A deep yelp broke from the circle of dogs. Martha raised her large, gentle head. “Alpha, you can’t let her kidnap the pups! We promised to protect them!”

The half wolf turned to Martha, fixing her with a hard stare. “I will do what is right for the Pack,” he replied. He turned back to Blade. “Take them.”

Martha barked angrily. “How could you hand them over to her? She’ll hurt them! Don’t you see?”

Lucky watched, feeling a rare pang of sympathy for Alpha. What could he do? Surrounded by so many Fierce Dogs, he could not afford to challenge them.

Blade ignored Martha, turning to Lucky. “You are fortunate that our only interest is in the pups. I might have taken the opportunity to chew out your tongue, mongrel dog, for tricking me in my own camp! I still might if you get in my way.” Her lip twitched, a flicker of white fang flashing threateningly. “Where are the other two? I want my pups back.”

Lucky’s ears pricked up. Was Blade claiming to be their Mother-Dog?

Alpha narrowed his eyes. “If they are your pups, they must go with you.”

There was a murmur of agreement from the Wild Dogs. Lucky’s head cocked as he wondered: If Blade is their Mother-Dog, then who did we bury in the garden?

“Yes. The pups should be with their Mother-Dog,” said Moon, relaxing her stance.

“It’s natural,” Snap agreed. “It isn’t right to separate them. They belong with their own kind.”

Sweet watched through narrowed eyes. “I thought the Mother-Dog was dead?”

So did I, Lucky thought. He caught Mickey’s eye and he looked from him to the pups and then to Blade, his ears flat against his head.

But most of the other dogs were keen to do whatever it took to bring this situation to an end. They were not asking the questions that Lucky, Sweet, and Bella were.

“The pups should go to the Mother-Dog,” Spring agreed, speaking quickly.

“It would be best,” said Bruno, “for them to be with their own kind.”

Lucky wrestled with the urge to call Blade a liar. What use would it do? Most of the Wild Pack had been suspicious of the pups even before Alpha’s test, and Grunt had already defected. Now, surrounded by Fierce Dogs, what choice did any of them have but to agree to their enemies’ demands?

The air was shattered by a sharp howl from Blade. “Give me my pups! I’ve waited long enough!” She bounded around the circle of dogs and launched herself at Daisy. Caught off guard, Daisy tried to spin around but couldn’t escape in time.

Blade clamped her massive jaws around Daisy’s neck. The little dog froze, her eyes wild with terror as the Fierce Dog Alpha pinned her to the ground with her strong forepaws.