray, Conall and Quinton were a force to be reckoned with.They moved in tandem as they protected their packmates from Vincent’s enforcers.With a coordinated strike, they sent one of Vincent’s wolves tumbling backward, a yelp marking the sudden retreat.Their twin forms—one acting as shield, the other as spear—became an unbreakable wall, deflecting blow after blow.
The thrum of rapid footfalls caught his attention, and he whirled to see Bronx and Ryker darting through the melee.Ryker, lithe and quick, slipped through openings with a dancer’s grace, while Bronx simply barreled over attackers.
A primal surge of energy coursed through Nick’s veins as he stood at the heart of the fray.The desert air was thick with dust and the scent of blood, punctuated by the snarls and growls of shifter against shifter.
As the battle turned in their favor, Vincent’s malevolent gaze fixated on the rebels.The alpha’s face was a mask of desperation, his usual confidence slipping away.
Vincent’s strikes became wild, dirty—a claw aimed for eyes, seeking to buckle joints.He fought with the frantic energy of a cornered animal, yet there was a cunning behind his attacks, a willingness to do anything to maintain his hold on power.
Once again, Nick began making his way toward the alpha.
“Vincent is favoring his left side,” Malcolm shouted.“He’s nursing an injury—exploit it!”
Nick’s ears twitched at the intel.With a burst of speed, he lunged toward Vincent, his focus narrowing on the alpha’s guarded movements.
Vincent turned just in time to meet Nick’s charge—but Nick saw the slight hitch in the alpha’s stride, the almost imperceptible wince as he braced for impact.
The realization was like a lightning strike as Nick pivoted and snapped at Vincent’s vulnerable flank.The alpha stumbled, his cold eyes flashing surprise and fury.
