Chests heaving, the wolves fiercely fought again. Growling. Snarling. Clawing. Biting. Body slamming. The Alpha was strong like his human side. Ruthless and without honor. So it didn’t take the dark wolf by surprise when dominant, oppressive vibes slammed into him. Vibes that tried to force him to submit.

The dark wolf shook his head in an effort to shake off the weight pressing down on him. He would not submit. He would not lose. But the pressure was heavy and thick, it—

Wolves burst into the room, growling and snarling. The dark wolf recognized their scents, knew some were his pack mates. The sight distracted the gray wolf, made his vibes ease away. The dark wolf took advantage and barreled into him. He wrestled the Alpha onto his back, pinned him there and—

“NO!”

A hard force slammed into the dark wolf, knocking him off the Alpha. The dark wolf slid along the floor and hit the wall with a thud. The man within the animal pushed hard for supremacy, and the wolf didn’t have the strength to resist.

Ryan got to his feet, ready to fight off the crazed female baring down on him. He didn’t have to. A growled, “Not a fucking chance, bitch!” was followed by Selene crashing to the ground as a weight hit her back and took her down. Makenna.

“This time,” snarled Makenna, fisting the female’s hair and yanking up her head, “you won’t get up.” She sliced the female’s throat open, just as Selene had done to Colton.

“Selene!” The agonized cry came from Remy, who was back in his human form. He crawled to the female, slipping in her blood.

Moving to Ryan, Makenna stared at Remy. “You knew she was your mate, didn’t you?”

“She should have been given someone better than me,” he replied, only then seeming to realize the battle was over and his wolves were dead. Some of the residents that Dawn and Madisyn were tending to looked badly hurt, but Ryan couldn’t tell if any were dead.

Makenna snorted. “I won’t argue there.”

Upper lip curled back, Remy leaped up. Like a flash, Ryan, Dante and Jaime were blocking his path and Ryan had a hand wrapped around the Alpha’s throat.

Remy managed a pale imitation of a laugh. “You’re protecting her? Really? Then you mustn’t know about her past. You must have no idea what she did to be banished from her pack and forced to run for her life. I do.”

It was a total bluff, Makenna knew. Clearly he had no idea that Ryan had already discovered the truth about her pack. Ryan would know that Remy was talking bullshit, but would the others? Would they give a female who was once a loner the benefit of the doubt?

Remy spat out blood. “Do you want to hear it?”

“No,” said Dante just as Ryan thrust his claws into Remy’s chest.

“She’s a Phoenix wolf,” added Jaime. “One of us. That’s all we need to know.”

And, for the first time, Makenna understood what Ryan was trying to tell her. She wasn’t alone anymore. Didn’t have to be so emotionally reliant. Didn’t have to hold back. She was part of a pack. This pack. And being part of the Phoenix Pack meant something very special.

The breath left her lungs as pain lanced her head and chest. Then it was gone, and she could feel Ryan everywhere. In her. Around her. She felt his heartbeat, felt his surprise, relief, and satisfaction. Their mating bond, despite being new, wasn’t by any means weak. It was strong. Complete. Probably because it had been ready to form for so long.

Releasing the dying wolf, Ryan turned to his mate. He’d been right. Or, more specifically, Jaime had been right. The bond had been jammed by an external issue. Now it had not only snapped into place, it was—

“Not my boy! Not my boy!”

The screech had everyone spinning to face a gun-waving Deanne. A shot fired, and something slammed into Ryan. It was like there was an explosion in the left side of his stomach. The impact made him grunt and catch his breath. Putting a hand to his stomach, he looked down. Distantly aware that Roni had disarmed and gutted Deanne, Ryan pulled away his hand. And frowned. There was no blood. No wound.

Beside him, his mate fell to her knees. His frown deepened. “Kenna?” She blinked up at him, her expression one of utter shock. Then he saw the red blooming across her T-shirt. Panic raced through him and his wolf. “Shit.” He dropped to his knees and cupped her face. “Kenna, it’s okay.”

She nodded. But she didn’t feel okay. She hurt. God, it was like she was burning from the inside out. Every instinct she had told her this was very, very bad. Shock gave way to panic, and she clung to Ryan’s arms—as if he could anchor her. Her wolf went fucking ape shit.

“Lay her down, put pressure on the wound,” Dante told him, all business.

Ryan gently eased her onto her back and pressed his hand over the fucking hole in her stomach. She winced. “Shit, I’m sorry.” He shoved strength down their bond, listening as Dante called their Alpha female. “Taryn’s a healer,” Ryan told Makenna, unsure if she already knew. “She’ll fix you.”

“The bullet went straight through, so that’s good,” said Jaime, but there was worry in her voice. She didn’t need to worry. His mate would be fine.

Ryan looked into eyes swirling with the pain, fear echoing through him. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine. Say it.”

Makenna swallowed. “I’m going to be fine.” She wasn’t certain she believed that. Her stomach burned and throbbed. She could feel warm blood on her skin and pooling beneath her. She’d already lost some in her duel with Selene. As fingers linked with hers, she looked to see Madisyn and Dawn kneeling close by. “Hey.”