They were out of the trees and into the clearing before he could stop his brain from spinning. Lucky scrabbled to a halt beside Fiery as the huge dog squared up to the invaders, snarling and bristling.

The scene in the camp made Lucky’s stomach turn over. His Pack, the dogs he’d guided and protected and spied for, facing up against—

My other Pack, he realized with a jolt.

Bella was clearly in the lead, her tail stiff and her hackles high as she grimly faced down Alpha. Daisy and Sunshine were both trembling, but they stood firm, small teeth bared. Mickey was beside them, looking determined and fierce.

And there were two others.

Bruno. Martha.

The sturdy dog and the massive water-dog looked sleek and healthy and ready for a battle, not a sign of sickness in their eyes or their coats. Martha wasn’t even limping anymore. Bella lied to me . . .

They all lied to me!

Lucky watched as the two Packs circled each other warily, growling and tense, each waiting for the first sign of weakness in the other.

Every hair on Lucky’s body was erect, and tremors of tension ran through his skin and muscles, but there was nothing he could do. He couldn’t even move, and though his mind raced in frantic circles like a rabbit, he couldn’t come up with a single useful thought. Where did he fit in this stupid, dangerous situation?

Whose side are you on, Lucky?

For a moment, his resentment and bewilderment made him dizzy. Why hadn’t Bella told him this was what she was planning? Did she not trust him, or had she wanted to make him some kind of unwitting bait? And what in the name of the Sky-Dogs made her think this could work? Alpha’s Pack was still bigger and fiercer than hers.

I can’t stand by while my litter-sister fights for her life. . . .

Can I?

“Get out, longpaw pets!” Sweet barked. “We’ll destroy you for this.”

“We’ll go where we want to,” Bruno snarled.

“And that includes the lake, and the hunting meadows,” growled Mickey. “If you don’t like it, by all means try to fight us.”

Twitch made a feinting move forward, but still none of the dogs launched a proper attack. Alpha’s eyes were cold and deadly, riveted on Bella’s, and Lucky knew that if any dog was going to die that day it would be her.

But he feared there would be more than one going to the Earth-Dog, before the Sun-Dog lay down to rest. Many more . . .

Maybe I can still talk them all down from this.

No. It’s hopeless. Oh, Forest-Dog, help me. I don’t know what to do!

The dog-smells around him were sharp and rank: anger and hatred and fear. The air was thick with it, but there was something else, something that made him sniff the breeze. None of the others had noticed, too concerned with threatening one another. Snarling and whining filled the glade, making his ears ache, but there was nothing wrong with his nose.