What would she have now if she returned to Russia? Her father’s pack was only full of enemies. Had Nicolai felt that way when he’d left the pack to roam the world?
“I am helping Reed make friends with whole group of bears, Nicolai. Is this why you saved me?”
There was no answer, but Katarina didn’t mind. Perhaps Nicolai’s wolf spirit had more important matters to see to back at the village he’d loved so much.
Thinking of the village, she wondered how Yana was faring. Luckily, her sister was also a survivor. Yana had survived being captured by the evil scientists they were trying now so hard to fight.
It was quiet here in the bear sanctuary—so quiet that Katarina heard the soft crunch of leaves under light boots mere seconds before masked people carrying guns emerged from between trees. She counted eight walking in front and more behind them that she could not yet see. They were dressed very much like those who had attacked Reed’s village.
Katarina rose and lightly exited the area, walking backwards so she could guard herself. She needed to warn the others, but she also needed to keep these people from reaching the village. How was she supposed to do both?
When she backed into something that stumbled away from her, Katarina swung to see a startled Stewart. Next to him was a laughing Terra. She shushed the girl, but it was too late. A quiet snick of a weapon and Terra’s laughter ended. Looking down where she’d fallen, Katarina saw a dart sticking out of Terra’s fragile human neck.
She grabbed the boy and gripped him hard enough to bring pain. “Take Terra and go back, Stewart. Tell others before it is too late. There are attackers in the woods. I will hold them off as long as I can.”
Stewart stared down at the girl on the ground. “They shot her—they shot Terra.”
“Probably with tranquilizer meant for bear,” Katarina said. She pushed the boy to the ground as two more darts whizzed by over their heads. “There is no time to answer your brain’s questions. Call your inner wolf and get going. You must get help before it is too late.”
Katarina jumped to her feet and bent to run toward the attackers. Her gaze swept the area. Two more attackers with tranquilizer guns exited the woods as she watched. She faced their front line and screamed with all the fury her human voice allowed.
“I am here,” she yelled, then screamed again in Russian as she ran to fight.
With his heart hammering in fear, Stewart crawled over and pulled the limp, unconscious Terra over one of his shoulders. He stood up with her easier than he’d imagined he could and took off running. His skin burned and tore as he ran. He wanted to check to see what was happening, but he was too scared to stop running.
He had to get Terra to the bears.
He had to find his parents.
Something sharp hit his shoulder and sent fire racing through him.
“No,” Stewart screamed as his eyes blurred. He made himself keep going. Behind him, he heard Katarina screaming obscenities at the attackers in Russian.
His legs seemed to grow stronger as he continued to run. At the edge of the village, an older woman saw him. She covered her mouth, then uncovered it to yell at a man who rushed over to join her.
Both of them stared fearfully at him as he headed toward them. It worried him, but there was no time to wonder why.
“They shot her. Call for help. Kidnappers are here,” he yelled.
“That’s Jon’s daughter. Give her to me. I’ll see she gets to her parents safely,” the man said.
Trained to obey adults, Stewart immediately handed Terra over. In the process, he finally saw his hands, now covered in coarse, thick hair. His fingernails were horribly deformed. What was happening to him?
He looked down at his legs. They were muscular and strong. At least that was good. No wonder he’d been able to run all this way.
As Stewart studied his hands, he felt his finger bones turning to fiery liquid before they extended into sharp-pointed claws. He looked back at the sanctuary where a large white wolf was trying her best to keep the attackers too busy to advance.
Katarina. She needed help.
“Take Terra to my mother. She’ll know what to do to save her from the tranquilizer. I have to go back and help Katarina. We will need even more help to stop them. The attackers have weapons.”
The man nodded that he understood. The woman nodded and ran to a giant metal bell hanging on a wooden frame. She tugged until it rang out loudly. The sound hurt his ears and made his fangs ache.
Wait… fangs?
He put his new claws to his mouth but couldn’t feel his teeth with them.
Stewart forgot his own problems as he watched the man shift into a bear. He’d called out in pain during his change from human to the creature before him, but he’d done it to get his beast’s help. Somehow Terra had ended up on his back during the transition. The man who was now a bear lumbered away with Terra with all the speed his shifted form allowed.
Stewart closed his eyes and breathed. Katarina was right. There was no time to question or to be afraid. His parents would never get there in time to save Katarina. Whatever he was becoming, he needed to the biggest, baddest version of it right now. He turned back toward the sanctuary and watched several of the attackers converge on the white wolf to restrain it.
If there was ever a time to pray, it was probably now. “Hey… uh… great Wolf Spirit of Nicolai Vashchenko… if you can hear me, will you please help me? I’m just a kid. Katarina needs real help.” Taking a deep breath, Stewart screamed loudly like he’d heard Katarina do as she ran into the fight. He screamed until a strange sound erupted from his throat and turned into unholy howling that sent birds scurrying from the treetops.
When he skidded to a halt in the middle of things, the attackers momentarily stopped shooting to stare at him. They even lowered their weapons.
While the bad guys were acting so stupid, Stewart used the time and looked around for Katarina. He didn’t see a naked human, or a tranquilized white wolf anywhere.
On the ground, though, were what remained of two attackers she must have killed.
But where was Katarina?
Frustrated beyond anything he’d ever felt, Stewart tried to call her name, but all that escaped his mouth was another ear-shattering howl that hurt his own ears. He stalked to the nearest man staring at him, lifted his body, and threw him as hard as he could into the nearest tree. The man made one guttural sound, slid to the ground, and lay still.
Since stopping the one bad guy hadn’t been hard to do, Stewart looked around and headed toward another one. Three tranquilizer darts suddenly hit his body all at once—one in his shoulder and two in his chest. Howling at the sting of them, he gripped the projectiles with clawed fingers and ripped them out. His skin rippled and churned at the mercy of whatever stuff the darts contained, which upset him more.
Furious at being shot, Stewart glared at the shooters and howled loudly again.
Their sudden yelling retreat as they ran away shocked him and made him pause to wonder why. When he realized they were all disappearing back into the surrounding trees, he scanned the sanctuary area once more before chasing after them.
Some part of his mind said following them was stupid—and that part definitely sounded like Kent in his head—but still he couldn’t stop. He had to know where the attackers were going. He had to find Katarina. She’d fought them off so he could escape with Terra.