KELLY THOMPSON'S POV

The night held its breath, the kind of stillness that blankets the earth just before a storm. Amidst the darkness, I could feel them-the oppressive weight of Alpha Biansky's pack pressing against our defenses, their malice seeping through the shadows like a poison.

"Mother," Eden's voice was a mere wisp, but his presence by my side was a fortress in itself. "They're here."

I nodded, unable to speak as the first of them emerged from the treeline, their forms hulking and ...