Goading

                                    

                                          
My stomach flops and I feel sick. Oh god, it's happening.
                          
At the same time, I feel my wolf get excited. She's ready. I draw from her strength. "Where are they?"
                          
"In the shadows. Out of the light Dad set up."
                          
I walk to the door, but Mom grabs me and fiercely pulls me into a hug. "I love you Sang. Never forget."
                          
I hug her back, not liking the sound of her goodbye. "I love you, too. We'll be okay."
                          
Grandma gives me a hug as well and I go out, shutting the door behind me.
                          
I join the others in front of the porch and they immediately surround me. "Where's Grandpa?"
                          
"I'm right here, Sang." Grandpa sidles up next to me with his gun and wraps an arm around my shoulders Joe's on the other side of him.
                          
Owen looks down at me, his face hard, but eyes tender. "If we don't survive this-" I open my mouth to object, but he cuts me off, "If we don't survive this, Sean has already contacted the Academy. They're too far to help us now, but if they don't hear from us, they know you've been taken. They'll find you Sang."
                          
I can't even think about that and have no words. His eyes run over my face and he steps forward toward the forest, Cole and Ethan going with him. I look around at the others. They have similar determined expressions, but behind them are looks of regret and longing.
                          
.....They've come to terms that they may die. I refuse to do the same. They'll make it. We all will. We have to.
                          
Grandpa kisses me on the forehead, he and Joe go back onto the porch, in front of the door. Those inside are at the windows, waiting. Finn gives me a tight smile and I give one back.
                          
Maniacal laughter rings from the tree line. "Well, look at this, you've joined them Cole?"
                          
A man who looks similar to him walks into the lighted area, grinning. Behind, a group of men follow. My god. They look fierce, hard. And there's so many compared to us. I knew this already, but seeing it... is different.
                          
Cole laughs back at this father. "I've joined no one. I figured I'd take this opportunity to kill you."
                          
The grin leaves his father's face. "Stupid." he spits. "Your blood will spill right here."
                          
Cole shrugs, "And I'll be looking at your corpse."
                          
His father turns his attention to Owen. "Just hand over the she-wolf and we'll leave. She'll be ours no matter what. It's up to you whether you live another day."
                          
Owen clenches his fists. "She's not yours to take."
                          
Another man who looks like Cole rushes forward, and stops next to his father. "She's mine. I triggered her awakening."
                          
I hold back the shudder that wants to escape. So that's Levi. I only ever saw his wolf.
                          
"That means nothing. You know that." Owen replies. "She's part of my pack."
                          
"Has she been claimed?" Cole's dad smirks.
                          
"She will be."
                          
"Ah...  so she hasn't. Don't worry, Levi will take good care of her. As will I. I have a connection to her anyway."
                          
What?
                          
"Enough talk," Cole snarls.
                          
"Yes, I agree," his father sneers. "I'll just kill you as I did the she-wolf's father."
                          
My blood turns cold. "What?" I choke.
                          
He looks passed Owen and Cole to me, "Well, hello. Aren't you pretty? But of course you are, so was your grandmother."
                          
I feel my eyes start to warm. "What do you mean you killed my father? He died in a car accident."
                          
He gives me a mocking sad face. "Well, now, that would have to be quite the accident to kill a shifter." He shakes his head and smiles evilly. "No, my dear, I killed him. I to keep a promise I made my father and brothers before they were executed. They knew Jude had lived and left the responsibility of killing him to me. After centuries of searching, I finally found him, quite by coincidence. We were at the same restaurant. He was a worthy opponent, but out of practice. Of course, I put his mangled body in his car and made it look like an accident that ended in a fireball at the bottom of a gorge." He shrugs.
                          
He killed my dad...  My poor dad was ripped apart by this...  beast. A rage I've never known before explodes inside of me, my growling echoing through the night. The shifters around me, growling and snarling too.
                          
Levi's laughing as his father raises an amused brow at me. "Want to play?"
                          
All hell breaks loose.