Page 153 of Alpha Awakened

“Shadow no longer!”

“This is our pack land now!”

Through the noise, Hazard heard a growl behind him. He spun around just as a large gray wolf leaped at him. Unable to swing his gun up in time to get off a shot, he took the full force of the wolf slamming into his chest. Hazard went down to the ground from the impact, landing on his back. The wolf was heavy on top of him, eyes glowing, snarling, snapping its teeth trying to get at his throat and rip it open.

Using one hand, Hazard held his rifle between him and the wolf as a barrier to protect his throat and face. With his other hand he reached beneath him and drew the knife Ice had given him from its sheath. He raised it in the air. Light filtering through the treetops glinted off the steel blade. It was a beautiful weapon, but in his world, weapons weren’t only for admiring. They were meant to be used. And although he hated to harm a wolf, he wasn’t going to let this fucker maul him to death.

Hazard plunged the blade into the wolf’s side.

Distracted from attacking him the gray raised its snout and howled in pain.

While the wolf was howling, Hazard stabbed it once more near its shoulder. With a sharp bark of pain, the wolf went limp and collapsed.

Hazard shoved the injured shifter off him and rose to his feet. He stood over the big gray wolf with his gun pointed at its head. It stared up at him, pain in its eyes and fear in its scent. When Hazard raised his weapon the wolf lowered its head and whimpered.

Fuck. He’d always had a soft spot for shifters in wolf form. He couldn’t kill whoever this was. Hazard spun the gun around and slammed the butt of it into the back of the big gray’s head. It slumped over on its side, knocked out cold but alive.

With his opponent downed, Hazard got his attention back on the rest of the battle. To his left, he saw Jax hit by a bullet. The big alpha staggered back and dropped to one knee. When his hold on his weapon went slack, Hazard rushed over to provide his squadmate with cover fire and medical attention if needed.

Someone approached on Jax’s left at the same time that Hazard reached him. It was Lance Corporal Quinn Ballard from the support team.

“I’ve got this,” the young shifter said. “See to Corporal Jackson.”

He took up a protective stance in front of them both and began firing at the enemy.

Free to check on Jax, Hazard kneeled down at his side. His sleeve was torn and bloody. Hazard ripped it open to see the damage. Blood trickled down his arm from a gunshot wound.

Jax gingerly touched the injury and winced.

“It’s only a flesh wound. I’m good,” he said.

“Were you hit anywhere else?”

“No.”

Hazard nodded. He took out gauze from Jax’s first aid pack and quickly wrapped it around his arm to stop the blood loss. They’d treat the wound fully once this was over and they were back on base.

Jax regained his grip on his weapon and the two of them got back in the fight. The battleground had settled with Legion soldiers taking cover behind a stand of trees and Vengeful Claw across from them behind another. There was a wide clearing in between the two sides.

Ortiz yelled out a call for the enemy group to surrender. They replied with a familiar refrain.

“Shadow no longer!”

“This is our pack land now!”

Hazard blew out an annoyed breath. “They’ve got a one-track mind.”

Since the enemy wasn’t giving up they would have to be put down. Using strategic cover fire, the 448 pressed forward, advancing through the trees until they were right at the edge of the clearing separating them from Vengeful Claw. That put them in grenade throwing range.

There was a lull in the gun fire as the 448 prepared for their next move. Before they could proceed, a sharp whistle split the air.

Hazard looked in the direction of the sound just as a voice called out from the enemy side.

“Hold fire!”

Ortiz echoed the order for her team. “Hold fire!”

Displaying either foolishness or bravery, Cortez strolled unprotected into the open space between the two groups of combatants.