Maddox

I tore a hand free from one of the vampires as they lunged to grab me. They were attempting to hug me, but I fought them off. I knew if one caught me, the others would tear me apart, and Missy would be lost. I could hear Charlotte threatening Missy, and I needed to reach her. These vampires were frustrating; they'd been trained to fight as a unit. These weren't the same vampires we'd fought when Luna and Missy were first kidnapped. These were organized and well-trained. I was stronger, but struggling to finish one before the other three attacked. I worried about the rest of the pack, but these were older vampires; the woman had handpicked them to kill me. From what we knew, the rest of the vampire forces were mostly young, new vampires. I hoped that was true. If not, only our warriors could fight them, and the pack didn't have enough. That's why we'd asked for help from other packs.

I shifted back to my human form, letting a vampire strike my bare chest. As he tried to pull away to strike again, I grabbed his wrist, pulled him close, and punched him. His jaw crunched loudly, and the other vampires attacked as a team. This time, I used the captured vampire to absorb their blows. Their rhythm faltered, and they clearly struggled fighting me unshifted, just like Bygrave had. I was right; they weren't trained for this kind of fight.

"Alpha, they're having trouble fighting us unshifted. They expected a wolf-to-wolf fight."

"Thank you, Maddox. Is she safe?"

"She will be."

With that, I focused on killing the leeches before me. I turned the captured vampire to face his comrades, holding him by the back of the neck with my right hand while my left controlled his wrist. As his friends attacked, I used him as a shield. They were getting frustrated, but I didn't have time for a prolonged fight. I could hear chaos inside the house. The vampire to my right lunged, aiming a knife-like hand at my chest. I stepped back, bringing the other vampire into his path at the last second. He easily pierced my captive's chest. The vampire's arm was buried past his elbow, so I released him. I jumped forward, shifting mid-air into my wolf form, ripped the vampire's head off, and shifted back as my feet hit the ground. Two remained, but they couldn't surround me. I bolted for the door. Hearing them at my heels, I snapped a 4x4 support beam from the small porch. I dropped to one knee, letting the first vampire impale himself on the broken post. I stood, kicking the post and impaling the second vampire. I used the post to pin them both to the wall. They were screaming, alive but incapacitated. I had to get to my mate.

Charlotte smiled wickedly from the back of the room, Missy held captive by the throat. "You're just in time to watch."

Missy

The other vampires spread out, intending to attack my friends. Before I could move, Emmett and Sulien shielded us. Julie shoved Emmett aside. "I don't need you to save me."

"Never said you did," he retorted, annoyed.

Only three new vampires, but our friends weren't warriors. I feared one would be killed or bitten—either outcome equally terrible. I felt my fur sprouting, my body enlarging as I shifted behind the fray. Breaking glass caught my attention; another vampire was attacking Sol and Allie. I snarled, leaping towards the vampire to protect my friends. I shoved them aside and met the vampire head-on. She tried to jump over me, but I reared up and met her in the air. I bit her neck, latching onto her shoulder. I pulled up, shaking her violently before slamming her to the ground. She escaped my teeth, bleeding badly, but still aggressive. She ran at me, arms outstretched, attempting a hug. I ducked, bit her ankle, jerked my head, and ripped her from her feet. I repeatedly slammed her into the ground until she stopped resisting. I dropped her, stepped on her back to ensure she couldn't get up, and then tore her head off. It wasn't as hard as I expected, but it felt like a trap.

"Did she only bring young vampires?" I wondered, looking at Sol and Allie. Their terror made me feel awful.

A cry of pain came from behind me. Emmett had a bleeding neck wound; the vampire he fought had blood on its mouth. He'd been bitten, and was losing the fight. Sulien wasn't faring much better; Julie looked on the verge of collapse. They were exhausted. Seeing Emmett's trouble, I moved to help. A shadow leaped towards me—a blonde wolf I'd never seen before. Allie was no longer with Sol. As the vampire closed in on Emmett, the wolf bit his arm and pulled him away. It growled, digging its paws into the floor, struggling against the vampire's punches. I jumped in, biting the vampire's leg and pulling him down. I tore his leg off as the blonde wolf ripped the vampire's arm from its shoulder. Together, we tore him apart, the wolf removing his head. The wolf shifted, revealing Allie. She knelt, grabbing a blanket from the broken couch to tend to Emmett's wound. He blushed at her nakedness.

"It's okay," she said.

"Th…Thank you," he stuttered. She carefully moved him to Sol and continued to treat his wound. If she could stem the bleeding, maybe he'd live.

"Don't come back unless you have to," I told Allie. "Keep him alive."

"I will," she promised. I hoped she could.

Sulien seemed to be gaining the upper hand, so I helped Julie. I'd repeatedly looked at the woman in the doorway; she watched with amusement, showing no sign of joining the fight. Broken furniture littered the floor, so I shifted back to human form. As the vampire jumped, I front-kicked him in the hip mid-air. He crashed into the wall, creating a ragged hole and sending him into the next room. Julie looked about to collapse, so I linked her. "Go to Sol and Allie. Help get Emmett out. I've got this one, and Maddox will be here soon."

I hoped I was right. Maddox's absence was terrifying, but our bond only conveyed anxiety and rage. He was alive and relatively unharmed, but I couldn't think about that now. The vampire I'd kicked was slowly getting up in the kitchen. I may have broken his hip. He winced when putting weight on it. I heard a roar. The vampire Sulien fought broke free and ran towards the others.

"No!" I yelled, trying to intercept him, but it was too late.

The vampire used the girls as bait for Sulien. As he reached Sol, the vampire turned and plunged his hand through Sulien's chest. Sulien's agonizing cry was quickly silenced. The vampire dropped him, lifeless. Sol was screaming, punching the vampire, to no effect. He turned, smiling. Allie was under Emmett, unable to shift; Julie had passed out, bleeding profusely. I saw my friends—dead, beaten, broken—before me. I wouldn't let them all die. Not one more.

"Hey!" I yelled at the vampire facing Sol.

"Wait your turn," he said dismissively.

"No," I growled.

I grabbed a fire poker and charged at him. He grabbed Sol, opening his mouth to bite her. Time seemed to slow. I saw the venom dripping from his fangs, Sol's tear-filled eyes accepting her fate. Then, the poker pierced the vampire's skull, splitting it open and driving it away from Sol's neck. It plunged through his mouth and deep into the wall. I shifted, biting his neck and ending his life.

Shifting back, I addressed the woman in the doorway. "What do you want?"

"You," she laughed. Before my heart could beat again, she was in front of me, her hand on my throat.

I couldn't breathe; she was going to crush my throat. I desperately tried to pull her hand away. She was stronger than the vampire who'd tried to kill me in my cell. I needed leverage. She held me by the throat; I knew she could lift me with one arm. I jumped, turning myself perpendicular to her, making it harder for her to hold me. I plummeted, grabbing the back of her head and pulling her to me, throwing my knee across her body. My shoulders hit the ground, my leg across her face. I extended my hips, feeling her arm snap. She tried to bite my leg, compressing me. I rolled over my shoulder, forcing us both face down. I moved my leg from her face, hooking my foot behind her head.

I had her pinned, controlling her head. I forced my hips into the ground, snapping her arm further. With it shattered, I pulled her arm until it ripped free. She screamed. I pushed up, kneeling on the back of her head. Maddox appeared. Relief and admiration flooded our bond.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded, shifting my weight to give him better access. His claws extended. In one swift movement, he ended the fight.

I collapsed beside the disgustingly beautiful vampire corpse. Maddox hovered. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I breathed. I looked around at the devastation—Sol crying over Sulien, Allie holding Emmett, Julie unconscious.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to you faster," he grimaced. I shook my head.

"We need to ensure everyone is okay and help my dad. There will be others. We have to help the pack," I said, rising shakily. Maddox steadied me. He leaned his forehead against mine.

"I'm so glad she didn't hurt you," he whispered. I touched his face.

"Other pack members will need our help," I whispered. He nodded.

"Let's get Emmett and Julie upstairs. We can burn the vampires later," he whispered.

"What do we do with Sulien?" I linked.

"Cover him for now. Let's get Sol away from his body," Maddox said. I nodded. He leaned in, giving me a chaste kiss. "If we go fight, you can't leave my side. I have to know you're safe with me."

"Let's help our pack," I said. "Together."