“I want my pups back right now!” Blade barked. As she twisted her neck to look at Lucky, he spotted a fang-shaped white mark just below her ear. He remembered the dead pup that he and Mickey had buried alongside the Mother-Dog. That pup had worn the same mark on its fur.

At his side, Mickey murmured: “The dead pup . . . Blade must be its Mother-Dog.”

Lucky gave a nod. Understanding was starting to ripple through his body. “Maybe Blade’s instincts are telling her that she needs pups to look after—any pups, as long as they’re Fierce Dogs.”

Lucky stared hard at the Fierce Dog. Was he looking at a mother driven wild by grief? That would certainly explain her ruthlessness—if she thought the Wild Pack had the thing she craved more than anything in the world. If she hadn’t been such an expert killer, Lucky might have felt sorry for her.

He was jolted from his thoughts by Daisy’s yelp. Blade’s jaws had tightened around her neck.

Alpha turned to his Pack. “Let the pups go!” he commanded.

Blade gave a nod and one of the Fierce Dogs surrounding the Wild Pack stepped back to create safe, neutral space. In the center Bruno, Whine, and Dart parted to reveal Lick and Wiggle.

“Pups, go back to your Pack,” Alpha told them. His words were stern but his voice was soft. Lucky thought he might have heard a hint of regret.

Lick walked past the Wild Dogs until she was standing a short distance from Blade. Her head was held high and her stubby tail pointed behind her. Lucky’s heart swelled with pride. The female pup had learned and grown up so much in such a short time. With her bold, fearless nature she could have been a great asset to the Pack. But now she would be brought up to be aggressive and savage—she would have no choice but to become the dog that Alpha feared.

They could all have been good dogs, Lucky felt sure. Even Grunt . . . He looked at the glossy-furred pup, who joined his sister with a lick of the nose. She returned his gesture, then searched the crowd of dogs. She found Lucky’s face and blinked at him sadly.

Only Wiggle held back, reluctant to join his old Pack. Martha had drawn closer to him and he backed against her, whimpering. “I don’t want to go with them. I want to stay with you and Lucky, and Mickey and the others.”

Martha looked around her, addressing all the Wild Dogs at once. “Are you really going to let this happen? How can you hand the pups over to these brutes?”

“Come, Dagger!” barked Mace. Blade’s Beta marched forward alongside a stubby-faced Fierce Dog with lighter brown fur. The Wild Dogs fell back, allowing them to pass. Wordlessly the Fierce Dogs flanked Wiggle, who had no choice but to walk with them.