The alpha pounced.
A blur of muscle and fangs slashing through the air, its guttural roar shattering the moment. But Maggie didn't wait. She screamed back—raw, almost feral—and threw herself at it.
Her axe rose in a perfect arc, humming with raw power. The blade sank deep into the beast's shoulder, carving a wide gash through coarse fur and thick flesh. Black blood spurted in a heavy spray, and the alpha let out a raspy cry of pain—but its momentum carried it forward.
It slammed into her.
Maggie rolled across the ground but sprang back up at once, breath ragged, eyes blazing. Her axe, still slick with blood, steamed faintly in the cold air.
"That bastard's tough as hell," she growled, eyes gleaming with excitement.
The alpha shook itself, growled, then rose to its massive feet, fangs dripping, its wild eyes locked on her.
Dylan seized the opening.
He fired.
