Her entire life, she’d backed down, played at being meek and obedient to keep the peace. Those days were over. By the time he figured out she wasn’t stopping, it was too late for him to get out of her way. She leapt at him, taking him down. Her claws raked his skin, drawing blood. The sickening scent filled her nostrils.

  Nash roared and threw her off. She tried to twist out of the way but slammed into a tree, jolting every bone in her body. Pain radiated through her. Stunned, she lay on the ground and tried to catch her breath. She didn’t think anything was broken, but it was impossible to tell.

  Those few seconds gave Nash time to shift.

  Growling, a large wolf with angry brown eyes stalked toward her. Her first thought was, he’s going to kill me. Her second one was that Eli would never forgive himself if that happened. Still slightly stunned, she shook her head to try to clear it. Holden might plan on mating her, but her cousin was out for blood.

  She forced herself up onto shaky paws. All she had to do was stay alive until Eli got here. Easier said than done. As her father had taught her, she watched the play of muscles in Nash’s shoulders. They’d tell her when he was about to pounce. Trusting she wouldn’t be attacked from behind, she kept her eyes on her opponent. Her cousin had always hated her and she’d never been sure why. He was the alpha’s son, the next in line for the job, if he proved worthy.

  Nash sprang, his attack sudden and unavoidable. Claws dug into her fur and raked her side. She yelped and sidled away. Panting and bleeding, she knew she wouldn’t last long. Nash was vicious and had experience fighting, something she was sorely lacking.

  He lunged forward. With a yip, she jerked back. The bastard was tormenting her, but that was to her advantage. If he was smart, he’d finish her off and run. His need for her to suffer would be his downfall ... she hoped. She couldn’t hear any sounds of fighting, but it was impossible for her to hear anything over the pounding of her heart.

  When he attacked, she flattened her body, rolled onto her back, and sank her jaws into his underbelly. The taste of blood was bitter in her mouth. Ignoring the snarls and howls, she hung on until he shook her loose. Scrambling to her feet, she tried to get away, but he was on her.

  In his human form, he sat on her, holding her down. He spat blood from his mouth. The wound on his stomach was already healing. “I enjoy a spirited fight. So often my victims die too easily.”

  She shifted back to human form. “What about Holden?” He’d made no secret of the fact he wanted her.

  “Fuck Holden. You’ve looked down on me your entire life. My father held you up as an example of a dutiful child.” His smile was terrible and evil. “Your daddy begged for mercy at the end.”

  “Liar,” she spat. Her daddy might have had his weaknesses, but he’d never have begged for anything, especially not from Nash. “I bet you ambushed him.”

  He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter anyway. The pack will soon be mine.” His jaw lengthened, fangs dropping as he morphed into a wolf to land the final blow.

  Kinley gouged her thumbs into his eyes and shoved him off her. His pained howl echoed across the mountain. A massive wolf jumped over her and into Nash, smashing him into the ground and ripping out his throat. It was fast and brutal and bloody.

  It was over. Panting heavily, Kinley pulled her legs against her chest and rested her head on her knees. A menacing growl shook the very earth beneath her feet. She raised her head and faced black, unforgiving eyes.

  Maybe it wasn’t over after all.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Fury whipped through Eli like a whirlwind. The sight of Nash holding Kinley down, ready to deal the death blow, would haunt him the rest of his life. It didn’t matter that she’d managed to save herself until he got here. She should never have put herself in the position to begin with.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” she began.

  He shifted back to human, grabbed her by the upper arms, dragged her to her feet, and lightly shook her. “I told you to stay put.” Terror was too tame a word for what he’d experienced when he’d seen her race by and been unable to follow.

  “Technically, you didn’t tell me to do anything. You pointed.” She should have been terrified of him. Hardened men had run as if the Devil himself were after them when faced with a fraction of the anger he was currently radiating. “You knew this was my fight. Nash is—was—my cousin. I had no idea he hated me so badly.”

  “Do you think any of that matters?” He pulled her up unto her toes. “He almost killed you.” If he’d been a few seconds longer it would have been too late.

  Her throat rippled as she swallowed. “Believe me, I know.” She threw herself into his arms and clung to him, her entire body shaking from head to toe.

  Eli closed his eyes and gathered her close, grateful she was alive. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I didn’t break my vow. You didn’t tell me how long to stay there.”

  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I told you I expected you to obey orders.” While he loved her independent spirit, he needed to be able to depend on her word when she gave it. Technically, she was right. Next time they made a deal he’d spell out every detail to avoid any misunderstandings.

  Her voice was muffled against his chest. “I couldn’t let him get away. He’d call and warn Duke.”

  His sigh ruffled the hair on her head. “He wouldn’t have gotten that far. Josiah or Silas would have gotten him.”

  She raised her head, her eyes luminous with unshed tears. “I didn’t want to take the chance. You’re my pack, you and your brothers. I had to protect you.”

  “And what would I have done if he’d killed you?” It was tough to stay angry in the face of such sincerity, but Eli hardened his heart against her pleas. There were more wolves coming. This was only the first wave.

  Cyrus strolled into view, as easily as if he was out for an afternoon walk. The fact that he’d killed two men didn’t bother him anymore than it did Eli. They were protecting their family and their home. His gaze flicked to Kinley and away. “She’s bleeding.” With that announcement, Cyrus dumped their clothing on the ground beside them and kept walking, leaving them alone. “And turn your comms back on,” he called over his shoulder.

  Shit, he’d been too angry with her for defying him to notice she was hurt. He held her at arm’s length, his mouth tightening at the blood staining her stomach. “How bad is it?”

  She glanced down at the long, jagged gashes. “They aren’t deep and have almost stopped bleeding.”

  She’s a werewolf. That meant she healed quicker than a human. The reminder didn’t help. Any doubt he’d had about her importance in his life had vanished the second he’d realized she was missing and in danger. God help them both, Kinley was his mate, the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

  He reactivated his earbud. “...pulling up now.” He caught the tail end of Zach’s message.

  “Shit!” He tossed Kinley her jeans. “Get dressed. We’ve got company.”

  “They’re early.” She yanked on her pants and then her top before pulling on her sneakers. “How many?”

  He held up his hand and listened as Zach gave them details. “Five trucks. I’m counting twenty. Wait, twenty-one. I’m shutting down the command post and am on my way.”

  Eli pulled on his jeans. “Almost two dozen.”

  “So many,” she whispered, knowing as well as he did that the deaths of that many male wolves in their prime would decimate the pack.

  “Their choice,” he reminded her. “Let’s go.” His brothers were already moving into position. He needed to be with them, should already be there. If not for Kinley, he would be. “I’m telling you now, stay back and stay out of the way. You’re a distraction that’s going to get me or one of my brothers killed.” She flinched as if he’d struck her. While he regretted the harsh words, it was the brutal truth.

  She stumbled to a stop. “I’ll go back to the house.”

  After all her protestations, this was the last thing he’d expected. It made him suspicious. “Why now?”

  “You were right when you said I was a distraction. I never wanted any of this.”

  Frustrated at the lack of time, Eli was torn between his family and his woman. “I know, but it’s where we are, so we deal with it.” It came out rougher than he intended. “I have to go.” There’d be time to smooth things over with her after the battle. Assuming he lived. He squashed the tiny voice of negativity. He pressed a quick, hard kiss to her lips, spun her around, and gave her a small push. “Go.”

  His inner wolf howled as he sprinted away from her. She looked forlorn standing there by herself all alone. He stumbled and almost stopped but buried the emotion and kept going. The only way she’d ever be safe was to eliminate the threat.

  These men had come to Sin Mountain for one reason—destruction. All of this was because their alpha was a narcissistic idiot who put his own greedy wants and needs over that of the pack. To feed his ego, he’d surrounded himself with those like him or those who pandered to him. All of this because he couldn’t let his niece walk away and have the life she wanted. Duke Wright was angry because she refused to allow him to use her to further his ambitions.

  He caught Josiah’s scent on his left and Silas on his right. Cyrus would be in the lead. Noah and Levi would flank them and Zach was on his way. Power flooded his veins, drawn from the land of his family and the blood tie that linked him to his brothers.

  Silent as wraths, they slid like shadows, moving as a single unit bent on one outcome—the death of the invaders. Eli put his back to a tree and listened. The Alabama pack was making enough noise to warn the dead they were coming. Stealth wasn’t their strong point. If the ones he’d fought were any indication, they relied on brute strength and underhanded tactics to settle their conflicts.

  Cyrus was up ahead, calm and in control. Many who did business with them said his eldest brother had ice water in his veins. The same had been said of him. His thought flitted to Kinley. Had she made it back to the house yet? He’d hated to send her away, knew it had hurt her, and was sorry for it, but nothing was more important than keeping her alive. He shoved aside all emotion, all thoughts of her, and slammed the lid down on it. A cold remoteness came over him. Everything around him seemed to slow, as it always did before a fight.

  Unfamiliar scents filled his nostrils as the men started up the mountain. Eli cocked his head and listened.

  “Where the hell is my son? Why haven’t he or Holden made contact?”

  That had to be Duke Wright. He was a dead man. He just didn’t know it yet. No way would Eli allow him to walk off this mountain alive.

  “Maybe we should wait.” It was the voice of an older male. Eli caught the nerves in his voice. Seemed not everyone was as eager as Duke and his inner circle to be here.

  “I’m done waiting. These packless curs are holding my niece. We kill them and bring her back where she belongs.”

  Eli and Cyrus locked eyes. Cyrus nodded. No survivors. They couldn’t allow a single one to escape. It didn’t matter if some of them were reluctant participants. They were grown men. Being here was their decision. If any lenience was shown, they might decide the Sin brothers were weak and come back another time to try their luck.

  So much death. All of it useless and unnecessary.

  You are wrath, the third deadly sin. You are the hand of justice. He drew both strength and comfort from the words his daddy had spoken every night when Eli was on his way to bed.

  Cyrus pointed at Josiah and Noah, who’d come up behind him, and indicated they go to the left. Without awaiting instruction, Levi and Silas veered off to the right. They’d come up behind the group and start taking out the stragglers to reduce the numbers. Eli and Cyrus faded into the landscape and waited. It didn’t take long for the first stranger to appear.

  Like most wolves, he was tall with dark hair. His gaze darted all around, as if he sensed danger but couldn’t figure out where the threat was coming from. When he turned away, Eli slipped up behind him. One sharp twist was followed by a crack. He caught the falling body and eased it to the ground behind some fallen trees. Their advantage wouldn’t last much longer. Someone would notice the missing men before long.

  Eli slid back into the shadows of the tall trees, his breathing slow and even as he watched Cyrus take out another target.

  “Where the hell is Bobby?” There was more muttering. “Jake and Matt are missing too.” The voices grew louder and they got closer.

  “Head count?” Duke ordered.

  “We’re missing six,” someone told him. That had taken them down to fifteen. Not bad odds. Eli could see the group now. They were clustered together. There’d be no more opportunities to take them down one by one.

  “You’re trespassing,” Cyrus yelled. He was already on the move as he spoke to a new position.

  “Cowards! Show yourselves!” Duke yelled.

  “You were told to stay away,” Josiah called.

  “This is our mountain,” Levi yelled from behind them.

  The men moved into a rough circle, aware they were surrounded. “All I want is my niece. She belongs with family.”

  “She left you,” Eli called out. “She’s with her chosen pack.” Staying low, he worked his way closer. The wind was still in his favor, keeping his scent hidden.

  “We’re her pack.” Duke didn’t seem as concerned as he should be considering the circumstances. He still believed he had the advantage. He likely thought his son and enforcers were hidden higher up on the mountain.

  It was time to end this. Eli moved out into the open about fifty feet from the group. “If you’re waiting for Nash or Holden or their buddies, I wouldn’t hold my breath.”

  The smug smirk on Duke’s face faded to one of grief. “My son.”

  Eli had no sympathy for him, for any of them. “Did you know he was planning on overthrowing you and taking the pack? He bragged about it. He was the one who took out your brother, Kinley’s daddy.” While he had the attention of most of them, Cyrus had silently dispatched another one.

  “You’re lying.” Duke howled and his pack attacked. Two of them leapt at Eli. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of the alpha not fighting or fleeing but heading straight up the mountain.

  Kinley! He silently screamed her name as he shifted and began the fight of his life.

  ****

  Kinley dragged her feet across the yard. No less than a dozen times she’d almost turned around. Only her vow to Eli kept her from doing so.

  You’re a distraction that’s going to get me or one of my brothers killed.

  His cutting words echoed in her heart until it bled. What was worse was he was right. Nash would have killed her if he hadn’t intervened. In a one-on-one fight with a male wolf, she could hold her own for a short time, do some damage, and maybe win if she got extremely lucky, but her presence would distract Eli or his brothers when they needed to be focused. They were greatly outnumbered.

  She rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she went up the porch stairs. Rather than go inside, she stood and listened intently. The silence made her skin prickle. Not knowing what was happening stretched her nerves taut. She paced back and forth, too agitated to sit.

  Nothing could happen to Eli. She pressed her hand over her heart, trying to ease the tightness of her chest. I’m in love with him. She’d been too afraid to admit it. Now faced with the prospect of losing him, there was no holding back the flood of emotions.

  She slid down against the side of the house as the realization sank in. “Oh, God. I’m in love with him.” Would he want to even look at her if one of his brothers died because of her?

  In such a short time, all the Sin brothers had wiggled their way into her heart. From smart and clever Zach, to Noah with his need to feed everyone, Levi’s sly wit, Josiah’s silent presence, and Silas’s teasing humor. She even liked dour Cyrus, with his gruff and mistrustful ways. The love the brothers had for one another was palpable. She envied them their closeness. They’d come to Eli’s aid, her aid, without question. That kind of loyalty was priceless.

  And it was at risk all because of her. Oh, she wasn’t taking the blame for her uncle’s actions, nor Nash’s or Holden’s or any of the others from her pack. They were destructive by nature, taking down anyone and anything in the path of whatever they wanted. Without her daddy’s presence to temper them, they were out of control. But she was the one who’d approached Eli, who’d gotten him and his brothers into his mess. She wasn’t sure she’d ever get past the guilt of that.

  A lone howl broke the silence. Several crows erupted from the nearby treetops and flew away. A bushy-tailed squirrel scampered up a tree to hide. She pushed to her feet and hugged a porch post for support. The fight had begun. It was Eli and his brothers against so many.

  “Please be okay. Please.” She didn’t know how long she prayed before she heard someone rushing through the woods, feet pounding against the ground, body slapping against branches. Her heart leapt.

  Eli!

  She’d taken a step toward the porch steps when reality hit. Eli and his brothers moved like smoke through the trees, totally in tune with their surroundings. Either something was terribly wrong or it wasn’t one of the Sin brothers.

  Should she go inside and hide or run? Eli told you to stay at the house. Of course, he’d never expected anyone to get past him and make it this far.

  A large wolf tore out of the woods, foaming at the mouth, eyes wild and fangs flashing. Duke! This was the man behind every single misery in her life. He’s come to kill me.

  Somehow, he must have found out Nash was dead. He also wasn’t stopping. She dove out of the way and launched herself over the porch rail. Duke crashed into the front door and through it. He scrambled back up on his paws and howled.

  Kinley shifted and ran for her life with him in pursuit. Fear crept up her spine threatening to debilitate her. There was no escape. Duke was alpha because he was the strongest, the most brutal in the pack.