Page 58 of Mated By the Pack
“Alright, motherfucker,”I growl as I come to my feet. My brothers can’t hear me, so I’m just talking to myself, but I do that a lot these days.“Enough of this shit.”
I roar and launch myself into the air, catching the treant before it can ready a root or limb. I dig in, going for the joint that makes up its hip. That earns me a few lashes from the softer branches that feel like fire across my back. I don’t need to feel the blood in my fur to know I’m bleeding.
I duck a few swings, then lunge. My claws dig into the bark. My teeth tear away what I can. A burst of spores billows from its mouth and I have to back off to avoid them. I dodge and weave, then go for the spine. I take out a chunk. Not enough to kill it, but enough to leave a gash that gushes with purple sap.
But it’s still not enough. The treant swings wildly, catching me with a branch. The next one doesn’t hurt me, but it catches my back leg. The softer branches tighten and jerk me into the air. I howl and thrash as it spits spores in my face.
“No, fuck!”I groan, trying to hold my breath, but some is already in my lungs.
My legs go numb. My breath turns sharp. A black haze creeps into the corner of my vision.
I’m going down, and I’m the last one standing.
This is the end of our pack.
CHAPTER 17
Calla
Irun out of the clearing, watching in horror as the wolves collapse, each one falling to the ground under a cloud of violet spores. But they don’t look like any spores I’ve seen before.
“What are you doing?” Nara yells, grabbing my arm. “If they can’t stop those things, you sure as hell can’t!”
“I have to do something!” I shout back, my eyes locked on the bracelet coiled around my wrist. “Come on! You’ve helped me before. Please do it again. Please help them!”
Thin vines slide from the band like tendrils, creeping along my arm. I extend my hand toward the treants, willing them to respond. Nothing. The tendrils flutter, but that’s it.
“Calla, I don’t think that tree’s going to apologize,” Tansy whimpers. “The other one wasn’t this angry.”
I wrench away from Nara and move forward, arm still outstretched like I’m commanding the bracelet. I’m not. I have no idea what I’m doing.
“Nurse Calla! No!” Fiona squeals, racing after me.
“Fuck it, I’m with you,” Brenna says, falling in beside me and gripping her stick like it might actually help. “They saved us. We can’t let them get shredded. Especially that one.” She nods toward the pile of twitching onyx fur beneath the towering behemoth. “He seemed nice.”
“The rest of you—stay back!” I shout, shoving Fiona gently behind me and stepping in front of her.
I should tell Brenna to stay behind too, but she’s clearly made up her mind. She was talking to Caleb earlier. I guess that was enough for her to care. I care too. Not just about Caleb. All of them. If they’re going to be my mates, I can’t abandon them.
The treant raises a massive branch, aiming for the downed wolf.
“Hey! Big ugly tree!” I scream, waving my arms like a lunatic. “Over here! We taste better… probably!”
The hulking monstrosity turns. Gnarled bark, cracked limbs, sap leaking from glowing purple fissures. I spot something strange near the others—twisted hearts, or knots, lying in the dirt where Gideon and Vance went down.
I don’t have time to think up a plan. The treant lurches toward us. I glance back—Nara’s huddled with the younger girls, shielding them with both arms.
“If I get eaten by a tree,” Brenna mutters beside me, “I’m going to turn into a ghost and haunt you. I mean that.”
“You might be haunting another ghost,” I sigh, realizing I’m completely out of my element. “I’m not really sure what to do!”
“Figure it out quickly,” Brenna urges.
I hold out my bracelet. Hoping. Begging. “Come on, do something! Seriously, if you can help, now is the time!” The tendrils continue to flutter, but the treant doesn’t slow down.
Brenna checks me out of the corner of her eye, then leaps in front of me, holding out her stick as bravely as she can. But bravery isn’t enough. The treant lets out a lumbering groan and swipes her out of the way with a swing of its massive branch. It turns where she falls and spews purple mist at my friend.
“Brenna, look out!” I yell, but the dust settles before she can move.
