Chapter 12: 12: The First Attack

MAX

I can’t recall ever feeling this worried about my siblings. Melanie had mind-linked me, and I’m guessing she did the same with Dad.

Beck had alerted Jackson, and the warriors were notified in a heartbeat. A small battalion was already racing away from our territory, heading toward Billings.

We stuck to the cover of the trees, off the road, to avoid being seen by humans. Not that many humans ventured this way, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

I tried to mind-link Melanie again, but she was blocking me. I figured she was doing it to focus on fighting the rogues.

Beck had shared more details with Jackson. They were on their way back from the dance when they ran into about twenty wolves blocking the road.

Beck had to stop the SUV to avoid hitting them. As soon as he rolled down his window, he could smell they were rogues.

He tried to reverse, but a truck had appeared behind them, blocking their way. The vehicle was surrounded, the rogues banging on the windows and trying to pry the doors open.

The only thing saving them was that the SUV was reinforced and bulletproof. The glass was nearly indestructible.

We always used vehicles like this when we went into town, since we were off pack land. The whole situation seemed too well planned.

Both beta heirs and three of the alpha heirs in one vehicle could spell disaster for our pack if we didn’t get there in time. This had to be an inside job.

Someone must have tipped off these rogues about their travel plans. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

My heart was pounding as my large black wolf sprinted through the dark forest, flanked by my father’s black wolf and Beta Jackson’s gray wolf.

My father had insisted my mother stay behind, saying they needed leadership to protect the pack if the fight reached our pack land.

We left Mom in her white wolf form, pacing the road in front of the pack house, surrounded by additional warriors. Grandpa was there too, and despite his age, he was still a formidable alpha wolf.

Sometimes, my wolf Bo was hard to rein in. My temper extended to my wolf, and he could be downright brutal when angry.

He was itching to take full control, and I had to keep reminding him that we didn’t know what we were running into. He was growling in my head the entire time we ran.

We had to get to them before anything happened.

MELANIE

I was stunned by the number of rogues surrounding the vehicle. I knew Max and Dad would bring help as fast as they could, but I hoped it would be before the rogues managed to breach the vehicle.

I couldn’t understand how this large group found us and knew exactly which vehicle to stop. How did they know?

I glanced at Beck. He seemed calm as he slowly put the vehicle in drive, trying to inch it forward. It didn’t seem to make much difference.

The crowd around us was large, and a massive box truck was blocking the road behind us. “Beck,” I whispered. “What’s our plan?”

Beck looked at me, worry etched on his face. He didn’t want the younger wolves to panic, so he mind-linked me.

~“I think we just wait it out. I don’t know how we can get around them. Let’s hope the reinforcements arrive soon. We’re safest just staying put.”~

I nodded at him and then turned to check on everyone in the back seat. Selene sat with a stoic expression, arms crossed over her chest.

Carter looked slightly worried, his fists clenched in his lap, but otherwise, he was still. Macy was in the back, fear written all over her face as Jaydon held her hand, reassuring her that everything would be okay.

Macy jumped every time they pounded on the rear windows. She was only fifteen and had just started training this past year.

I was grateful that Mom had insisted my sister and I start training when we were still young pups. Before we even had our wolves, she had been teaching us to defend ourselves.

Suddenly, I heard a solid thud against my window. I turned to see two men, slamming crowbars against my window.

“Beck, how long will this glass hold up against crowbars?” I asked him as I tried to slide closer to him, away from my window.

“I’m not sure, to be honest. It’s tough to break, but not impossible. I’m going to try and move forward some more.”

As he tried to inch forward, something tugged on the rear of the vehicle, pulling it back. What the hell?

I turned in my seat to look behind us. The bright lights of the truck behind us were now shining into the rear window.

Even through the dark tint, I could see it backing up. It was pulling us with it. Jaydon turned in his seat and sucked in a breath.

“They hitched a chain to the truck,” he stated. Panic was now setting in. We had to figure out a way to get out of this mess.

I kicked off my shoes and took off my jacket. “What are you doing?” Beck asked, looking at me with curiosity.

“I’m getting ready to shift. We can’t just sit here like sitting ducks.”

“What are you thinking, Melanie? There are like twenty of them and six of us. I already know that Macy isn’t going to be able to fight them off. We don’t stand much of a chance.”

He had grabbed my hand at this point, trying to get me to stop what I was doing. “I know, but if they break this window, I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

I looked to the side where they continued to slam the crowbar against my window. I reached under my seat and pulled out the knife I had stowed there.

I never left the pack lands without some sort of protection. I knew for a fact that Selene probably had some weapons stashed too.

I looked back at her and held up my dagger. She nodded and reached under her seat, where she pulled out two daggers and some throwing stars.

The stars were a new addition to her weapon stash, and she was getting good with them. Carter sucked in a breath when he saw them.

“Damn, Selene, you don’t mess around,” he hissed. She just gave him a smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

“Jaydon, do you have any weapons with you?” I asked. He nodded and pulled open his suit jacket, revealing his own dagger, strapped to his side.

Our parents had truly turned us into deadly warriors. “I have an idea,” I told Beck. “Maybe I can get them to back off a bit.”

Before he could respond, I rolled my window down just a little bit. The crowbars stopped, and two hands wrapped over the top of my window.

Without any hesitation, I slashed my knife across the fingers, severing several digits. Blood spurted into the SUV.

I heard a scream and another hand grabbed the top of the window. I slashed at that hand too and as soon as it pulled away, I rolled the window back up.

“Beck, I don’t think they’re going to be swinging anything if they can’t hold onto their weapons,” I say, trying to reassure him.

“Melanie, you might have just made them even angrier,” he replies, his voice filled with concern.

MAX

A scream of pain pierces the air, followed by another. I don’t know who they’re coming from, but they spur me to run faster.

The rogues are close—I can smell their foul stench. ~“Max, they’ve hooked something to the back of the car. They’re trying to pull us backward,”~ Beck’s voice echoes in my mind.

~“I’m almost there,”~ I assure him. As we approach the crowd, I’m certain they can sense our presence.

It’s hard to tell with their overpowering smell, but I can’t imagine they aren’t expecting us. We’ve already planned our attack, so there’s no hesitation.

I glance to my left and see my father’s wolf, Thor, launching himself into the air. He’s a force to be reckoned with, never hesitating.

My father always said that hesitation gets you killed. I watch as Thor crashes into the crowd, claws outstretched.

He sinks his teeth into a large rogue who seems to be leading the others. Thor rips a chunk from his throat, and the rogue leader collapses, blood pouring from his wound.

By now, the others know we’re here, and the scene descends into chaos—blood and snarls fill the air as we fight the rogues in the middle of the road.

I head for the back of the SUV, focusing on the driver’s side of the huge truck behind it. The driver doesn’t notice me.

I reach out, claws ready, and pull him from the cab. I slash his throat and toss him aside like a rag doll.

There’s another man in the passenger seat who’s managed to scramble into the driver’s seat and roll up the window. The truck keeps moving backward, pulling the SUV with it.

It’s getting dangerously close to a steep drop-off. The rogue driver seems determined to take us all down with him. I have to stop him.

I race to each tire, puncturing them with my claws, hoping they’ll deflate before he can get much further. Despite my efforts, he keeps reversing, sparks flying as the wheels scrape the pavement.

Suddenly, two of my pack warriors join me. We quickly plan how to stop the truck, deciding to run to the front and pull at the rope tied to the SUV.

If we combine our strength, we might be able to untie it. Our claws could even cut through it.

All around me, chaos reigns. Then, the sound of breaking glass and snarling from the passenger side of the SUV grabs my attention.

I don’t waste a second—I sprint around to the side to find a rogue halfway through the front passenger window.

Blood sprays everywhere as he falls backward into his comrades, his throat slashed open. The door swings open, and my sister Melanie jumps out, shifting mid-air.

“NOOOOOO!” I hear myself scream. Fear grips me for my sister, even though I know she’s a skilled warrior.

Her wolf form might not be as large as mine, but it’s still formidable. She growls, blood dripping from her jaws as she attacks another rogue.

I watch as one of the vile creatures jumps onto her back, igniting a rage within me. I shift and throw myself into the fight.