A Fighting Chance

Jaxon

“Anthony, call your men off!”

The Alpha, decked out in his armor, looked surprised. He probably expected me to be more impressed that he was leading my pack as well as his own.

I wasn’t impressed. But I was scared.

Seeing the faces of my pack, the ones I’d grown up with and led, in his ranks was a punch to the gut.

But I didn’t have time to feel hurt.

Maybe my pack had chosen this guy as their new Alpha, but I still felt responsible for them.

And they had no idea what they were walking into at Fort Vulpes.

“You’ve got some nerve, Jax,” Anthony sneered. “But I’m not surprised. A coward like you would try to scare your old pack before they march to victory.”

~Coward? If he only knew what I’ve been through…~

Anger started to bubble up inside me.

I wanted to shift and rip him apart.

Let his soldiers see how their new leader handled a real fight.

But we all had bigger problems right now.

“Listen, Anthony,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You and your men don’t know what you’re up against. If you go through those gates, there won’t be any survivors. The Alpha of Vulpes will kill you all.”

Anthony just shook his head and turned to his men.

“Not only is ~Alpha~ Jaxon a coward, but he’s also a traitor. He wants you to give up when victory is within reach. He’s calling you a lost cause before the battle even starts.”

His voice was filled with fanaticism. The power had clearly gone to his head.

“I know what ~my~ men are capable of,” he continued. “And I don’t think these Vulpes punks stand a chance against you. What do you say, men? Are you scared of a bunch of rogues?”

The soldiers responded with loud, angry cheers.

Anthony turned back to me, smirking. “Looks like your pack doesn’t agree with you, Jax. Now, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll join us.”

“Join you?” I growled.

“Yes,” Anthony chuckled. “You were always a smart fighter. You’d move up the ranks quickly. As long as you behave, of course.”

I felt a surge of pure, hot anger.

~This asshole not only stole my pack, but now he’s telling me to fall in line? Under him? With the wolves I used to lead?~

That was the last straw.

“Well?” Anthony shouted. “What’s it going to be, Jaxon?”

I walked up to him until we were almost nose to nose.

“You’re leading ~my~ men into battle over my dead body,” I growled.

“That can be arranged,” Anthony replied.

I was about to shift and attack when Alex stepped forward. “Jax, don’t!”

I turned to him, snarling. “Don’t you start giving me orders too, Beta!”

“If you fight Anthony now, you’ll lose the pack for good,” he said. “Let them learn the hard way what kind of leaders they should follow.”

I looked at Alex. He was a great warrior and he wasn’t one to back down from a fight.

But he was right.

Anthony hadn’t just taken over the pack.

My pack had chosen to follow him.

If I killed him now, they’d see me as the bad guy.

They needed to see Anthony’s true colors for themselves.

I sighed and relaxed, walking over to Alex.

I put a hand on his shoulder, thanking him silently for his advice.

“I’m not fighting you, Anthony. If my pack has chosen to follow you, that’s their choice. They’ll share your fate. But I don’t have to.”

Anthony looked confused, like he expected me to put up more of a fight.

“Fine, Jax,” he said, shaking his head. “Take the coward’s way out. If you’re not with us, then you’re on your own.”

I looked over at Zara and Sky, huddled to the side of the door we’d just escaped from.

Zara was trying to comfort Sky, who’d just seen her best friend Harper die.

We’d lost so much.

Harper. The Shadow Moon Pack.

And my mate was in danger.

~If I lose her too—~

~No!~

I couldn’t even think about it.

Part of me wanted to attack Fort Vulpes just to get a chance to kill Jodie and save Quinn.

But if I did, we could all die.

But with Jodie’s rogues distracted by the battle, it might be a good time to try and rescue her.

I was about to tell Alex my plan when Anthony shouted:

“Draw your weapons, men! Charge!”

With a roar, the soldiers charged at the doors of Fort Vulpes, hacking at the heavy wood with knives, axes, and claws.

While they were busy, I pulled Alex, Zara, and Sky aside to come up with a plan to save Quinn.

If her aunt hadn’t killed her already.

I prayed she was still alive.

If not… I wouldn’t know what to do.

Quinn

My body was screaming in pain.

Each leg felt like it was carrying a hundred pounds as I sprinted through the halls of Fort Vulpes, away from my aunt’s chamber.

But I had to push through the lingering pain from the spell Jodie had just cast on me.

I didn’t understand why she had done it, but it seemed like she was getting ready to cast another control spell on me as I made my escape.

I needed to hide. But where?

I needed to find enough time to come up with a plan to get back to the Shadow Moon Pack.

My question was answered when I turned a corner and saw almost every member of the Vulpes Pack gathered in the atrium.

~Perfect. I can blend in with the crowd.~

I held onto a banister as I made my way down the staircase into the crowd of rogues, trying to keep my head down in case anyone recognized me.

For a while, everything seemed to be going well, and I moved around the chattering crowd without drawing any attention.

But then—chaos erupted.

~SMASH!~

Splintered pieces of wood flew across the room as someone burst through the front door.

Suddenly, all the members of Vulpes started growling and yelling fiercely. Then they began charging through the door.

At first, I was clueless about what was happening.

But then, I saw the mass of men and wolves retreat, and soon the atrium was filled with violent shouts and cries.

From the back of the crowd, I saw several people fall to the ground, screaming in pain.

Vulpes was under attack.

My first instinct was to run and find safety somewhere else.

But then I realized that this battle could provide the perfect cover for my escape.

I took a deep breath and then plunged into the crowd.

My blood ran cold as I passed by the violent scenes unfolding all around the atrium.

Whoever was attacking Vulpes meant business.

They showed no mercy to the rogues they caught off guard.

From what I could see, they were killing every single one of them as thoroughly as possible.

I prayed that the attackers wouldn’t mistake me for a Rogue, and that my blood wouldn’t mix with theirs.

After pushing my way through the room full of battles, I was almost at the hole chopped into one of the doors at the entrance of Fort Vulpes.

Miraculously, I had managed to remain unharmed.

I thought I was almost safe when, all of a sudden, I heard a booming voice shout, “Enough!”

Suddenly, the soldiers’ battle cries turned into cries of fear.

I didn’t understand what was happening until I tried to move.

But when I tried to walk, I felt my feet stick to the floor.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lift my legs.

They were stuck.

No doubt, Aunt Jodie’s doing.

I crouched low to the ground, hoping she wouldn’t see me.

“Now listen here and listen well!” she shouted from the balcony.

“You have made a foolish decision to attack this sanctuary of fairness,” she said sternly, but surprisingly calm.

“With a snap of my finger, I could kill you all. However, if you want to live, there is one thing you can do.”

The soldiers, stuck to the floor, began to whisper among themselves.

“Find the girl Quinn. Luna of Shadow Moon. And hand her over to me. Or else, everyone will die,” she continued.

Everyone in the room started looking around, frantically searching for me.

I kept my head as low as I could.

But it was no use.

A burly soldier with bad breath, stuck to the floor next to me, grabbed my hand and held up my arm.

“Here she is!” he shouted in his gravelly voice. “I found her! I found her!”

I didn’t look up.

Even with my face to the floor, I could feel Aunt Jodie’s gaze burning into me.

I had been found.

It was all over.