THE LAST MOONFANG

The Broken Bridge

The silver horn's haunting cry lingered over Whispering Forest long after the commander lowered it.

For one terrifying heartbeat, silence swallowed the forest.

Then came the answer.

A single wolf howled somewhere beyond the eastern ridge.

Another answered from the north.

Within seconds, the night erupted with a chorus of savage voices.

The sound rolled across the mountains like thunder, growing louder with every passing moment.

Daisy's blood turned cold.

"They're calling every patrol," she whispered.

Lucas glanced toward the dark tree line, his usually carefree expression gone.

"I've heard those hunting calls before," he said grimly. "That's not a search party."

He tightened his grip on his sword.

"That's an execution squad."

Rain began to fall.

At first it was little more than a drizzle, but within moments the heavens opened. Water soaked the forest floor, turning leaves into slick traps beneath the warriors' boots.

The Nightfang commander smiled as he watched the storm gather.

"Even the skies mourn for you."

Hogan ignored the taunt.

His sharp grey eyes swept across the battlefield, measuring distances, counting enemies, searching for the smallest advantage.

Twenty-three Nightfang warriors.

Nine Blackwood soldiers.

One collapsing rope bridge.

One frightened young woman who clearly knew more than she was willing to admit.

The odds were terrible.

But impossible odds had never frightened him.

"They're stalling," Hogan said quietly.

Lucas frowned.

"So the reinforcements can surround us."

Hogan nodded once.

"Exactly."

The commander overheard him.

"You always were clever, Alpha Blackwood."

He slowly unsheathed his curved blade.

"Unfortunately..."

"Clever men still bleed."

With a sharp cry, he charged.

The Nightfang warriors surged forward like a black tide.

"Hold the line!" Hogan roared.

Steel clashed.

The quiet forest exploded into chaos.

Lucas intercepted the first attacker, his twin blades flashing through the rain. He ducked beneath a heavy axe and drove his shoulder into the warrior's chest before kicking him backward into another soldier.

To Hogan's left, two Blackwood warriors locked shields against three charging wolves.

The impact echoed through the canyon.

Daisy stood frozen on the opposite side of the broken bridge.

Every instinct screamed at her to run.

Marcus had taught her that surviving sometimes meant retreat.

But another lesson echoed just as loudly.

"Never abandon someone who risks everything for you."

She looked at Hogan.

He had no reason to protect her.

Yet he stood at the front of the battle, absorbing attack after attack without taking a single step backward.

A warrior lunged toward him from behind.

"Hogan!" Daisy shouted.

He turned just in time to catch the strike on his sword.

The blades screeched against each other.

The Alpha twisted, disarmed his attacker, and struck him unconscious with the hilt of his weapon.

His movements were precise.

Efficient.

He never wasted energy.

The Nightfang commander narrowed his eyes.

"So this is why Victor wanted you to watch."

He raised his sword.

"Archers!"

Hidden figures emerged from the trees.

They moved with frightening discipline.

Each carried a longbow fitted with silver-tipped arrows.

Lucas swore.

"This just keeps getting worse."

Hogan's expression hardened.

"Shields!"

The Blackwood warriors instantly formed a defensive wall.

The first volley darkened the sky.

Arrows hammered against wooden shields.

Several pierced straight through.

One warrior cried out as a silver arrow buried itself in his thigh.

He fell to one knee.

Another arrow struck Lucas's shoulder guard, spinning him sideways.

He grimaced but remained standing.

Across the canyon, Daisy searched desperately for another route.

There wasn't one.

The broken bridge was the only crossing for miles.

She looked down at the rushing river below.

The current slammed against jagged rocks with terrifying force.

Anyone who fell would almost certainly die.

Unless...

Her eyes widened.

She remembered something.

When she was twelve, Marcus had shown her an old smuggler's path hidden beneath the cliff.

It wasn't marked on any map.

Most people believed it had collapsed decades ago.

She had completely forgotten about it.

If it still existed...

It might save them all.

Daisy cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Hogan!"

He glanced toward her while parrying another attack.

"There's another crossing!"

His eyes narrowed.

"Where?"

"Beneath the eastern cliff!"

The commander heard her.

His smile vanished.

"No..."

He knew exactly what she meant.

"Stop her!"

Three Nightfang warriors immediately broke away from the battle and sprinted toward the base of the canyon.

Hogan saw them go.

"They know the path."

Lucas looked at him.

"What do we do?"

For the first time since the battle began, uncertainty crossed Hogan's face.

If Daisy reached the hidden crossing first, everyone might escape.

If the Nightfang warriors reached it before her...

The escape route would become another trap.

Hogan made his decision.

"Lucas."

"Yes?"

"Get her to that crossing."

"What about you?"

Hogan slowly turned toward the advancing commander.

"I'll hold them here."

Lucas stared.

"There are too many."

"I know."

The commander laughed.

"How noble."

He pointed his sword at Hogan.

"When this is over..."

"I'm mounting your head above Blackstone Fortress."

Hogan smiled—a calm, fearless smile that unsettled even his enemies.

"You'll have to earn it."

The commander roared and charged.

This time, every remaining Nightfang warrior followed him.

The forest shook beneath the weight of the attack.

And across the canyon, Daisy realized with growing horror that Hogan had no intention of retreating.

He intended to stay behind...

Even if it meant dying.

The first clap of thunder split the heavens.

Lightning flashed across the crimson sky, illuminating the battlefield for a heartbeat before darkness swallowed it again. Rain poured relentlessly over Whispering Forest, washing blood into the earth and turning the narrow cliff path into a sheet of slippery mud.

Hogan Blackwood stood alone at the mouth of the broken bridge.

His sword rested low in his hand, rainwater dripping from its polished edge.

Behind him, the last of his warriors helped the wounded retreat toward the canyon wall.

Ahead of him...

More than twenty Nightfang soldiers waited for the order to attack.

Their commander twirled his curved blade lazily.

"I've heard stories about you, Hogan."

"They say no one has ever defeated the Blackwood Alpha in single combat."

Hogan's expression remained unreadable.

"Stories grow with every telling."

The commander smiled.

"Then let's discover the truth."

Without another word, he lunged.

Their swords collided with an explosion of sparks.

The force of the impact echoed through the canyon.

The commander attacked with savage speed, each strike aimed to kill. His curved blade slashed through the rain in deadly arcs, forcing Hogan to give ground.

One step.

Then another.

Hogan blocked a strike aimed at his throat before spinning to avoid a second attack from a Nightfang warrior rushing in from his blind side.

The second man never reached him.

Lucas intercepted the warrior with both blades drawn.

"You'll have to get through me first," Lucas growled.

Steel rang against steel.

The battle spread across the cliff edge.

Daisy watched helplessly from the opposite side of the canyon.

Every instinct urged her to run.

Marcus had always taught her that survival came before pride.

"A dead hero saves no one," he often said.

Yet her feet refused to move.

These strangers...

These Blackwood wolves...

Were risking their lives because of her.

She couldn't simply leave.

Her gaze swept across the rocky cliff until it settled on a narrow opening hidden beneath hanging vines.

Her heart skipped.

The entrance.

Marcus hadn't imagined it.

The forgotten smuggler's passage still existed.

It was nearly invisible unless someone knew where to look.

She scrambled toward it, pulling the vines aside.

A narrow stone tunnel disappeared into darkness.

Cold air rushed out from within.

She knelt to inspect the ground.

Fresh footprints.

Three sets.

The Nightfang warriors had already entered.

"They're ahead of me," she whispered.

If they reached the other side first, Hogan and the others would be trapped.

She drew her hunting knife.

"Then I can't let them."

Taking a deep breath, Daisy stepped into the darkness.

Back on the cliff, Hogan noticed her disappear.

A flicker of relief crossed his face.

At least she had a chance.

The commander followed his gaze.

"Where did she go?"

One of his soldiers pointed toward the vines.

"The hidden tunnel!"

The commander's expression darkened.

"No..."

He immediately understood.

"If she reaches the eastern exit—"

He never finished.

Hogan's sword crashed into his own with such force that the commander's knees nearly buckled.

"Your fight is with me," Hogan said quietly.

The commander bared his teeth.

"Gladly."

He roared, shifting into his wolf form.

Bones cracked.

Muscles expanded.

Within seconds, a massive dark-gray wolf stood before Hogan, nearly as tall as a horse.

Its amber eyes glowed with murderous intent.

Lucas cursed.

"He's shifting!"

Hogan didn't hesitate.

His own transformation began.

A deep growl rolled from his chest.

Silver light shimmered across his skin.

His muscles tightened as black fur spread over powerful limbs.

Moments later, an enormous black wolf stood where the Alpha had been.

Rain streamed from his thick coat.

His gray eyes remained calm.

Focused.

The two Alphas circled each other.

Neither attacked.

Around them, warriors instinctively backed away.

Even enemies understood.

This was now an Alpha duel.

The commander struck first.

He lunged with astonishing speed, jaws snapping toward Hogan's throat.

Hogan twisted aside at the last possible moment.

The commander's teeth clamped onto empty air.

Before he could recover, Hogan slammed his shoulder into the larger wolf's ribs.

The impact sent the commander crashing across the muddy ground.

Nightfang soldiers stared in disbelief.

"He... knocked Alpha Darius down..."

Darius rose slowly.

Rain dripped from his muzzle.

His eyes burned with humiliation.

He had expected resistance.

He had not expected superiority.

With a furious howl, he attacked again.

This time, Hogan met him head-on.

The collision shook the earth.

Deep inside the hidden tunnel, Daisy advanced cautiously.

The passage was barely wide enough for one person.

Water dripped steadily from the ceiling.

Ancient stone walls bore faded carvings of wolves surrounding a crescent moon.

She paused.

Marcus had once told her smugglers never built these tunnels.

They had existed long before Moonfang Kingdom.

Whoever carved them had vanished centuries ago.

A faint voice echoed ahead.

"There!"

"She's inside!"

Daisy extinguished the small lantern she had found near the entrance.

Darkness swallowed the tunnel.

She slowed her breathing.

Three Nightfang warriors moved toward her, their torchlight dancing across the damp walls.

One laughed.

"Cornered already."

Another raised his sword.

"Alpha Victor pays well."

The third smiled greedily.

"Alive or dead?"

The first answered without hesitation.

"I'll take it alive."

"The reward is bigger."

Daisy smiled to herself.

They thought she was trapped.

Good.

Marcus always said overconfidence was an enemy's greatest weakness.

She slipped silently behind a stone pillar.

Her fingers found a loose rock resting near the tunnel wall.

She picked it up.

Then threw it deep into the darkness behind the soldiers.

The stone clattered loudly against the cave floor.

All three warriors spun toward the sound.

"She's running!"

They charged past her hiding place.

Daisy stepped from the shadows.

Raised the heavy rock.

And struck the last warrior across the back of the head.

He collapsed without a sound.

The other two turned too late.

Daisy had already disappeared deeper into the tunnel.

Outside...

Another thunderclap echoed across the canyon.

And Hogan realized the duel was only the beginning.

Far beyond the forest...

More answering howls drifted through the night.

Victor's army was getting closer.