Page 4 of Howling
My ribs snap on impact, his fetid breath bathing my throat, then the force of the collision sends me flying through the air. I smack the ground hard, the breath knocked from me, and it’s only years of training that have me rolling painfully to my feet.
I brace for teeth and claws to tear me apart, but nothing happens.
I lift my head, my whole body aching at the simple movement, and I blink when I see the hound pacing on the other side of the dome. Instead of killing me, the creature knocked me through the shield…and out of reach.
Since the hound was created from magic, it’s unable to cross the barrier. It’s one of the few rules the council follows, since it wouldn’t do for humans to witness magic being performed.
I hesitate a moment longer, mostly out of disbelief that I’m still alive, then I turn on my heel and run before the Orion can track me down and drag me back.
CHAPTER TWO
TYLER
“Hey, freak!”
I wince at the shouted slur. My fox flashes his fangs in annoyance, and I barely resist the urge to pick up my pace. While I can outrun them, I refuse to give them the satisfaction.
I’d rather take the beating than have them think I’m a coward.
With a sigh, I stop on the sidewalk and turn to face the pack of wolves crossing the road. Half a dozen corny jokes about why the wolves crossed the road pop into my head, and I bite back a snicker. In truth, the only reason they ever cross a road is to prove they have the biggest dicks.
Or basically, prove theyarethe biggest dicks.
Same difference.
The four shifters smile with teeth that are a little too sharp, eyes that shimmer a little too much to pass for human. Though most humans are unaware of shifters, we settled here because it’s mostly a shifter town. The only people allowed to stay arethose who are aware of the status quo—that wolves rule this territory.
If the alpha caught their display, the wolves would only receive a smack for the posturing. Boys will be boys, after all. Simon and his cronies can do no wrong. The trio is being groomed to become the next alpha and his beta guards—the next ruler and the enforcers of the pack.
If anyone else besides the quartet tried it, they would’ve been reprimanded and punished.
Goon number one slams me into the brick wall behind me, while goon number two plows his fist into my gut hard enough to knock out whatever air is left in my lungs. Instead of retaliating, I grit my teeth and keep my hands to myself.
Fighting back only makes it worse.
I’m not a wolf.
Worse, I’m not part of the pack, which means I’m fair game.
While I’m strong enough to take two or three of them, even my wily fox can’t take on an alpha wolf. We might be an alpha in our own right, but it’s all about power levels. Wolves are just a more dominant shifter…which is shit, if you ask me. My fox is faster, stronger, and a hell of a lot more cunning than these idiots.
Fate can be such a cunt sometimes.
“What are you doing here, Tyler?” Simon crosses his arms, smirking with malicious glee as he glares down at me. “Are you trying to run without paying your dues?”
Dues are fees that the residential wolf pack charges other shifters for the generosity of being allowed to stay in their territory.
You either join the pack or pay a monthly stipend.
“I paid Trent yesterday.” I barely finish speaking before a fist slams into my ribs hard enough that bones creak.
“Did the alpha give you permission to speak?” goon number three snarls, a fine spray of spittle landing on my face.
I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes.
If I don’t answer, I’ll be punished.
If I answer, I’m punished.
