The baby’s cry tore through the air—sharp, terrified.
And then… silence.
A crack—wet and final.
My mind split.
I could no longer scream. I could no longer breathe.
My baby. My son.
Gone.
My senses blurred. The world around me dimmed, spinning without sound. Where his cries once filled the air, there was now only a terrible silence that clawed into my skull. And then, cruelly, the ropes that had held me so tightly gave way.
I plummeted to the earth.
I landed hard, the wind knocked from my lungs. Shaking, I raised my head, eyes locking on what remained of the tiny form once filled with life.
The wolves turned.
They saw me now.
Their hunger remained.
Tears streaked down my face as I whispered to the sky, voice ragged and broken, “Moon Goddess… why have you turned away from me?”
Then they attacked.
And everything dissolved—
Into cold, eternal dark.
The beta warrior pushed himself through the thick underbrush, lungs burning with each rapid breath. As the lights of the pack's camp came into view, he slowed, scanning the area frantically for any sign of the Alpha. But before he could go any farther, several of Rydan’s guards caught sight of him.