Page 58 of My Boyfriend Marks Trees
So are we.
Ares gave no warning, and yet one of the wolves heard him coming and turned his head just as Ares soared. The russet wolf could do nothing to stop Ares from slamming into his side, tumbling them both in a tangle of limbs. Jaws clacked as they strove to dominate. Not really much of a contest because Ares was the bigger wolf—meaner, too, with his princess threatened.
He clamped his teeth around a neck and squeezed, kept crunching even as bones snapped, kept applying pressure until the body went limp. Not exactly the kind of thing he wanted princess to see, but at least there was little blood.
Before he’d fully unlatched, another wolf came barking at him. Ares avoided getting bitten only narrowly. This wolf was older and wilier. Obviously experienced in fighting, judging by the scars bisecting its fur. They rolled in the snow as each sought to get a killing hold. A sharp yip was the only warning he got before another of the mongrels latched onto his leg. The pain proved fleeting, as Athena slammed into the brute, knocking him free.
While Ares dealt with his pair, the biggest wolf lunged at Athena, grabbing her fur with his teeth and yanking hard enough his sister yelped.
Athena!
How dare he injure our sibling.
Ares uttered a mighty howl and kicked his paw out at the wolf still nagging him. The surprise move, which didn’t involve teeth, resulted in a claw raking across the other beast’s eye. It howled in pain and recoiled, shaking its head. It wasn’t interested in fighting anymore, but his companion hadn’t learned its lesson yet. The brindled wolf came at Ares, jaw dripping drool, rabid with bloodlust. It made him clumsy. Ares moved to the side as it lunged and whipped his head around to grab it by the neck, hardenough the neck snapped. The body went limp, leaving Ares free to handle the big brute going after Athena.
He hung his head low and snarled, drawing the wolf’s attention away from his sister. Athena moved to the left, trapping the brute between them.
Some might say, not fair, two against one, but fairness didn’t exist in the lycanthrope world. It especially didn’t exist for a piece of shit who abused women and terrorized children.
As if synchronized, they both lunged at Barry—had to be him, as the others lacked the alpha vibe. The brute swung his head left and right, snapping his teeth, snarling, but couldn’t stop the attack. Athena sank her teeth into his haunch, possibly severing a tendon, seeing as how the leg went limp. Ares aimed for the neck but missed and got a mouthful of fur.
Barry realized he was outmatched and shook himself free before running away, slowly, his injured leg dragging. Ares could have let him go, but so long as the fucker breathed, he’d pose a danger to Charly and Greta. To his whole family.
Ares uttered a sharp bark.
Stay with the pup,the command for his sister before Ares went after Barry. Unlike the injured enemy, he remained sleek and fast. The woods he navigated might have been unfamiliar, but the scents were ones he’d grown up with. Fir tree. Pine. On an open stretch, where Barry tried to pick up some speed, he spotted a depression in the fresh fallen snow and remembered a conversation he’d had with Derek a while back.
“Just so you know, if you ever decide to wolf out on the property, keep in mind Grams and Gramps have set traps in the woods. Stick to the main paths to avoid them.”
“What kind of traps?” he’d asked.
“Metal jaws, snares, even some pits. You should see the bear they found in one last year.”
The recollection slowed his steps, but Barry didn’t slow. He ran over the sunken spot.
Which dropped, taking the wolf with it!
Ares cautiously approached the pit, making sure to steer clear of the edge but still peeking over the side to see.
A wolf’s body, its head bent at an unnatural angle, lay at the bottom, the death abrupt. Final.
The terror the man caused, over.
Good.
Even better, Barry hadn’t had time to shift, meaning he’d remain a wolf, so no body to get rid of.
With that threat handled, Ares trotted back for his sister and Greta. The wolf he’d blinded had fled, no longer interested in a fight he couldn’t win. Ares debated going after him, but a distant yelp and sharp howl, which ended abruptly, made him think it wouldn’t be necessary.Thank you, Grams and Gramps, for being paranoid.
Athena stood in front of the rock, shielding Greta’s body with her own.
Ares trotted close and slunk down so as to not loom over the little pup.
Big eyes regarded him, and his princess uttered a small whining noise. He edged closer and huffed.
Don’t be afraid.
Despite it being her first shift, she understood he meant no harm and crept out from behind Athena until she could rub noses with him.