Chapter 280

“Well, that would be a shame, seeing you only just got here.” A female voice startles us from somewhere to the left, sounding almost smug, confident, and so clear and loud it rings as if spoken right at our ears. We can’t see anyone at all, and we all turn instinctually, claws ripping out and teeth baring as we crowd together back-to-back to make one fierce bubble of wolf aggression. I am leaning down, poised, and ready to turn as my eyes glow with intention and every red alert signal explodes inside my body. “Who are you? Who said that?” I call out harshly, my voice laced with a growl as my heart hammers through my chest like a ward rum, and a rustle of some nearby bushes alerts us to a dark figure slowly walking into the clearing. We three seem to shift into an almost crawl pose, ready to fight and take down our intruder, hackles rising, blood pumping and unified in awareness, alert aggression, and yet heavy wariness. She steps into view, although shrouded in shadow, but I can still