45

“I’ll fight you,” the first soldier said. Another random soldier, tall with deep red scars covering much of his body, came forward.

“Thank you for taking on our challenge,” I said as Bindi and I squared up on our side to face the two soldiers.

“Go!” Bindi yelled, and the fight began.

The brawl was loud and chaotic. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Halo and Gabrielle rush to the center of town to see what was happening. I could see horror in their expressions as they watched Bindi and me fight. But this was what I was born to do. I felt more comfortable in that makeshift arena fighting those soldiers than I ever had as queen.

The first soldier lunged at me, but neither of us shifted. His brawny frame nearly made me tumble backward, but my knee found his groin and made contact there with the force of my anger and frustration. The other soldier attacked Bindi, and she had him on his back in moments. Without weapons or shifting into our wolves, both Bindi and I had attacked with legs, a