“You came all this way to make an offer when you could have just started the war already?”
Judas planted his fists on his hips and took his time scanning the property. “My strategy is none of your business.”
The cacophony of barks, snarls, and yelps broke out from wolves fighting on the side of the house.
“Not everyone has your patience,” Austin bit out. “Stall for as long as you want; we’ll be waiting. Until then, don’t fuck with my pack, and stay away from Lexi. You lost the right to protect her the day you turned your back on a pregnant woman.”
Judas lowered his arms and shifted his stance. “Child, you don’t seem to comprehend what I’m offering you. What’s in the past is done. This is your last opportunity. If you’re a smart wolf, then you’ll consider this with more regard. Give me your fealty, and in return, I’ll give you life. When I walk away, you’ll be treated no differently than anyone else.”
A wolf yelped, and another fight erupted from the back of the house.
“Enough!” Judas bellowed at his men. “Control them.”
Lorenzo snapped his fingers and several of his men ran toward the commotion.
Austin turned. “Get in the house, Lexi. Now.”
My heart raced as I shoved through the crowd with Ivy beside me.
“That wicked devil,” she hissed. “Don’t listen to him. He brought his men here tonight in order to intimidate us.”
Inside, some of the Packmasters were struggling to prevent their men from shifting. We cautiously moved around two wolves, heading toward the back of the house. Ivy branched off, shouting orders at her men.
“Where is everyone?” I asked Reno.
He joined my side. “Half of them are guarding the kids in one of the rooms.”
“And the other half?”
I could barely keep up with him as he hurried through a pristine kitchen toward an open back door.
“The rest were outside when it started. Before word got back to them about what was going down, a few rogues wandered into the crowd. The verbal arguments didn’t last long, and a few shifted.” Reno stopped, his voice grim. “Trevor was one of them.”
“Oh God.”
Everyone knew Trevor loved a fight, but mostly in human form. He wasn’t the strongest wolf in the pack, but he was fearless.
A large group of people were circled around a wolf fight.
“Let’s move out!” a rogue shouted from the edge of the tree line.
Two wolves battled—rising up on their hind legs, the whites of their eyes gleaming, fangs tinted with blood.
A third wolf, multicolored, was lying on his side, unmoving.
My heart stammered in my chest. “That’s Trevor.”
The two wolves moved rapidly in a primal dance—tufts of fur flying and no one attempting to break it up. In fact, most were rooting for one over the other. The rule at peace parties was to let the wolves fight it out until the other submitted. Bystanders knew to keep their distance; one bite, and they could shift, causing allies to turn on one another in the heat of the moment. The fights were never to the death, but these were intruders, and that complicated matters.
Ivy appeared beside me and gripped my arm. “The dark grey one with the black markings—that’s William.”
I knew. She didn’t have to tell me what my packmate looked like. No one could get near Trevor to help because William and the rogue were almost on top of him.
Reno drew his gun and aimed. “Dammit, I can’t get a clear shot!”
William’s wolf locked his jaws around the other animal’s throat and gave it a violent shake. The wolf stilled and fell to the ground—injured but not dead. In a fluid movement, William shifted to human form.
An alpha knelt before Trevor’s injured wolf and lifted his eyelids, coaxing him to shift. I held my breath for what seemed like an eternity, hoping Trevor was still conscious.
Meanwhile, two men grabbed the rogue wolf by the hind legs and dragged him out of sight.
Trevor shifted and rolled over in his own blood. When he struggled to sit up, William gathered him into his arms and stood up. Reno collected their clothes, and I stepped out of the way when William stalked toward the back door with feral eyes.
I gripped Reno’s bicep. “We need to get everyone out.”