Pack of Wolves by Maggie Claire (read along books .TXT) 📕

head begins to throb. The sun’s brightness makes everything in his vision glow and pulse with its own aura. His sight flickers in time with the agonizing hammer in his head, a terrible voice chanting one word. Iris. Iris. Iris. Wolf gulps as he struggles against a faintness growing in his limbs, threatening to plunge him into darkness. Where is she? Will she come here? He rages, fighting against the naming bond that feels like it’s physically driving a knife into his brain. “I’ve got to find her!” He mutters under his breath, clenching his eyes closed as a trickle of blood streams down from his nose.

Cyrus smiles despite his bone-weariness, understanding his brother’s symptoms immediately. “You won’t last much longer without her,” he slurs over his words, his grin growing wider as he watches Wolf’s expression darken.

“Never mind me,” Wolf growls as he slides down into a crouch before Cyrus’s tied form, his eyes gleaming with maniacal excitement. “Oh, I do hope you enjoy this scene, brother. I’ve planned it all so perfectly—in your honor, of course.”

“I doubt you’ll survive the fight in your condition,” Cyrus taunts, hissing as the metal around his wrists causes them to sizzle. “Are you sure you want to take on Shark like this? He’ll tear you apart before you get close enough for the kill shot. I’ll admit that is a sight I won’t mind watching.”

Wolf slams his fists into Cyrus’s jaw, beating out some of his frustrations on his human punching bag. He pummels Cyrus’s face until he hears bone cracking and groaning under his attacks. He moves to strike his brother’s chest then, stopping only when the ache in his head finally dulls to a manageable roar. Wolf stares at his bloody knuckles, slowly inhaling a calming breath before he stands up, straightens his clothes, and lopes toward the House of Piranhas. Howling as he gets closer, Wolf snarls and barks as if he’s actually turned into his namesake. Only when he stands about ten paces from the house’s doorway does he shout actual words. “Shark! I’ve got a bone to pick with you! Come out of that poor excuse for a headquarters and face me!”

After a few moments, the front door slams back on its hinges. Shark stalks into the salty air with a gleam of fury in his smile. By now, he’s replaced the missing teeth on his mask with larger ones. A few parts of Shark’s mask are crusted over with blood, but whether or not those stains were created during his last fight in Omphalos with Wolf, no one can say. “Well, well, come for a payback round, have you? I’ve been longing to meet up with you again.” Shark crosses his arms as he steps out to lean on one of the porch columns, appearing confident and more than a little cocky.

“You and the rest of your people will surrender to me for judgment by nightfall. Anyone who attempts to stand against me will automatically be sentenced to die,” Wolf declares in a low, commanding growl, dropping low into a crouch in case Shark decides to attack.

A puzzled look crosses Shark’s brow, his eyebrows peeking around his mask in surprise. “You can’t be serious!” When Wolf does not speak, Shark’s voice turns slightly worried as he calls, “Look, I know we battled at Omphalos, but that was just following the rules of trading. You and I have no serious quarrels! Was that fight really worth a war?”

“I will have your household under my control by tomorrow morning. The question is this: how many of your people will be alive?” Wolf shoots back, his sword raised high. “Either way, you will die this day!”

“My gods, you’re serious!” Shark cries, his incredulity shifting to hotheaded rage. “You’re insane! I’d heard rumors that you were trying to build a master house, but I dismissed them as idle gossip. This is a foolish endeavor, and we will stand against you! My people would sooner die free than submit to you!”

“You have until nightfall—”

“We don’t need that long,” Shark interjects, a sharp, wicked looking blade sliding into his hand as he continues. “None of my house wishes to join with you. We’d rather side with a freshly slaughtered boar. Leave us out of your plans.”

“You’ll surrender to us, or we’ll take you over by force,” Wolf reiterates, his eyes glittering with crazed excitement. Come on, he begs as he watches Shark pace on the porch. Come down here and fight me!

“Take us if you can!” Shark cries, slipping back inside and slamming the door of the House of Piranhas. Within seconds a conch shell alarm is raised, men and women pouring out of the sea. They scatter when their feet touch the sand, some hurrying to prepare weapons, others mounting horses, and a select few gathering the children and invalids that will be moved to safety.

Wolf smiles, throwing his head back in a mock howl of victory. “Capture them alive, boys! We will hold a trial once the house belongs to me, and we will execute any that are against my rule!”

“If I didn’t know he was a crazy bastard, I’d look upon him as kingly material,” Goldeneye quips as he pulls Fox, Grouse, and Bittern over to a side away from the soldiers.

“You can’t be serious!” Bittern challenges him, turning her attention to Cyrus’s swollen jaw. “Fox, I need some of your winterbloom extract,” she whispers as she carefully assesses the bone to see if it’s broken.

“He’s got the courage of a king,” Goldeneye defends his words, acting as messenger for Fox as he carries the winterbloom vial over to his friend. “I admire his fearlessness—that’s all I meant.”

“Goldeneye!” Hyena barks from the lead position in his squadron. “Mount your horse and get the hell out here! Or do I send an arrow through your spine right now for cowardice?”

“Well, that’s my cue,” he mutters, silently cursing Hyena and the rest of his company before he shouts, “I’m coming!”

Wolf’s men