For all my bravado, my attacker's words filled me with dread. The implications were clear, and panic bubbled up inside me. "No, no, no," I thought desperately, hating myself for provoking them. If I'd kept my mouth shut, would they have just killed me? Did I bring this upon myself? I opened my mouth to scream as he reached toward me, pure malice glittering in his dark eyes. But before I could make a sound, a voice rang out from behind me.

"Take your hands off her!" Roger appeared out of nowhere, and for a moment, I was sure I was hallucinating. Where had he come from?

He charged forward, and I watched in horror and fascination as his clothes exploded into shreds, revealing sinewy muscles that vibrated and pulsed with energy. Before my very eyes, he transformed, bursting forth in a whirlwind of fur, fangs, and claws. Where Roger had stood a moment before, now there was only a huge gray wolf.

Before I knew it, the other men had shifted too. Three were gray like Roger, but the first man—the largest and fiercest—had red fur like a fox. Of course, I'd never seen such a terrifying fox. My mind reeled. Had I ever been this close to a wolf? Had I ever even seen one in the wild? I didn't even know why I was focusing on such things—it didn't matter; these weren't actual wolves. They were shifters, and the beasts were at least twice the size of true wolves.

My arms were wrapped around my middle, desperately trying to protect my unborn child. I was suddenly painfully aware of how flimsy my human body was next to theirs, and while my baby might be stronger, it was far too small to survive if anything happened to me.

My mind fractured between primal fear, amazement at these incredible sights, and anxiety as I tried to keep up with the unfolding events. The wolves circled one another, growling and snarling, baring their fangs as their raised hackles and flattened ears reshaped their fluffy coats. As always, my mind found humor at the most inappropriate times, and I had to smother a smile imagining these shifters' reactions to being called "fluffy."

"Stop it, Ella!" Shaking myself, I pressed my body against the wall, trying to flatten myself against the bricks lest one of the enraged creatures came too close. At first, I thought they would continue stalking each other, posturing forever, but then Roger lunged, and the fight began.

My human eyes couldn't keep up with their supernatural speed. All I saw was a tornado of limbs, punctuated by the snapping of fangs and yelps of pain. As they attacked each other, I tried to open the door, then visualized a path past them to the alley's mouth. Unfortunately, their battle was so chaotic that I didn't think I could run past them without falling into the fray. I could only pray Roger was strong enough to defeat his assailants.

In the end, it was over relatively quickly—amazingly fast, given that it was four against one. Roger might not have been as strong as Sinclair, but he was clearly much more powerful than these wolves. He seized the leader by the throat, shaking him like a rag doll and sending the others running. "Can it really be that simple?" I wondered. "Cut off the head of the snake, and the body dies?" What cowards.

Roger threw the wolf to the ground—scarlet blood dripping onto the snow—as he scrambled to his feet and scampered off into the night, whimpering like a pup. I was still frozen when Roger shifted back, coming forward with outstretched hands, as if I were a wild animal he was trying to calm. "Ella, are you still with me?" he asked gently.

"I what just happened?" I gasped. I could feel the tendrils of shock beginning to take hold, wrapping around me with numbing relief. Yet, for some reason, my body was fighting the reaction, as if it didn't think the threat had passed and needed to remain in fight-or-flight mode. "How did you know I was here? How did you know I was in danger? Who were those men?"

The questions poured out of me, and I wasn't sure I could make them stop. I needed answers before I could relax, before I could begin to process these events.

"I'll explain everything," Roger promised. "First, just tell me if you're alright."

"I'm fine," I insisted, still protectively clutching my belly.

"You're bleeding," he observed, reaching toward me.

I flinched away from his touch, and tremors racked my body. Between the flashback of my near-assault and this very real attempt, the idea of any man touching me made me feel sick to my stomach. Even as I thought this, my gorge rose, and I turned away to vomit. Tears burned in my eyes as my stomach heaved, and I could only be grateful my hair was up. "I need Cora," I told Roger. "My sister, she's inside."

He looked uncertain. "I don't want to leave you like this, Ella."

I shook my head stubbornly. "I need Cora." I needed a woman; I was coming apart, and no man could comfort me right now. I wouldn't normally place such a burden on my sister, but I was afraid this scene would quickly be overrun with aggressive shifters, and I didn't think I could handle it.

He raced out of the alley, no doubt circling the block to reach the club entrance. I moved away from my quickly freezing vomit and lowered myself to the ground in the snow, wrapping my arms around my knees. A minute later, the back door slammed open, making me jump. Then Cora was there, dropping to her knees in front of me. "Oh my God, Ella!" she fretted, her hands fluttering around me as if she wasn't sure what to do first. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Tears welled on my lashes as I looked up at her. "I want to go home," I murmured, my lower lip quivering. "Can you call us a cab?"

"Sweetheart, of course," she wrapped one slender arm around me, then pulled out her phone. However, before she could dial, the device began to buzz, and Sinclair's name flashed across the screen. We both froze, and I shook my head. "Don't, don't pick up."

Roger nodded in agreement. "You'll only get her into more trouble."

But Cora was frowning at my bruised face and split lip. "Honey, he's going to find out anyway, and he'll be less angry if he hears sooner rather than later." Before I could stop her, she picked up the phone. I could hear Sinclair's deep tones through the receiver, and then Cora was nodding. "I'm with her. But listen, something has happened."

I clenched my eyes shut as the call continued, listening as she calmly shared our location and he promised to come as fast as he could. When she hung up, she looked back down at me. "It'll be okay, Ella." She chafed my bare arms with her hands. "We should really get you up out of the snow."

I got to my feet in something of a trance, hating that I was worrying her. I bit back my fraying emotions, swiping at my tears. "I'm okay," I said again. "It's just a little bruise."

"Come on, let's go inside," Cora suggested.

"No!" I argued, backing away from the concerned pair. "It's too many people."

"Okay," Cora agreed easily, clearly not sure how to help me.

Trying to keep up a brave front, I turned back to Roger. "Tell me what just happened."

"They were rogues," he explained. "Wolves without allegiance to any pack—if they're not robbing and raping," I flinched violently at the word, and he softened his tone, "in the neutral borderlands between territories, they're working as mercenaries. My guess is that's what these four were."

"They knew who I was," I gulped. "They knew I was here. No one but Cora knew that."

Roger shook his head. "They probably followed you from home."

"But why?" Cora inquired, looking so upset that I felt compelled to comfort her. It was a much more comfortable dynamic for me, and I readily squeezed her hand.

"Why else?" Roger scoffed. "The campaign. Your pup—this isn't even the first rogue attack in Moon Valley this week."

"It isn't?" I clarified.

"Dominic didn't tell you?" He sounded as though he was trying and failing to sound neutral.

I shook my head, zeroing in on the detail that had me hovering so close to my sister, refusing to lower my guard. "None of this answers how you knew I was here."

"I didn't," Roger shared sadly. "When I left the house tonight, I caught the scent of the rogues, and I followed it here—afraid there was going to be another attack. I had no idea you were their target." He glanced at the alley's mouth, scenting the air. "Brace yourself now, Dominic is close."