"No!" Kenneth and Garrett both exclaim in unison but for different reasons.
The scent of an unmated she-wolf in heat began to drift through the air, capturing the attention of unmated males from multiple packs. It was a primal call that none of them could resist, drawing them like moths to a flame.
From various corners of the clearing, wolves started to shift their attention, their instincts kicking into high gear. They followed the intoxicating aroma, their senses attuned to the alluring scent that promised the promise of a potential mate.
Lily covered her ears as multiple wolves began speaking to her at once, all trying to lure her to them. It took everything in her to make her stand where she was, trembling from the pain of breaking the pack bond. Her decisions had sent shockwaves through the Blue Creek pack, and now she had to face the consequences of her actions.
"Lily!" Tiffany exclaimed. "Are you insane? Why would you do this?" She rushed to her seeing her dropping to her knees.
"Too many voices at once. It hurts," Lily whined, while Tiffany wrapped her arms around her to comfort her. She turned her attention to Garrett. "You need to do something right now or this is about to get way out of hand."
"Don't you think I know that!" Garrett snapped as he shifted into his wolf form. He understood why Lily had broken the pack bond, but he didn't expect her to be so dramatic about it. This was not the place for this. He would have never let Kenneth take her.
'I told you your lies would catch up to us. She didn't trust us to defend her,' Berric growled angrily.
'Then, we will show her that we will protect her,' Garrett responded as he stood next to Lily and Tiffany. His massive form towering over them. He snarled at the wolves approaching them. It wasn't just lust filled wolves they had to be worried about. Rogues were strictly prohibited at the Winter Moon celebration. Normally, Lunas would protect a she-wolf in heat but now she was vulnerable to the advances of unmated males.
"Warriors! Stand with me!" Debra howled. "Stand with our princess!" She walked forward to defend Lily.
'Luna, you need to stand aside. This is dangerous,' Berric said to her.
"I have seen more battles than you have been living pup. I can handle myself," Debra said as she shifted into a brown wolf with red highlights. She swatted a very forward male wolf that had gotten too close. Her warriors began to encircle them defensively.
"You idiot," Kenneth snarled, his voice laced with venom. He had always seen Lily as a disgrace, a burden to the pack's reputation. He never allowed Lily to shift in front of the pack. Now, it seems that was a foolish decision. If he had known, he would have treated her differently. She held a purpose and now that she did, she foolishly became a rogue.
"You breaking the pack bond means nothing. You are still my daughter. You are still connected to me. You will do what I say," Kenneth retorted. His warriors joined his side.
"Honey," Mandy said, coming up from behind him. She gripped his shoulder in support. "Let us handle this. We will get her in check. It is our right to do so."
"So be it. Do not kill her," Kenneth ordered.
"As you wish, my Alpha," Mandy said, shifting. She rushed forward with the warriors right behind her. Mandy lunged forward, aiming for Debra when she was slammed hard from the side.
A gray wolf snarled at her. It was Kelly. She and Jack had made it to the clearing. For once and only once, she regretted letting Jack take her in the woods. Every time they tried to enjoy themselves things got out of hand.
"She is under my protection. If you stand in my way, you are standing against the Grey Blood pack!" Kelly snarled.
"So be it," Mandy growled back.
"Nope,"
Tiffany shifted into her tiger form, allowing Lily to get on her back and she took off into the woods as the wolves began fighting amongst themselves. She knew the prides would not interfere in wolf matters, but now that she was involved, they would defend her.
"Hold on tight, Lily," Trixie said and she felt Lily wrap her arms around her neck. If she could get to her car, they could get out of there. Trixie mindlinked with her pride to let them know to defend her.
Then, she felt pain, excruciating pain going up her leg causing her to roar and slam face first into the snow sending Lily through the air.
Trixie turned to see a wolf biting deep into the back of her paw. With a swipe of her paw, she sent the wolf flying into a tree. Trixie limped toward Lily, but another wolf pounced on her back, biting into her shoulder.
"Get off me, you fleabag!" she roared trying to shake the wolf off but it only caused the wolf to sink his fangs deeper.
Then, the weight on her back was removed. Trixie turned to see a smokey furred wolf ripping the throat out of the wolf that had attacked her. The smokey furred wolf looked up at her and Adam's voice flooded her mind, "Mate!"
"We can discuss that later! We need to keep Lily safe," Trixie said. She turned to Trixie and limped over to her. Trixie could hear more wolves approaching and Adam fighting to keep them safe.
'We can't hold them off without the full support of our pride,' Tiffany said, noting that their warriors had not come to aid her.
'Then, we will force them to help us,' Trixie stated. She shifted back into her human form. Tiffany used her claw to cut her hand and then Lily's.
Tiffany grabbed Lily's bloodied hand. "As Gamma of Moon Shide pride, I accept you Lily Bray to our pride to uphold our sacred code to protect, support, and honor each other. We are a family, united by the lunar thread that connects us to the Moon Goddess. Do you accept this bond, accepting both its burdens and its blessings?"
"I, Lily Bray, accept,"