chapter 23(2)

“Kat, get inside and lock it down!” Ezra orders, and I look for Maddox to see him fighting three bulky wolves. My father is still fighting the man from before, but apparently he's forced him to shift. Oddly, I don’t see the other one anywhere. Angie and Jasmine shift back, also running for the packhouse and me. Jasmine grabs my arm, hauling me to my feet and forcing me to run toward the back door. My mother's voice rings above the fighting. “Kat!” she screams through the link when I hear the first shot fired, echoing off the trees, just as Maddox kills the last of the three wolves. Jasmine jerks me out of the way, and the breeze of the bullet swishes past me. Maddox growls, and darts away from his kills, running, so fast clumps of dirt are scattered as he races to the side. I lift my eyes to see what's going on, and I see the other man has returned to the battle, and he's got a gun in his hand. He has it aimed directly at me. Time comes to a crawl. The shot rings out, the sound so loud