Chapter 50 · The Rejected Wolf Strikes Back

"Move, Sera. Now." Cole kept the gun aimed at the pup, his finger resting beside the trigger.

Rayne stood between them, one hand pressed over the silver wound in his arm. Blood slid through his fingers. His shoulders were tight, but he didn't step back.

I held the pup against my chest. His tiny claws caught in my coat, and his frightened whimpers punched straight through me.

"You heard him," Cole said. "Put the child down and get out of my way."

"You want him?" I asked.

Rayne's head snapped toward me. "Sera, don't."

Cole smiled. He knew that tone. He'd heard it before, back when I still wore his mark and believed his promises meant something.

"That's right," Cole said. "You finally understand who holds the leash."

"I understand you came all this way because you're scared."

The smile left his face.

Behind him, boots scraped over ice. More men crowded into the tunnel mouth, rifles raised. Their black coats carried Ironfang's red claw, but the soldiers didn't look at Rayne. They looked at Cole.

His people had already taken the camp.

Rayne's jaw flexed. "How many of my soldiers did you buy?"

"Enough.