Chapter 87

-Angie-

Fae and I led a group of shifters to the right as our ranks began to split. We rushed through the trees, keeping low to the ground and moving swiftly through the dark. It was a plan that, if executed well enough, would give us a fighting chance against the Tally.

That knowledge did nothing however to calm the terror in my chest at the thought of Dorothy. She was out there, right the front of our ranks, taking the heinous shifters head-on.

1 wouldn’t be able to protect her from where I was. I could only hope that she would hold out long enough for me to be able to seek her out, cover her back when things turned ugly.

Fae was running at my side. She must have sensed my unease because she nudged her head against my shoulder as we sped through the shadows. It was a slight comfort, knowing that she was by my side. I knew I could trust Fae to have my back. always.

Somewhere to the left of the hill, Gideon was leading the other group through the forest on that side. The plan was to meet in the middle, on the other side of the Tally army after Dorothy and her group had coaxed them out of the woods and into the open. From there, we would close in. I listened intently for any sign of Gideon and his troops rounding the other side of

the forest.

Through the trees I was able to steal quick glances at the Tally shifters who strode forwards, unaware of our members closing in all around them. My heart clenched painfully when I glimpsed Dorothy at the top of the hill.

Her white wolf was bathed in moonlight, almost ethereal as she stood there, looking down over the approaching enemy Silverlight glinted off of her armor and tinted her für with a shimmering glow.

At that moment she looked invincible, something more than just flesh and blood. But I knew that she was just as vulnerable as the rest of us, if not more. I wanted to abandon the mission and run to her side, to guard her against the oncoming attack. But that would do nothing to help us. All I could do was focus on the plan and pray that she would be safe.

Her howl echoed through the night and reached my pri cked cars. I wanted to howl with her, to warn the enemy that death would come to anyone who touched her. But we had to move silently, one sl*p up and our fighting chance would be dashed.

Up ahead I picked up Gideon’s scent. He and his team were nearby and getting closer, which meant we were almost on the other side of the battle. I heard the roar of the Tally shifters and the thudding echos of wolves lumbering across the land.

Perhaps one of the most unnatural, uncanny things about the Tally shifters, was how they were able to look like wolves. But they possessed none of the qualities of wolves despite their appearances.

They had sacrificed grace for brute strength, speed for power, and natural instincts for insatiable rage. They had tarnished the very nature of their wolf spirits. So much so that I wondered how their inner wolves had allowed for things to come to this in the first place.

I recalled Moirah’s words, her musings over the seemingly dead bird in her study so very long ago. Nature is meant to be tampered with

1 didn’t think that was true, but she had clearly stuck by her word all this time. Nature had indeed been tampered with, and the results were horrifying

I was shaken from my thoughts by the sound of beings approaching through the trees in front of us. Gideon’s scent filled my nose and I guided my team towards where he seemed to be heading

We were supposed to have met up with them already, I was sure of it, but I was beginning to feel disorientated. Gideon’s scent was nearby, but there was something odd about it, something that didn’t feel right. The sound of wolves nearby was off too somehow. The steps were heavier, slower than that of an agile young Bielke shifter.

I pressed on, with my team at my back, following the sound of bodies moving through the trees. I wondered if Gideon had strayed off course somehow but that should have been impossible. Gideon knew this part of the woods better than both Fae

Chapter 87

and I put together

Even on a dark night with only his nose to guide him. Gideon never got lost. Why then was he so off course now? And where was the scent of the rest of his train? I could hear multiple sets of footsteps in the brush but only Gideon’s scent was present in the aut

By the time I realized what was happening, it was far too late. I dug my paws into the fresh earth beneath me, screeching to at hault and growling for my team to do the same. The other sets of lumbering footsteps slowed down and the trees just ahead

of me rustled

Through the dins light. I was able to make out Gideon. He was n*ked, in human form and he seemed to be hovering just above the ground. Far beside me began a deep suspicious growl and I watched as Gideon’s head lolled to the side. His eyes were wide open and empty.

Everything was silent for a moment, and then the Tally shifter that held Gideon’s b*dy in the air tossed him to the side as Live giant shifters stepped into the dappled moonlight.

-Dorothy-

The battle erupted into chaos with the sound of clashing bodies and gnashing teeth. Howls broke out into the clear night and echoed around the open land. Wolves flashed past me in a blur and every shifter found themselves caught in a whirlwind of violent thrashing

Rather than going straight for me as I had expected him to, Johan instead leaped clean over me, choosing instead to sink his teeth to the Bielke shifter than ran behind me.

I turned fast enough to lose my footing and rolled in the grass, climbing back to my feet effortlessly and changing my direction to throw myself, snarling, onto Jalan’s Large rippling back.

My efforts were futile, however, as he broke the shifter’s n*eck with one shake of his massive head and immediately rolled to the side in an attempt to throw me off, almost crushing me under the weight of hint.

I barely had time to regain my bearings when he was gone again, inclted into the swarm of grappling wolves. He was. avosding me on purpose, he was leaving me for last. He wanted me to watch as they tore my people apart.

I hoveled my frustrations as he sl*pped from view. Trying to go after him was difficult as more shifters fell to the floor in front of me, starling and tearing into each other, and blocked my path. Johan disappeared into the kirked-up dust that swirled around us. I saw hus yellow eyes linger on me for a moment before he was gone

The battle around me was loud and overwhelming. It was difficult to determuse friend from foe. The only inkling of who was to be trusted was the from armor that our members donned Scents gelled together and the smell of sweat and blood filled my head and made it ditheult is breathe,

I swung around in circles, evading shifters that barreled towards me and dodging the many grappling bodies that skirmished around me. It was clear that we were no match for the Tally’s brute strength

The Tally was quick to realize, however, that something was very wrong. The iron armor did its job well and agonizing howls broke out from the giant boasts as the iron came into contact with their fur and skin and singed large wounds into their flesh. They were confused, animalistic as they thrashed and backed away from the armored wolves.

A nearby roar had me turning quickly as another Tally shifter launched itself at me. His jaws were foaming and stretched. wide open and I narrowly missed a nasty bite to the n*eck. I darted out of the way and turned to face the rabid shifter.

He tried to attack again but was repelled by the armor and sta ggered backward, shaking his head to clear the ringing that was no doubt going off like a siren inside of his skull. I used the opportunity to run circles around him, confusing him even more as the iron armor continued to mess with his

He howled in frustration and tried to lash out at where he thought I would dart next but missed me by a hair’s breadth. In his disorientated state he was unable to attack and I used the opportunity to shift momentarily.

I had gotten much better at the transformation thanks to my training and I was finally able to do it effortlessly at a moment’s notice without much pain in my limbs. In human form. I sl*pped the iron blade from its health and swiped a crimson line

vat a

11:02 Fri, Jan 26

Chapter 87

across the shifter’s chest

He threw himself to the floor, rolling in agony as the iron took effect and traveled through his b*dy, poisoning every cell as it went. I didn’t have time to mourn the stranger or revel in my success before more Tally shifters approached. Morphing back to wolf was easy enough and I slid the blade back into its sheath as I did so.

Panic rose in my throat when I realized I was surrounded. Four Tally wolves stalked around me, giving me and my iront armor a wide berth but still refusing to let me escape. It was impossible to keep my eyes on all of them at once and I swung my head from side to side in a frantic jerky motion as they waited for the perfect moment to strike.

One of them tried to hurch at me from behind and I dodged quickly. I felt their b*dy glance off of the armor on my back and they yelped as the iron burned a red hot brand on their skin. They rejoined the others and they continued their circling. low growls growing more and more threatening as they were riled up.

Where were the other two teams? They should have reached the other side of the clearing by now. They were meant to have exited the forest behind the Tally in an attempt to corral them into a tight circle.

The two teams were nowhere to be seen and we were in desperate need of backup. Looking around me, I realized that the iron armor would not be enough. Some of the Tally shifters were so manic with adrenaline and whatever other witchcraft flowed through their veins that they didn’t seem to care about the devastating effects of the iron armor.—

They ravaged our members regardless of the fatal injuries they endured. They were sealing their own deaths which were good for us but they were taking down too many of our own with them.

We couldn’t hold out much longer on our own. Without the other two teams, we had no hope of winning this battle.

The four wolves began closing in and I growled a clear warning. This didn’t seem to bother them at all and all four of them chose to attack at once. I steeled myself to fight to the death but thankfully, those snapping bites that I braced myself for

never c um me.

Three of our own wolves darted out of the chaos and threw themselves at the attacking shifters. I repelled the fourth final Tally with the armor on my back.

They crashed into me at full force and sent me flying across the dirt but they didn’t manage to cause any injury asi knocking the air out of my lungs. I curled myself around my stomach as 1 fell, determined to protect my children at

When I got to my feet, the three wolves that had saved me made light work of the remaining shifters.

In human form, they drew blades of their own and I was able to recognize the girl from the cells. Her eyes met mine as she brought her blade to the exposed n*eck of a Tally shifter that had been caught mid-shift. Blood sprayed from the wound and she dropped him to the ground in a gory mess of fir and blood and singed skin.

I had no time to thank her before more wolves were upon us. It was as if they were appearing out of nowhere.

I snapped my teeth at a shifter that attempted to grapple me into a death grip and looked around once more.

“Angie,” I called out in my mind, hoping somehow to hear a response. “Angie, where are you?”

SEND GIFT

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