They heard it now.
Every last one of them.
The crunch of branches under boots—no longer careful, no longer hidden. Whoever was coming had given up stealth in favor of speed.
Which meant one thing.
They were close.
Kol staggered upright, wiping blood from his mouth. "How many?"
I didn't answer. I was too focused on the sounds. Fast. Sharp. Five, maybe six. Possibly more. I couldn't tell if they were human. But I could tell they were armed.
Tiger drew his weapon, jaw tight. "They flanked us."
Nyx's voice was calm, coiled like a spring. They're trying to pin us in. Push us toward the ridge.
The van was boxed in—trees to the north, slope to the south, nowhere to run without exposing ourselves.
"We need cover," I barked.
Mick was already scrambling toward the side of the van, dragging one of the smaller crates with him like it could serve as a shield. The others weren't far behind—Kol limping, Tiger scanning the treeline, two others fanning out low to the ground.
And then they came.
Dark shapes burst from the shadows—faces half-covered, bodies armored with patchwork gear. Not military. Not gang. Freelancers? Mercenaries? Hired hands that smelled too clean, too intentional.
Or worse—people paid by someone inside.
The first shot rang out and hit the front tire of the van, sending a burst of rubber and smoke into the air.
"DOWN!" I shouted.
They obeyed this time.
Gunfire cracked through the trees. Someone screamed. Mick.
I moved fast—too fast. Crouched low, grabbed him by the back of the collar, yanked him toward the rear of the van. His fingers were bleeding. Shoulder grazed. Face pale.
Tiger returned fire, ducked, cursed. "I count seven!"
No, Nyx corrected. Nine.
The air was too sharp now, full of dirt and gunpowder. I could smell adrenaline like sweat on every crew member's skin.
Another bullet slammed into the side of the van. Another scraped my arm as I ducked behind the crates.
They weren't shooting to kill.
Not all of them.
I could feel it—controlled fire. Herding tactics. These people knew what they were doing. They were pushing us into a narrow kill zone without getting close enough to risk casualties.
They're trying to take someone alive, Nyx snarled. Probably us.
Tiger fired again. "We're pinned!"
"We need to break left," Kol yelled. "They've got the high ground east!"
I pressed a hand against the gravel, grounding myself. I could feel the tremor of boots in the earth. They were spreading. Trying to box us tighter.
The night vibrated with movement. Too much. Too coordinated.
Nyx clawed at the inside of my ribs.
Let me take control. Just for a second.
"No," I muttered.
Rhea—
"I said no."
But I knew I wouldn't be able to hold her back much longer. The shift had already started. My fingers ached. My spine burned. My mouth tasted like copper and instinct.
Tiger ducked and dragged one of the other crew—Jai—behind a tree. Kol rolled low, reloading with shaking hands. Someone else screamed in the shadows, but I couldn't see who.
Then I saw one of the attackers flanking right.
Short. Fast. Moving in with a long-bladed weapon—not a gun.
Too quiet.
Not a soldier, Nyx said. A closer.
A killer.
And they were headed straight for Mick again, who'd stumbled back into the open.
I didn't think.
I lunged.
The shift hit mid-motion—bones stretching, skin crawling, spine popping. I didn't go full wolf, but I didn't stay human either. My muscles rippled unnaturally. My jaw cracked. Claws tore through my gloves.
The ground vanished under my feet.
I hit the attacker mid-lunge, driving them down to the dirt with a snarl so loud it shook the trees.
Their mask blew back. I saw their face. Saw the flicker of fear when they realized what I was.
Not just another enforcer.
Not just another pawn.
But something else entirely.
Something wild.
I didn't kill them.
But I wanted to.
Instead, I tore their chest armor open with a swipe of my claws and shoved them off me. They hit the ground hard and didn't get up.
Kol had frozen mid-reload. Jai stared openly, his weapon half-raised.
Tiger didn't speak.
Didn't need to.
He knew.
I stood slowly, shoulders rising and falling. Blood smeared my arms. Breath heaving. My shadow twisted under the flickering light.
The gunfire slowed.
Not stopped—just… hesitated.
They'd seen something too.
Something they didn't expect.
Nyx purred in my skull.
Now they'll listen.