I looked over at Keith. His expressions were changing slowly, almost as if they were happening in slow motion. I saw menace fade, gradually being replaced with fear. I saw it. My wolf and I liked it. I reached out and plucked the pipe out of his hand. It was like taking candy from a baby. A soft tug was all it required. I swung the pipe at his head. His eyes went round in horror. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. That was the last thing he ever did.

Llewellyn released Jules and took several steps away from him, so I focused my attention on Kevin. I looked at Jules’s bloodstained face and another wave of fury surged through me. I set my sights on Kevin’s chest. I saw the checked fabric of his shirt flutter with the beat of his heart and without thinking, I stretched my hand out and reached into his chest. My hand seemed to melt through flesh and bone like a hot knife slicing through butter. It didn’t feel hard. Quite the opposite. It was easy. My hand was warm and slick as I felt around in his chest. I found what I wanted. An organ. Something important. Something he needed. Something that pulsed. I curled my fingers around it, and with a slight flick of my wrist, I yanked his heart from his chest. I held it in my hand and looked at it dispassionately for a few seconds and then I looked at him. He was still on his feet. His eyes were lifeless. He teetered left and then right and dropped down in a heap. I dropped his useless heart at his feet.

I moved to Llewellyn. He was frozen and trembling from head to toe. When I met his gaze, he slammed his eyes shut and tilted his head sharply to the side. His jugular vein was protruded. Blue-green snaking under his skin. I had his submission. I was dimly aware of the pack’s eyes on me. I was profoundly aware of Jules at my side. I looked at Llewellyn and didn’t see the man before me. I saw the man I grew up with. The man who once came home with a red bicycle he’d found at a garage sale. He bought it for Jules and me. He pushed us around on that bike until we found our balance and were able to pedal on our own. When we did, he stood at the top of the hill and yelled, “You’re doing it. Look, you’re doing it. I knew you could do it!”