62

Shouting erupts from above, cutting Maker off as she's about to drop what she likely considers yet another pearl of wisdom. The muffled stomping of heavy army boots travels around the cabin's interior as a squad of human soldiers searches for you.

"They're not here," a booming male voice says. "They must have slipped out the window."

The three of you wait, frozen in silence until you hear the footsteps recede and the door slam shut behind the soldiers. The canisters weigh heavily in your hands to either side of your shaggy torso, each side of a scale which could tip the balance of power in your pack forever.

"So," Maker says snippily. "What do you think we should do?"

"General Rivera betrayed us. She needs to be exposed, especially if it weakens her ground forces and gives us a fighting chance!"

"Sonoma's arrogance may kill us all. If sacrificing her saves the rest of the pack, then so be it."

I don't trust Maker. I'll expose her treachery to Sonoma, even if it risks the packleader flying out of control. I'll pretend I intend to gas Sonoma for now.

Next

Dena's face goes pale. "Sonoma's definitely out of control, but do you really think we can justify this? If we force her to turn and give her over to the humans, she's as good as dead!"

Maker sniffs in exasperation. "As I said, it's not the optimal choice, but I won't force you to chase after Rivera if you don't want to. I'll admit that Sonoma has treated me well, but if she's putting the species' survival at risk then she has to go. It's a safe bet that if she's not here in her cabin then we can find her holed up in the council chambers."

"That's loyalty for you," Dena whispers.

"Enough!" Maker snaps, whipping her long, dark hair back from her face with both hands and tying it back tightly. "There's been no movement above for five minutes." She tosses you a bag for the canisters. "We either move now or we sit down here until they find us and slaughter us like rats in a trap."

You heft the sturdy canvas bag and place both canisters inside gingerly. You're sure that they wouldn't go off that easily, but why tempt fate?

Above Ground Once Again

"The soldiers have gone," Maker whispers, her eyes darting furtively back and forth as the three of you creep along the edge of the packleader's cabin. "If we're going to be able to reach Sonoma, we should move quickly before Rivera can do even more damage with her soldiers."

"Is there anywhere we should go first before Sonoma's council chambers?" Dena asks.

"Errands would slow us down, and time is of the essence. Let's move," Maker whispers before detaching from the wall and flitting between the sparsely-dotted trees beyond. You and Dena follow as best you can, twice freezing in place and dropping low as the clatter of gunfire can be heard just out of view. The long grass is covered in a sheen of dew that slicks your fur back as you run through it, hunched to keep a low profile. You're halfway to the outer barracks when you stumble over the lip of the training pit in the dark and tumble through fine sand and dirt with a grunt and heavy exhalation. At the bottom you crash into something warm, breathing and writhing around in pain. Whoever it is, they smell familiar.

"Kick your…ass if you…don't back off…I'm not dead yet!"

"Bly!" you gasp. "What happened to you?"

"Oh shit," Bly gasps. "Shit, shit, shit! Holstein? How did you get here? Where are the soldiers?"

"It's okay, don't worry," you try to comfort her.

Bly sucks in deep breaths. "They had me surrounded—would have killed me if I hadn't jumped into the pit. Thought they'd come down here to finish me off. I was just about ready to seriously fuck you up!" She pulls you into a desperate hug. "Gods…I thought I'd never see you again!"

You kiss her gently, the moment punctuated by an explosion from the other end of the camp, the distant flames back-lighting her into the most beautiful silhouette you've ever seen.

In the distance, several sharp attack-howls echo through the night, met in kind by a rapid burst of gunfire. Then all is silent.

"Are you planning on staying down there all night?" Maker grumbles from the lip of the pit above.

"Wait," Bly says slowly. "You're out here with Maker?"

"I didn't have much of a choice. Dena was wounded and Maker was the only one nearby who could help."

"You'd be surprised. From what I've seen, Maker can handle herself pretty well in a fight."

"I don't like it much either, but Maker has a plan to fix things."

Next

"So I've heard," Bly says. "But I've also heard that she never wolfs-out. Is she in human form now?"

You nod.

"Of course she is. Hard to trust someone that secretive." She grunts as she stands up alongside you and climbs out of the pit, eyes watching the darkness for any sudden movements or hidden humans lurking in wait.

Maker looks Bly up and down. "Yes. You'll do nicely."

Bly ignores her completely. "Holstein, why is this psycho talking about me like I'm barely even here?"

"Of course I know that you're here," Maker scoffs. "I acknowledged you, did I not? Let's be on our way, then."

"And where, exactly, are we going?"

You fidget nervously, unsure how Bly will take your suggestion of betrayal. "You remember the attack on the HSM base? How Sonoma killed dozens of humans with her gas weapon?"

"Hard to forget," Bly growls at the memory.

"The attack pissed off a lot of politicians with ties to the HSM, and they forced Rivera's troops to attack us."

"Maker thinks that if we allow Sonoma to be captured, General Rivera will call off the troops since it's Sonoma that they're really after."

"We need Rivera to keep her role deep undercover in the military. If we help her get Sonoma, it will prove to the politicians that she's not a werewolf."

"Honestly, I just want to get rid of Sonoma. If handing her over to Rivera stops the attack, that's a bonus."

"I'm reluctant to say it, but if we hand Sonoma over to Rivera, we could save hundreds of lives."

Next