My heart pounded in my chest, my breath catching in my throat. Father —where was Father? I saw him then, my father, the Alpha, rushing to the front lines, barking orders. His eyes blazed with fury as he tried to rally the warriors. "Everyone, to your positions! Defend the pack!" But then, panic spread through the ranks as the Beta's voice boomed, "We've been poisoned! They've suppressed our ability to shift!"
I felt the blood drain from my face. The warriors tried to shift, their faces contorted in concentration and horror, but nothing happened. No fur. No claws. No howls of transformation. Only the rogues remained in their wolf forms, a sea of snarling beasts, tearing through our defenseless warriors like paper.
I couldn't move—couldn't think. I was frozen in place, watching in helpless horror. A rogue—a monstrous wolf with yellow eyes and foam dripping from its jaws—leaped at my father. He fought bravely, with fists and steel, but it wasn't enough. I saw the blood—so much blood—as the rogue's teeth sank into his neck. He went down with a choked roar, eyes wide in shock and rage, and I felt something inside me shatter.