Intuition

“You’re a fucking fool!” Flint’s deep voice boomed through the house.

Johnny and Jethro had followed Duncan into the home a minute prior. Elijah had called for backup just before he’d arrived. The warriors were now standing in the doorway with their commander, looking into the living room. The scene in front of them was clearly about to explode once again.

Clark sat on the floor in front of the coffee table with blood covering his face, dripping into his beard. One of his legs was positioned strangely, as though his shin was broken or injured. Alice was crying and trying to shake Elijah’s arms off of her but he was still hugging her tightly.

Flint looked ravenous. His dark hair was disheveled and he had a beard covering his square jaw. The Alpha clearly hadn’t shaved in several days. He wore a pair of red pants that obviously belonged to a shorter man. His muscular chest and torso were covered in smudges of dirt and forest debris. His emerald eyes were shining like two green orbs of pure animalistic hatred.

Duncan silently ordered Jethro to take Alice away from Elijah and out of the room. Elijah nodded to them, showing his approval. Yet, as the warrior approached Alice, she began sobbing and yelling loudly once again.

“No! Let us go! Now! Please!” She begged. “Please, Elijah... You’re our friend! Let us go!”

Elijah’s face hardened. He took a slow breath in through his nose, gathering himself. He then leaned down to whisper in Alice’s ear.

“My friends wouldn’t have gone after my son.” He growled lowly before pushing her toward Jethro.

The warrior caught her and began to drag her away.

“No! Elijah! Please! He’ll kill him! He’ll kill my mate!!!” Alice shrieked as she was pulled out the front door.

Flint hadn’t heard her screams. His mind, like his furious gaze, was still fixed on Clark. The old man had tried to give his mate reassuring glances when she was taken away but he knew they would do her no good. Alice could see through them.

The Alpha crouched in front of him, drawing Clark’s attention. He stared at Flint as resentment and justification radiated from the old man. The room grew quiet, except for the sounds of Alice’s wails in the distantly parked SUV.

“It was Bastian you fucking idiot!” Flint snarled deeply.

Clark growled briefly and Flint tensed. He moved to punch the old man but he was too slow. Elijah reached him first. Holding the broken cane shaft, he dealt a heavy blow to Clark’s face with the metal, wolf’s head on top of it.

The ex-elder’s blood flew from his mouth as he fell to the side in a heap. Flint felt his wolf howling and clawing in his mind. He demanded freedom and Flint had been allowing him to have so much of it, that he could barely keep him in.

The Alpha had been allowing his wolf to make the decisions. Now, however, he was using every ounce of his mental fortitude to remain human. This part of him knew he couldn’t act rationally in this moment. He needed to take a step back, and so he forced himself to do just that.

He trembled in place as he watched his father step in between Clark and himself. Duncan was still blocking the exit a few feet away while Johnny silently examined Flint from the other side of the room.

The warrior looked fascinated with the power his leader was exuding. The respect he held in his bright eyes was obvious. Flint hadn’t looked away from Clark since Duncan arrived, the commander could feel it... The Alpha was losing control.

“For fifty years, you and I have been friends. For forty of them, you were my chief advisor.” Elijah’s growl was nearly too deep to be understood, “And you go after my child! MY SON?!”

Clark met his eyes with no emotion. He was steadfast in his beliefs. He thought he was doing the right thing. Even now.

“He was a threat to the pack! He still is!” Clark answered with vindication.

Elijah snarled and his own power joined Flint’s. The combined strength of the Dolan men brought even Duncan and Johnny to their knees. They could no longer watch the altercation. Their wolves were forcing their sights to the ground, along with their hands and knees.

Elijah stabbed the jagged, broken cane into the ex-elder’s shoulder. The smell of his blood filled the air and the sound of his pained yelp rang through the home. Clark began spitting and hissing as Elijah leaned toward him, shoving the cane further into him.

“You’ll die for this, Monroe. I will see you dead if it is the last thing I do. And I’ll do it in front of everyone who has ever known you.” He growled in a menacing, matter-of-fact tone.

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Eve was running when she felt it. Her black paws lost their traction as she was blinded by a sudden wave of power. Bastian ran up to her with his brows furrowed worriedly.

She staggered to her feet. Something was happening to the pack. To Flint. She could feel it with her every sense. Her mindlink was about to burst and her rapid heartbeat was thundering in her veins. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t breath. All she knew was somewhere in Green Tree, hours away, her mate was raging.

The violent turbulence of Flint’s power was unmistakable. It filled her and kickstarted the surging strength of the pup in her womb. She felt like her every nerve was about to burst with the overwhelming sense of strength rising into her chest. Eve shuddered and trembled, as she jerked her head from side to side.

Eve howled furiously. Bastian was forced to kneel as he struggled to keep her in his sights. He wanted to shift back into his human guise but the power radiating from her was too much for him. It felt like an anchor had been chained around his neck.

The Luna ran. She had to burn it away. Get rid of it. Feed it. Ease it. All she could do was run. Again, it felt like she and her inner beast were side by side. Simply watching the black wolf tear into the ground with her claws and push herself forward.

It took nearly an hour for Eve to collapse. The movements of her body carried her into the roots of a tree when her feet slipped out from under her. She was heaving her breaths, unable to focus on anything but the rage inside her.

A few minutes later, Bastian caught up to her. He had shifted into his human form and hadn’t bothered to put on clothes. He ran to Eve’s crumpled body and knelt in front of her. He touched her head and stroked her soft, dark fur. He was clearly trying to calm her.

“Evie...” He whispered.

She weakly lifted her head to examine his face. His dark eyes were soft but Eve could still see the mania underneath. Her chest was aching and her lungs were burning. Eve couldn’t stop herself from shifting. In moments, she was laying with bare skin on the half frozen ground.

Bastian lifted her, cradling her against his chest. He gazed down at her with concern and fascination. His smoky, musky scent surrounded Eve but she didn’t feel comfort from it. On the contrary, the thought of Bastian being in control when she wasn’t was very unnerving.

The last thing Eve could focus on before she lost consciousness was the thrumming of the static his touch provoked across her skin.