ss. He could hear their growls, their howls, the clash of teeth and claws, and the sickening sounds of his pack members fi

oice tight with desperation.

ing that looked like a mix of fear and determination. Her hand, s

ot leaving.

thclaws weren't wasting any time. Their alpha, Garen, was too proud, too bloodthirsty, to let an opportunity sli

"You don't understand what's hap

er voice calm despite the chaos unfolding around

bothered him-it was the way she refused to acknowledge the risks, the way she kept throwing herself

sound, his wolf's instincts screaming at him to act, to protect his pack.

ce breaking through his foc

t like he had expected. She was standing in the middle of a battlefield, with death surroun

m. He needed to trust her. He needed to trust that she could handle

ing her at arm's length. His pack came first. His duty came first. But in this moment, it was clea

id footsteps. Kael's instincts kicked into overdrive. The Earth

e hard as steel. "I'll deal wit

Her expression hardened, and her voice, thoug

t running a

to the gut. This was it-the mom

finish the sentence. The desp

ould hear was the pounding of his own heart and the frantic growls in the distance. She was standing so close to h

run, to protect her from what was coming. But deep down, he knew there was no convincing her. She had ma

to protect her. He wanted to shelter her from the violence, from the pack's ruthless world. But Elara wasn'

th a new understanding. "Then stay close," he s

battle was closer now, too close. He had no time to argue, no time for anything e

ick with the scent of blood and sweat. The Crescent Moon wolves were holding their ground, but Kael could see the numbers i

claw alpha, stood, snarling with bloodlust in his eyes. The Earthclaw's dark fur g

land. It was a battle for con

. He wasn't going to let his pack fall to the

teady. He turned to Elara, who was standing beside him, he

his voice harder now. "Find

her voice firm. "I

beyond words. But there was no tim

. The pain was sharp, quick, and then the world sharpened into focus. The smells, the sounds

an anymore. H

ws were clos

s wolf form moving with practiced grace. The world blurred as he fought, the chaos of the battle

lence, Kael could still feel Elara's presence, like an anchor te

focused, his body moving with the p

if they would survive the night. But he knew one thi