I shook my head, tears streaming down my face.
"No," I whispered through gritted teeth. "I can't…" I fisted my trembling hands. "I don't want to hurt anyone…"
"But they will kill them," my wolf snapped. "And if you don't act now, you'll lose them forever…"
My inner core seemed to burn. Every muscle quivered as the wolf clawed at my control.
"Let me…" my wolf added.
My sons' cries rang in my ears, mingling with the laughter of the hunters. The acrid scent still lingered around, but it was weakening as my wolf fought to rise. My instincts overpowered its effects.
"I don't want to kill…" I pleaded.
"You must," my wolf countered. "To live. To save them. You can't protect them as you are."
My heart pounded as the hunters grew smaller in the distance. My sons' tear-streaked faces burned into my mind. The world seemed to slow as my wolf's voice became the only sound I could hear.
