The black wolf sensed the presence of five cougar shifters. The felines were not on the ground. Each one was positioned on a tree branch.

As his Alpha shifted before him, and the gray-white wolf—Eli—flanked him, the black wolf sensed that Derren wanted dominance. He drew back and gave his human half control.

“One of us needs to lure them out of the trees,” Nick whispered to Derren and Eli when they shifted. “If we don’t, they’ll just climb as high as they can and hop from tree to fucking tree.”

Derren agreed. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Me and Eli will drop back and then noisily bolt into the clearing, as if in a panic.”

Eli nodded. “I counted five of them. There are eight of us. The odds are in our favor.”

Cougar shifters had the advantage in a one-to-one fight, as they were much stronger than wolves. But a pack of eight against a pride of five could potentially win, but not without serious injuries.

“Everyone but me will pair up,” said Nick. “Two wolves versus one cougar should come out on top.” Not prepared to waste any time, Derren shifted. Eli followed his lead.

The black wolf and the gray-white wolf ran a distance away before loudly rushing through the forest. They burst into the clearing, instantly going back-to-back as they scanned the trees. Ambushes were typical of cougar shifters.

The fake cries stopped instantly. Five cougars leaped out of the trees, hissing and snarling. All were males, and all were dominant. The black wolf curled back his lips, exposing fangs and gums, as he growled in warning at the trespassers that wanted to hurt his pack. The cougar before him, bulkier than the others, took a single step forward. The wolf’s hackles raised, and his ears flattened as he again bared his teeth with a growl. Each of the cougars snarled in response.

A howl split the air, making the cougars freeze. The rest of the pack hiding in the trees rushed into the clearing. They attacked without hesitation. Four of the cougars twisted to defend themselves. But the fifth was focused on the black wolf.

The gray-white wolf lightly brushed his body against the black wolf. Growling, the two wolves circled the hissing cougar. Then the wolves lunged and slammed into the cougar’s sides. A heavy paw batted the black wolf’s muzzle, raking him with sharp claws. The scent of blood filled the air. The black wolf jerked back, shaking his head.

The cougar twisted and pounced on the other wolf, snapping his jaws. The Head Enforcer yelped, and blood sprayed on the ground. Anger surged through the black wolf, and he leaped onto the cougar’s back. The feline shrieked as claws and teeth sank into him. The gray-white wolf mercilessly ripped off the cougar’s ear. Another shriek.

A heavy weight suddenly crashed into the black wolf, making him lose his purchase on the cougar and slam into the ground. Then a second cougar was standing over him, snarling. He went to slice open the wolf’s exposed stomach, but a blur of dark gray barreled into the cougar, knocking him aside.

Quickly the black wolf righted himself and moved to aid the female—Roni—who had helped him. But her mate had now reached her side. Confident the female didn’t need his aid, the black wolf turned back to his initial opponent. The cougar was trying to wrap his jaws around the gray-white wolf’s head. The black wolf knew that such a move could crush his pack mate’s skull. Just in time, the Head Enforcer jerked back and avoided the jaws. Then both wolves slammed into the cougar again.

The feline shrieked as two sets of teeth and claws sank into him. He turned just enough to swipe the black wolf’s flank, claws tearing away fur and skin. But neither wolf released him. Together, they wrestled the feline to the ground and onto his back. Straddling the cougar, the black wolf tore out his throat as he slashed open his stomach with his claws. Both wolves howled their victory.

As the black wolf turned, he saw his pack mates stood around, their sides heaving as blood oozed from several wounds. He too was bleeding and panting. In pain. Tired.

Four maimed, lifeless cougars were sprawled on the ground. The fifth was back in his human form, as was the black wolf’s Alpha. Sensing that Derren wanted dominance, the black wolf ceded control.

Derren hissed through gritted teeth as he stood upright. He was bleeding and aching like a son of a bitch—especially with the fucking slashes on his face and down his sides—but he shelved the pain. Approaching Nick, Derren realized that the fifth cougar was dying; blood poured from several wounds and trickled from his mouth.

“Who was it?” Nick demanded, crouched beside the shifter.

The shifter’s upper lip curled. “I wouldn’t tell you even if I knew,” he wheezed angrily.

“You don’t like that your friends here are dead? Then you shouldn’t have come after me and my pack. You should have known better.”

“He doesn’t know who put the hit out on us?” asked Derren.

“So he says.”

“Do you think he’s telling the truth?” panted Jesse. With the harsh bite mark on his ear and the very deep gashes on his chest and back, he’d suffered the worst injuries.

Nick nodded. “Whoever’s behind all this wants to remain anonymous. If they didn’t, we’d know who it is by now. But Donovan still can’t find out. And Donovan can find out anything.”

“People will keep coming,” the cougar wheezed, an ugly smirk surfacing on his sweating face. “They have a hundred thousand reasons to do it.”

Nick glanced down at him. “But now you know it wasn’t worth the risk, don’t you? And so will anyone else who comes.” He turned to the pack. “Let’s go. My mate is going insane with worry.” Nick would be able to feel it through their mating bond.