Almost half the wolves stepped back, barking hysterically. Some whimpered and turned in circles, looking at their Packmaster for guidance.
Axel glanced over his shoulder at Austin. “If I live to tell my grandkids about this, I’m going to advise them never to do anything this asinine.” He approached Naya’s panther and knelt beside her.
Naya was still in there and probably had a little control, because her cat stretched out her neck and smelled his face.
I’d never seen such a tough-looking man look like petrified wood. He could have been a lawn ornament for how still he was. And with his bald head and white goatee, he kind of favored a garden gnome.
“All right, boys. Play nice,” Axel said, coaxing his pack toward them.
A few wolves bravely darted forward at the cat—almost as if they were playing with her—and then circled behind the others. Axel slowly rose to his feet and dragged a few stubborn ones over until they smelled each other.
Meanwhile, my stomach was turning round and round like a carriage on a Ferris wheel.
Wheeler widened his legs, lowered his chin, and kept his arms folded. Spartacus sat next to him, swishing his tail back and forth.
Naya’s panther growled, and the rumbling sound was the kind of thing that sent chills up a man’s spine. When I looked at the windows, noses were pressed against the glass—expressions ranging from disbelief to fear.
Naya’s animal was tough, but against a pack of twenty wolves? There was no telling.
My heart raced, and I struggled for a calming breath, blowing it out slowly so as not to frighten the little baby inside me.
One of the wolves lunged, and Axel hooked his arm around the aggressor’s neck before he made contact with the panther. “Back down!” Axel shoved him to the ground and slapped his nose, glaring at him until the wolf submitted.
Wheeler lowered his arms and took a step forward. Whether it was a panther pit or an entire pack of wolves, he’d fight for his woman.
To the death.
The pack grew restless, pacing in circles, so Axel stood up with outstretched arms. “Shift!” The command was so powerful it raised the hair on the back of my neck.
The wall of fur moved, changed, and transformed into men and women who were either kneeling down or sitting up.
Axel’s pack rose to their feet in stunned silence, watching the panther pacing before them and owning her territory with a fierce swipe of her paw.
Austin raked his hair back, his voice filled with relief. “Naya, shift.”
With a reluctant growl, her cat circled around and changed into an even more beautiful creature, black curls of hair covering her shoulders as she rose from all fours and stood up.
A few of the men couldn’t take their eyes off her, and it had nothing to do with her being a panther.
Wheeler stalked forward when one of them in the back whistled and a few laughs erupted. “If you like those eyeballs you’re giving my woman, then you better get them off her.”
Wheeler didn’t just lay down the threat—he made it clear he’d carry it out with a spoon and a smile on his face. All eyes lowered, and a few of them conversed privately.
Naya slipped into her nude-colored dress and lifted her shoes with two fingers, giving Wheeler a playful pat on the behind as she passed by him. He glanced over his shoulder at her, eyes smoldering with each swing of her shapely hips.
Austin waved me over. “Your turn.”
I folded my arms. “Not until they shift back!”
Axel chuckled, looking at his naked pack. “You heard the lady.”
While the men reluctantly shifted back to their wolves, I gripped the railing and carefully stepped down. Now that my belly was in full effect, I couldn’t see where I was going, not to mention my balance was all off-center.
Austin stalked across the lawn and made it to the bottom step before I did. He hooked his arms beneath mine and lifted me to the ground.
“Light as a feather,” he said, huffing out a breath.
“Liar.”
“Don’t be afraid, Ladybug. I’m not going to let them hurt you,” he assured me. “No matter what kind of alliance I have with Axel, I won’t blink an eye about tearing his men apart if they step out of line.” He brushed his knuckles across my cheek and put me at ease. “You can do this.”
“You better promise, because I can’t shift, and I sure can’t run.”
He leaned in tight. “I don’t think I have to tell you that every male and female in our pack is standing in the windows and ready to bolt out that door if anything goes wrong. You’re their alpha female, and they’ll die for you.”
“Is Reno upstairs with the gun?”
“He’s sitting on the ledge of the upstairs window. It’s making Axel nervous, so let’s get this over with.”