Fall of the Packs: Blood Ties

Chapter Twenty-Two

Aaron had been in a lot of battles in his life. He'd been training to be a defender since he was eight months old. He'd fought boars and wildcats and even the other packs a time or two. He'd killed a bear. But no fight he'd ever been in was quite like this.

If there was only one word to describe the battle it was chaos. The wolves were as swift as snakes and cunning as foxes, but the majority of them were stronger than the average dog, making them daunting opponents. There was a certain primal fury in the way that they fought that was... unnerving.

But Aaron refused to be intimidated. This was his playground, the thing he'd trained his entire life for. And despite the utter mayhem of the battle, there was a part of him that felt uniquely at ease. It was so easy to just turn your mind off and be swept up in the deadly, enthralling dance of the fight.

When the dogs and wolves had originally collided, Aaron had tried to go straight for Songan, but he'd been swept away by the oncoming tide of wolves. He ended up grappling with a slate gray male about his size. The two snapped at each other's muzzles and Aaron felt a dark sense of satisfaction when he managed to bite his opponent's tongue. The wolf staggered away with a choked howl and Aaron fell on him, grabbing him by the scruff and pulling his head back with a vicious yank. There was a crack and the wolf went still.

For a moment, Aaron was surprised at how he'd reacted with such deadly decisiveness. He'd hadn't killed very many creatures in combat before, especially canine ones. But he soon dismissed the thought; at a time like this, there was no option but to kill or be killed.

Afterwards he wouldn't have been able to recall every wolf he fought or every dog he encountered. One moment he was being ganged up on by two wolves only to be assisted by a mastiff from Night Pack, the next he was fighting back to back with a mountain dog from Frost Pack, and then he was dragging a wolf off of the bleeding body of a Wind Pack collie. He subconsciously began to think of every dog as a packmate, and seeing one of them attacked filled him with the same rage he would have felt were it anyone of the dogs he'd grown up beside.

Now he was trading blows with a white she-wolf who was especially quick. She darted back and forth, landing sharp bites on his legs and dancing out of the way before he could retaliate. Fury began to bubble up inside Aaron and he feinted to the right, tricking the she-wolf into believing he would go in that direction. Just as she lunged he swerved out of the way, causing the she-wolf to stumble and hit the ground. Taking advantage, Aaron grabbed hold of her back leg, ripping his teeth down the length of it. She screamed in pain but he continued to hold on despite her struggles.

"Aaron!"

Surprised at hearing the sound of his name, he released the she-wolf, looking around for the source of the call.

"Look out!"

Just as he turned he saw a huge dark brown wolf come charging for him. The brute's jaws were an inch from his face when a blur of silver-gray slammed into it, knocking it away. Seamus attacked the wolf with a vengeance, clasping his jaws around the ear and pulling viciously. The wolf howled in pain and bucked Seamus off, then whipped around with speed that was astonishing for its bulk. It dove for Seamus' throat and Aaron heard a strangled yelp of pain follow a sickening rip.

"SEAMUS!" Aaron roared. He was about to spring to his packmate's assistance when pain suddenly shot up his spine, stopping him short. The she-wolf had returned and had her teeth clamped around the base of his tail. With a choked sound of fury Aaron twisted around and began to snap madly, doing anything to get her to let go. At last, after he ripped most of the fur from the side of her flank, a tangle of dog and wolf who were locked in battle suddenly came through, inadvertently rolling over the she-wolf and forcing her to relinquish her grip.