Kingdom of Wolves: Blackshadow - Page 67

But what surprises me more than anything is the kitchen and housekeeping staff. Females standing tall and firm, some holding knives, cleavers or shifted to their wolves.

Pride flows from me and I allow it to seep into everyone standing at the ready. As one, everyone’s head turns to look at me, tipping their heads in respect before turning back to the coming fight.

“FIGHT WELL, KILL THEM FAST, PROTECT THE PACK!” Beta Caleb shouts and again as one the pack raises their faces and howl…Ahwoo…Goosebumps run through my body and I raise my bat ready to do my part.

The noise of rogues grunting, growling, and stinking as they reach us is tremendous. There must be thirty of them, but it doesn’t faze our first line. They throw themselves onto the rogues, and take out one each before I have time to say ‘defend yourselves’.

Baildon and Caleb are with them, killing as many as they can, as fast as they can. I know Baildon is protecting his mate and me with everything in him.

I notice Silas out of the corner of my eye smack one over his head with his spade, then again, once he was down. Finishing with a third hit to cave in the rogue’s head. I feel bile rise but don’t have time to vomit because one of them has gotten through the first three lines and I lift my bat and swing.

Aster, who works in the kitchen, has changed to her wolf and jumps on the rogue, because I’m embarrassed to say I swung my bat and missed his head. I spun around fully and saw Aster take him down and rip his throat out.

LET ME OUT!

Briar doesn’t give me time to agree. She rips out of me and launches herself at the nearest rogue. I retreat to the back of her mind and close my eyes because I can feel the aggression that Briar is throwing and I don’t want to see us ripping rogues or anyone to pieces.

I can hear rogues screaming, growling, and dying. I, as yet, thank the Goddess, have not felt the pack lose a member. Linked to everyone in the pack as Luna, anyone that dies, I will feel the loss, and it’s something I don’t want to happen.

TAKE THAT!

DIE YOU STINKING ASSHOLE!

YUCK, YOU BLEEDING BLACK!

GRRRRRRRRRRR….

Oh my, I have my eyes closed still, but can hear all the fighting, although it sounds less than before. But I can also hear Briar gleefully chanting out all these things. I never knew she was so bloodthirsty!

“Briar, calm down. There are more.” I recognize Swift’s voice, but I also can hear the amusement in it too. My eyes snap open and I see through Briar’s eyes the carnage that has taken place. There are dead rogues everywhere.

Nikko has one around the neck, and with a sharp twist I hear the crack as he snaps the neck and drops the rogue to the ground, before spinning around to find the next he can kill.

Briar allows me to shift back and I’m standing with my bat when a last rogue rushes toward me. I grit my teeth and swing that bat with everything in me. I hit him on the side of his head so hard everyone hears the crack of his neck, but the angle his head is at now shows I snapped his neck with the force of the hit.

Beta Caleb in wolf Magnum’s form lifts his head and howls. Ahwoooo. To which everyone responds, even as I throw my human head back and let a howl fly from between my lips.

“Swift, Noah. Run to the eastern border and check the patrol warriors. If they need help, link and let me know.”

“Yes, Beta Caleb.” Both Swift and Noah reply and shift to their wolves, taking off in a full run.

“Everyone, let’s get a pyre built and get this garbage burned.” I’m amazed at how quickly everyone is responding to Caleb’s orders.

“Was anyone hurt?” I ask Baildon, who has walked toward me with Isla tucked into his side. I can tell he isn’t going to let go of her soon, as his protective instinct has kicked into place.

“Only cuts and bruises. I’ve told them you have lotion and they will apply it between themselves. Silas is fetching what you have from the potting shed, and will take it to the warrior building, where everyone will get seen.” I give Baildon a tap on the forearm but walk past him toward the warrior building because I’ll be checking all the injuries.

Finding only a few in the warrior building, I’m more than a little relieved. I clean and apply lotion, speaking gently to everyone. I get quite a few jokes at my expense about my missing with my first swing of the bat. But, it’s nice for them to be laughing and safe now it’s done.

“Your last swing of the bat was very accurate, Luna Hope.” Stein grins, and I nip the cut on his shoulder tightly together, causing him to wince.

“I’m getting better. But that first swing was way off the mark. He didn’t have to duck his head when he did though. I mean, he could have let me kill him,” I say and somehow keep my face straight.

Stein gives me a blank look, then a grin appears, before he throws his head back in a full out laugh. “Oh my, that would have been something to see.”

The laughter and jokes flow for a while, and as I dismiss the last of them I walk out of the building and back to the packhouse where I’m being followed, I notice, by Hallec and Iona.

“I’m okay. You two don’t have to follow me around.”