I know that scent.

Frantically Lucky opened his nostrils and snuffed the air, desperate to pinpoint the elusive odor. It was familiar somehow . . . and then he knew why. He’d smelled it on Bella at their last meeting—that dark, dusky scent he couldn’t place.

Bella had said it was dogs they’d fought off. Had she lied about that, too? Had she brought them as hidden reinforcements? Or had they returned to have their revenge on her; were they even now waiting beyond the trees?

A great courageous bark silenced the low growls of challenge. Bella.

“Alpha!” she cried. “We’re here to demand a share of this territory. You have food, water, shelter. Share it, or we’ll take it by force!”

Lucky stared at her, open-jawed. Had she lost her mind?

Alpha clearly thought so. “You’re welcome to try,” he told her in his silky growl. He shared an amused glance with Sweet before turning back to Bella. “If you’re stupid enough to take us on. But if you’re smarter than I take you for, you’ll leave now. And then,” he licked a huge paw idly, making the long claws gleam, “we’ll say no more about it.”

Lucky doubted it would be that easy, but still he barked at Bella inside his head. Slink away now, Bella, while you have the chance!

She didn’t even blink or cower. Instead she drew herself even stiffer and higher, and said, “You’re making a huge mistake, Alpha.”

For the first time the dog-wolf looked genuinely surprised, his ears pricking forward in disbelief. Then he gave a great bark of laughter. “I’m not the one making a mistake, Leashed Dog. Not me!”

Bella said nothing, only wrinkling her muzzle in disdain. Then she gave a great summoning bark.

Shadows rippled through the bushes; pointed snouts lined with gleaming teeth emerged from all around. Lucky felt a roiling dread in his belly. The other dogs of the Wild Pack were glancing around nervously, showing the whites of their eyes. From all around, creatures were creeping slyly into view. . . .

Foxes!

In sheer disbelief, Lucky watched them, gray and thin and savage. One snapped its cruel teeth, its tail standing up straight.

“With you, Bella-dog,” it leered. “Hello, smelly-dogs.”

Lucky’s head reeled and his stomach churned. So that was the reek on Bella’s fur, the scent he couldn’t quite identify. Not dogs at all. And not Bella’s enemies—they were with her!

“Foxes!” howled Alpha in rage. “Foxes in my lair!”

The dogs around him erupted into a din of furious yelping as Lucky backed away, horrified. Foxes were creatures of the city, feral and wily and savage. Why had they come here? They belonged in the broken longpaw town, scavenging and lurking and killing by stealth. How in the name of the Sky-Dogs had Bella found them, and why?

Did she go back to the city? For these?

A great hideous shudder went through his bones. What has she promised them?

“I told you you were making a mistake.” Bella’s growl was cool and certain. “We’re not weak Leashed Dogs now, Alpha, and you can’t drive us from this valley.”