saw one.” Steele’s eyes burned coldly. His paw reached out to snatch Kaila’s leg. “But just look at her–”

“Don’t you dare touch her!” Balto and Silver Arrow cried out at the same time.

Steele froze.

Eyes blazing, Kaila and Silver Arrow stepped back to join the deadly circle around Steele.

Steele turned slowly until his gaze met Balto’s. Something in his ice-blue eyes flickered. “Balto. We just can’t get enough of each other, can we, you old wolf? I would’ve thought you were long dead by now.”

Dusty felt a strong flare of pride as Balto only stared back, as firm and noble as ever.

In the dimming light, as the small flakes of a spring snow fell from the ashen sky, Dusty was struck by how old Steele looked. He and Balto were around the same age, yet Balto still had a youthful spirit and only a little gray around his muzzle. Steele’s eyes were cold and hollow, and his lined face was thinner than ever, while silver misted his black fur. Hatred and jealousy had aged him before his time.

Steele pivoted slowly on the spot as he faced the host of enemies he had collected over the years. Fiery glares shot at him from all sides, and the coy, twisted grin of one who has realized his fate grew on his face. He addressed those he had known before as if he were saying a final goodbye, or indeed a greeting as if he were seeing them for the first time. “Chase.” He let his eyes hover on her strong face for a moment, and then turned to his daughters. “Ah, Taya, I think. And Ava.”

Taya’s eyes were hot little coals burning with blue fire. Her muscles stretched as hard and taut as a bowstring under her skin, and as she looked her father full in the face she burst out, “I hate you! I swear on my life that I will never call you Father! As far as I’m concerned, you’re not my father, you son of a devil! No, you are a devil! You abandoned me to cold and death, and so that’s exactly what I’m going to do to you!” She started towards him, but Copper pulled her back and muttered something in her ear. She tried to wrench away, but he held her firm.

Steele stood speechless. Finally he wet his lips and shook his head in wonder. “Well, you’ve certainly grown into something better than that slimy little maggot I left in the gutter.”

“You abandoned me, my sister, and my brother,” Ava said fiercely, standing tall next to her sister.

Taya and Ava’s words kindled something inside every one of Steele’s victims. An accusation jabbed at Steele, and when he turned to see who had spoken the accusations poured forth until he was spinning from face to face, his deeds of the past few years coming back to rip him apart:

“You almost made Taya kill herself!”

“You made me betray my family and lose my leg!”

“You made my life misery, and you almost killed Jenna!”

“You killed my mom and probably my brother!”

“You killed my daughter,” Dusty blurted out, the wounds inside still fresh. The knifing pain cut him so deep he dropped his head to hide his grimace. His very blood screamed.

“You killed my daughter,” Kira spat, slipping in beside him. Silver and Gail clung to her front legs, their eyes wide and tear-slicked.

Dusty started in alarm. “Kira! But–what–how…What are you doing? Get the kids out of here! I can’t lose them too!”

“They have as much right to see this as you and I,” Kira whispered back, “They’ll see their mother defending her family from the monster who killed their sister!”

Kira’s eyes were not bright emerald green; they were dark green, almost black, and nothing filled the void except a deep, hurting anger. This was a side of Kira Dusty had never seen before. Needless to say, he was a little scared, but he didn’t want to bring Steele’s attention to Kira. He said nothing, but he pulled the pups over to him and held them tight.

Gail looked up at him with eyes like twin stars, and he knew she was as scared of Kira as he was. He ruffled the fur on top of her head, and she rubbed her head against his leg gratefully. Silver stared wide-eyed at Steele. Dusty barely stopped a sigh from escaping his lips. The pups shouldn’t be here, but what else could he do with them?

Steele stopped in the center of his accusers, his eyes drifting over every angry face he could see. That coy smile appeared again, and with mock dignity he said, “Well, seeing how much I’ve messed up your lives already, I guess it won’t matter if I–” He snapped forward and grabbed Kaila and held her against him while pushing his claws against her throat.

Dusty’s stomach flipped into his throat. “Kaila!”

Silver Arrow lunged forward. “No! Kaila!”

“Not so fast, lover boy,” Steele chuckled, dodging Silver Arrow’s attack. “For every step you take, Kaila here gets a little…farther away.” He emphatically drove his claws just a little harder into Kaila’s neck. Kaila choked, and struggled against him. Now that Steele had the upper hand, he wouldn’t let go until he was ready to make his getaway.

Dusty swallowed, his mouth suddenly as dry as cotton. How had the tables turned so quickly? He knew, he knew, that Steele wouldn’t care if he killed Kaila. And there was nothing Dusty could do, unless he wanted to be responsible for Kaila’s death himself. No one could save her. For every step they took towards her, Steele would pierce her neck a little harder with his nails. Dusty dug his nails deep into the dirt in frustration. He felt so powerless.

Silver Arrow stood trembling before Steele, his muscles jerking indecisively underneath his skin. His golden eyes sparked painfully as he weighed the possibility of Kaila’s death against his own need to protect her. Finally he bared his teeth in a determined scowl, and threw himself at Steele with a heart-torn cry. He ripped Steele’s paw from Kaila’s neck, and she sucked desperately for air and struggled to drag herself from Steele’s grasp.

Silver Arrow knocked Steele to the ground and tried to help Kaila get away. Dusty saw his chance and sprang in to help, but Steele ripped Kaila from both of them. Copper came up on Steele from behind with a growl and hauled him backwards to swipe at him, but Steele used Kaila’s body as a shield, and Kaila caught the swipe instead. She gasped, and began to go limp as Steele pressed his claws against her neck again. Red blood beaded her throat, and her eyes were vacant and glassy.

“Stop!” Balto roared.

Everyone froze.

Balto stared at Steele pleadingly. “Kill me if you want revenge. Just please don’t kill my daughter,” he said quickly, conscious of the thin thread of life Kaila barely held onto.

Steele grinned at Balto. “Why would I do that, when I’ve been trying to make your life and your children’s lives as much of a living hell as you did mine?” he said, speaking slowly as he felt the body against him drain of life drop by drop. “Which reminds me.” He turned and barked at the four wolves who had just barely regained consciousness. “Get the spies! Now!”

The wolves shakily scrambled up and loped across the snow-dusted landscape and into the trees.

Steele sighed impatiently. Kaila was fading fast, too fast. She would be dead before they got back. “While we’re waiting…” He loosened his hold on her. Kaila’s pupils were tiny specks as she heaved in air and fought to keep from blacking out.

Dusty didn’t realize he had been holding his breath until he had begun to feel dizzy. He opened his mouth again and felt the air swirl around his brain, and realized Kaila must be feeling ten times worse than he. He ached for her.

Into the silence, Balto tried once again to reach Steele. “Steele, you were bad before, but this is a new low. Whatever happened to you couldn’t be worth killing as many dogs and wolves as you did.”

“I was outcast!” Steele raged, “I was an outcast even more than you were before you saved those kids and everyone started calling you ‘hero’! My owner wouldn’t even race me anymore! And you stole Jenna! I had no job, no fans, not even Jenna…”

“You got what you deserved,” Chase muttered.

“And you rubbed it in my face when you had your pups!” Steele roared, “There was nothing left to do but ruin the life you had that was meant for me!…And that’s what I’m doing right now.”

From across the tundra the four wolves led four limping, sagging, beaten creatures. As they drew closer, Dusty recognized them as Lakota, Nilak, Sage, and Sarai. His mouth dropped open. Obviously they hadn’t been killed, but they had been beaten to within an inch of their lives.

Lakota still held himself proudly, but his dark fur was smeared with blood, and he walked with a stiff limp. The others were a little better off, but not much.

The Anvil Creek spies were lined up outside the circle, on the spot where the Northern Hills wolves had been knocked unconscious, and each Northern Hills wolf took an Anvil Creek wolf to guard. Lakota and the others were too weak to resist, though Lakota’s green eyes glittered angrily when he saw Kaila’s predicament, and Nilak’s eyes found his sister.

“Nilak!” Cheyenne cried.

“Now that you’re all here, I want you to know something,” Steele said softly, his voice suddenly, insanely calm. “I want you to know what it feels like to have something you love ripped away from you forever, to have something happen to you that you don’t even deserve. I want you to know what I felt when I was made outcast because of a low-life, mangywolf-dog who stole everything from me.” He backed out of the circle while dragging Kaila, and the dogs reluctantly parted to let him through. No one could stop him.

Steele halted a few steps back from the circle and looked around at them all, a twisted grin creasing his sickly face and his blue eyes spinning wildly. “And I want you to know…that this is for you, wolf-dog, and your whole wretched family!” Steele raised his paw and brought it down with a slash.

A beam of soft green light hit Steele right in the eye, blinding him, and he roared with surprise.

Kaila coughed.

Copper gasped.

Chase gaped.

Dusty stared.

Kaila threw herself out of Steele’s