Page 34 of Silver Claw

Voss didn’t care about rules.

“Yes,” she told me. “He has at least two dozen warriors with him. He said he’s just playing with what’s his, as though what he’s doing isn’t against every pack law there is.”

My rage was already swirling. “Where’s Jared?”

“He had to know Jared was gone,” she said. “Or he wouldn’t have attacked us. The beta is here, but he’s not Jared, is he?”

Jared’s new beta was a tall, imposing wolf named Leonard Bosch whose ferocity rivaled Joe’s—as did his heart.

I hoped we could trust this one.

“Mom,” I said, calmly, despite my racing heart, “what is this man doing?”

“He’s his wolf, Kaity,” she murmured, tears in her voice. “And he’s killing us.”

I’d found him.

Now I just had to kill him.

Ihad to kill him, because dawn was coming and the vampires couldn’t help. Joe and Bastien would be forced into sleep. Jared was gone.

I was the alpha in charge, and I would lead Jared’s beta and his people into a battle that would end with the Iron Fang alpha and his men bleeding out on the ground.

And I had a bad feeling that was going to be easier said than done.

“Mother,” I said, my fear taking over my common sense, “I want you to find a safe place to hide, and—”

Abruptly, before I could say another word, her voice changed into something stone cold and raging, and I knew she was about to shift. “His wolves are attacking ours. I’m not hiding anywhere.”

And then she was gone.

I hit the steering wheel, tears of frustration and terror in my eyes. Nothing was making sense. I sped down the highway, too fast, but not fast enough. I called Jared’s phone, and when he didn’t answer, I opened myself up and sent my panic straight to his heart. Not just alpha to alpha, but bond to bond.

He would feel it, and he would come.

“I’ve called our pack,” Joe said, his voice tight. “We’ll kill them all. They broke the rules first.”

He wasn’t wrong. Voss had broken the rules, and we were going to stomp on those broken pieces and grind them into dust.

Right then, I couldn’t have cared less what the council might say about it. Or what they might do.

But I cared a lot about the fact that I could no longer go in and obliterate a pack of hostile wolves. I would have to fight, but on their level. And that worried me.

“Joe,” I said, hating what I had to tell him. “The safe place Jared built for you at Shadowfield. Take it as soon as we get there. You have to sleep and I don’t want some asshole delaying you.”

Dawn hadn’t yet arrived, but it was looming. And already, I could see the strain of it on his face. He wasn’t old enough yet to fight a coming dawn. Bastien could stay awake until just before it hit, but Joe could not.

“There’s time for me to kill Voss before I have to hide,” he said.

“There’s not,” I told him. And before he could argue further, I glanced at him. “I can’t lose you, Joe. I can’t.”

“Dammit, Kaity,” he muttered, and I knew he’d do as I asked.

He didn’t really have a choice.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I’ve got this.”

And I even sounded like I meant it.