Ti slowed to a crawl as Annie’s wolf lunged at , teeth bared and claws extended. My brain scread at to shift, but my body couldn’t catch up with the command.
“Hazel, move!” Levi shouted beside .
Instinct took over. I ducked and threw myself sideways, tumbling onto the hard tile floor as Annie’s massive wolf form sailed through the air where I had been standing seconds ago. The crowd erupted in screams and chaos as people scattered in all directions.
The montum of my dodge sent rolling away from Levi, and suddenly we were separated by a sea of panicking shoppers. Annie’s wolf recovered quickly, turning to face with a murderous gleam in her eyes.
I scrambled to my feet, heart pounding against my ribcage.
“Annie, stop!” Lucas’s voice commanded from sowhere in the distance, but she was beyond reason.
The tan wolf advanced on , her muzzle pulled back in a vicious snarl. I backed away, looking around frantically for anything I could use to defend myself. Shifting now was impossible—Annie wasn’t giving the chance, keeping constantly on the defensive.
“Get out of the way!” I yelled to a terrified woman frozen beside as Annie charged again.
I dove behind a kiosk selling phone cases, hearing it splinter and crash as Annie barreled through it. Pain flared across my arm as her claws caught , leaving three shallow gashes. Blood imdiately soaked my sleeve, the coppery sll filling the air and sending Annie into an even greater frenzy.
“You psychotic bitch,” I muttered, clutching my injured arm.
Where were the triplets? I couldn’t see them through the chaos. People were still running, screaming, creating a perfect storm of confusion.
I caught a glimpse of Levi trying to push through the crowd toward , but he was fighting against the human tide.
I backed up against the storefront of a ho goods shop, my eyes darting inside. Annie stalked closer, her wolf form lowering into a hunting crouch. I knew that posture—she was about to lunge again.
The wolf coiled and sprang toward . In a split-second decision, I grabbed a heavy ceramic vase from a display just inside the store entrance and swung with all my might.
A sickening crack echoed through the air.
The vase shattered against Annie’s head mid-leap. She yelped and tumbled to the ground, montarily stunned. I didn’t waste the opportunity, snatching up a fallen tal sign stand as she struggled to regain her footing.
“You want a fight?” I snarled, adrenaline pumping through my veins. “Co get it.”
Blood matted the fur on Annie’s head where I’d struck her, but she shook it off with a growl. Her eyes, wild with hatred, locked onto mine as she gathered herself for another attack.
Before she could pounce, a massive black blur collided with her from the side. Levi’s wolf, with his distinctive midnight coat, had finally broken through the crowd. He slamd into Annie with such force that they skidded across the polished floor, knocking over a bench in the process.
Annie snapped and clawed at Levi, but he was stronger and faster. His jaws clamped around the back of her neck, not breaking skin but holding her firmly against the ground. His massive paws pinned her struggling body.
The mall had mostly cleared now, with only a few brave onlookers watching from a safe distance. Through the now-open space, I saw Lucas and Liam sprinting toward us, fury on their faces.
“Are you hurt?” Lucas demanded as he reached , his hands imdiately going to the bloody gashes on my arm.
“It’s not deep,” I said, wincing as he examined the wound. “I’m okay.”
Liam walked past us, his posture rigid with authority as he approached where Levi had Annie pinned. Samuel Williams stood frozen nearby, his face drained of all color as he witnessed his daughter’s attack. Mia was beside him, hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
“Annie Williams,” Liam’s voice bood with Alpha authority, “shift back. Now.”
Levi maintained his hold as Annie’s wolf form whimpered and trembled under the weight of the command. Slowly, her body began to change, fur receding, bones reshaping until the blonde girl lay there on the ground, clothes torn and hair matted with blood from where I’d hit her.
As soon as she was human again, Levi backed off but remained in wolf form, teeth bared in warning.
Annie imdiately scrambled to her knees, tears streaming down her face. “I didn’t an to!” she sobbed, looking around wildly. “She provoked ! She’s always trying to ruin everything!”
“I was standing across the mall when you shifted and attacked,” I said flatly, my voice steadier than I felt.
Lucas’s arm wound protectively around my waist as he guided forward. The gashes on my arm had already stopped bleeding, thanks to werewolf healing.
“Annie Williams,” Lucas said, his voice like ice, “this is the second ti you’ve attacked the future Luna.”
“I’m sorry!” she wailed, mascara running down her cheeks. “I just—I got so angry, and I couldn’t control myself! Please, I was just upset!”
“It seems like you’ve not learned your lesson,” Liam said, stepping closer to her cowering form. “Banishnt is too rciful for what you’ve done after all.”
Samuel finally found his voice, stepping forward with hands raised. “Please, she’s just a girl who made a mistake—”
“Silence,” Lucas commanded, and Samuel’s mouth snapped shut. “Your daughter attempted to murder our mate. Twice. There is no excuse.”
Two warriors who had been helping manage the crowd now approached, awaiting instructions.
“Take her to the cells,” Liam ordered. “She’ll await judgnt there.”
“The cells?” Samuel’s face went even paler. “But that’s for—”
“Criminals awaiting execution,” Lucas finished coldly. “Yes.”
Annie’s sobs beca hysterical as the warriors grabbed her arms. “No! Daddy, please! I didn’t an to kill her, I swear! I was just so angry! Please don’t let them do this!”
“The pack laws are clear,” Liam continued, addressing the small crowd that had gathered. “Attempted murder of an Alpha’s mate is punishable by death.”
Mia collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably as she watched her friend being dragged away. Samuel stood shell-shocked, the gravity of what had just happened seeming to finally sink in.
I looked over at Levi, still in his wolf form, standing guard. His green eyes t mine, and I could feel his concern pulsing through our bond.
“Let’s get you ho,” Lucas murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple.
Reviews
All reviews (0)