Chapter 1: I'll Stand and Fight

Brenna

“Hi-yah!” I yelled, lunging at Dane Hall, my sworn mentor and protector.

But he dodged out of the way, narrowly escaping my blade. He chuckled, standing ready, but clearly amused. “Excellent, Princess Brenna! You’re getting better!”

“Well, I’m not finished yet!” Anticipating that his attack would come from the right, I lunged toward the left and grazed his arm, cutting through his shirt. Blood beaded up along the superficial wound.

“Oh! I’m so sorry—”

“Do not ever be sorry,” he replied in a British accent, looking down at the wound. “Very good, Brenna! You anticipated!” He retook his defensive position. This time, he attacked me, and I caught his blade with mine and twirled away, then locked my sword with his, coming to a stop, face to face.

“Very good!” Dane stepped away, running his fingers through his hair. “But I think that’s enough practice for today—”

Suddenly, wolves leaped over the huge wall. Some leaped onto the top and then jumped down. 

“Attack!” Dane yelled, pulling me behind him. “Brenna, run!”

“No!” I yelled, donning my fighting stance. “I’m fighting!”

Dane took my shoulders, looking into my eyes. “Run!” His voice was shriller than ever before.

“No! I’m not leaving you!”

I looked across the courtyard, and a few of the wolves morphed into their human forms, completely nude and headed toward the gate. Some were killed by the High Claw Warriors, but a white wolf came out of nowhere and leaped at the neck of a guard, ripping his head off. Blood gushed from his body as I watched in horror.

“No!” I screamed. The wolf looked across the courtyard, and the white wolf’s body began to shake, shimmering as he rose to his feet in his human form. He was completely nude with white hair, even though his face looked young. He smirked, giving me a sinister smile as he unlocked the gates. “No!”

“Brenna, it’s too late to run.” Dane donned his fighting stance, not leaving my side. Then his head snapped up, his eyes filled with concern. “Are you ready for this?”

I nodded. “Bring it on.”

Just then, a wolf jumped onto the landing, and I took off its head with one sipe of my sword and then stabbed another as it jumped up. The landing was a stone porch, circular with stairs, but with no railing... and the front door of the Compound was right behind us.

More wolves ran up the stairs, but Dane ran one through with his sword and then took the head off another.

“Behind you!” Dane yelled, and I swung around just as a wolf leaped toward me. I rammed my blade through his chest, impaling him, and then let his remains fall onto the bloody porch. He immediately morphed back into his human form. “Brenna, we’re the Compound’s last line of defense! Whatever you do, do not let anyone get past!”

“I won’t!” I yelled, cutting the legs off another wolf and then its head as the human body parts landed on the stone porch. I pushed them over the edge with my foot.

Just then, three wolves jumped onto the landing behind Dane. “Dane!” I rushed over and took one of them down, but then a wolf leaped toward me, and Dane stepped in front of me, taking the blow meant for me. His eyes were wide looking into my eyes as he fell lifeless onto the ground.

“No!” I leaped off the porch as a red haze with black edges covered my vision, and shimmers ran over my body. I landed on four silver paws and bolted toward the giant white wolf. If I was going down, I was taking him with me. He was the one responsible for this, for leading his Pack through the gates, and he was going to pay.

“Brenna, where are you?” my father asked in my mind, obviously in his wolf form. Wolf-shifters can only communicate long distances through the Pack Mind in their wolf forms, if they are part of the same Pack.

“Father! I’m fine! We’re under attack! Where are you and mother? Where’s Zed?” Zed, my brother and a fantastic fighter, a warrior in his own right. He would make a great Alpha one day, but I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. Now wasn’t the time. I sank my teeth into the throat of one of the attackers and ripped it out. “Where are they?”

“We’ll talk about it later! Right now, I want you to run!” my father yelled in the Pack Mind as war raged around us.

“I’m not leaving you!” I screamed, ripping out the throat of another wolf. A black wolf ran toward me, but I went low and flipped him over my back. Then I stomped on his throat and ripped off his head with my razor-sharp teeth.

Then I looked up and saw the white wolf glaring at me. I leaped toward him, aiming for his throat, but he flipped me over his back, and I landed on the top of the wall. He was fighting another wolf, and his back was to me. Seizing the opportunity, I jumped onto his back and sank my teeth into his shoulder, causing him to howl in pain as red blood ran down his back. Then I jumped at him again and bit a chunk out of his arm as he growled in pain.

“I don’t care if I have to take you down a piece at a time,” I thought in the Pack Mind, even though he couldn’t hear me, “but you’re going down!”

I jumped at him again, but a white she-wolf slammed into me, sending me flying into the wall. Then she planted her feet, growling loudly as she blocked my way, the hackles standing up on the back of her neck.

“Well, I can take you down just like I can him!” I shrugged mentally. “If you want to die, then let’s go!”

Even though she couldn’t hear me, I didn’t care. I jumped at her and sank my teeth into the back of her neck, ripping out the top of her spine as she howled in pain. Just then, three other wolves rushed up, surrounding me, blocking my way. I bit at them, snarling as I bared my teeth… but I was cornered.