Page 55 of Cruel Moon
No threats, no magical compulsion, just the simple power of people deciding to protect each other. It’s beautiful. Inspiring.
Aiden turns to Bast and me. “And what exactly are we facing? I’ve been told you have some specific insight into what theMathairsmight be sending our way next.”
I swallow and nod. “D-delta Team—their most lethal assassins. Elsa was good. She trained me. But these witches are so much worse.”
This pack, these people, with their open hearts and fierce loyalty, have no idea what’s coming. Delta won’t just kill them—they’ll make examples of them, especially the wolves. The thought of Bast or his family facing them makes my magick surge protectively beneath my skin.
A low murmur of worry ripples through the room. Dave and Aiden exchange heavy looks. Bast squeezes me tighter and I lean into him.
“How do we fight them?” Dave asks.
“Surprise,” I answer quickly. “If you don’t catch them by surprise, we won’t have a chance. Their control of magick is second only to theMathairsthemselves.”
Aiden nods. “You work with Lila and the others. Tell them as much—”
A scream pierces the air from outside, cutting him off mid-sentence.
My body reacts before my mind can process—muscles coiling as years of training snap into place. That sound carries an edge of raw terror I know too well. Bast’s wolf rises to the surface, ready to fight.
Then another scream happens. And another.
The room erupts into shouts and chaos.
No. No. No.My blood runs cold. Delta can’t be here already.
It’s too fast.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Bast O’Connor
Brother Against Brother
The first scream hits like a bucket of ice water to the face. More follow, high and terrified, and my wolf surges forward with a snarl. The scent of blood hits my nostrils, mixed with the unmistakable stink of unfamiliar, unwelcome wolves.
Fuck.
“It’s wolves, not witches,” Lila shouts from the window.
Good.Fighting Oliver won’t be a picnic, but at least it’s not Bridget’s dreaded Delta Team wreaking havoc yet. We still have time to prepare for that shit show.
We burst out of Aiden’s house onto the porch, and the scene below turns my blood to ice. The white refugee tents are being shredded like paper, massive gray wolves tearing through them with savage efficiency.
How dare they come on our land? To our home.
There are so many people, so many innocent lives caught in this bullshit territorial pissing match between Dave and his brother Oliver.
Beside me, Bridget’s magick crackles to life, raising the hair on my arms. Her rage at the attackers, fear for the children,determination to protect are shared between us. I can barely hold back my wolf from taking over.
“Stay close,” I growl, already moving. She falls in step beside me as we take the porch stairs two at a time. More of Oliver’s wolves pour from the tree line—fifteen at least. Dave’s voice rises over the chaos, organizing his people, but there are too many targets, too much ground to cover.
A woman stumbles nearby, clutching a screaming toddler as one of Oliver’s wolves closes in. Before I can move, Bridget’s hand shoots out. The attacking wolf flies backward like a car slamming into a concrete wall.
“Run!” she shouts to the woman. “Get inside!”
Fuck, my mate is magnificent. Around us, more of our pack shifts, meeting Oliver’s forces head-on. Snarls and snapping jaws fill the air as bodies collide.
“Bast!” Liam’s shout cuts through the chaos. My brother’s wolf is tangled with two gray wolves by the main cooking station, coffee and breakfast debris scattered everywhere. My wolf surges and roars to the surface at the sight of him in danger.
