POV: Elias Beaumont
"Duck!" I shouted, pulling Amara down as a fireball crashed through the cabin window. Glass shattered everywhere. The smell of smoke filled the room.
"Everyone to the back!" I ordered, my Alpha voice making the walls shake.
Our small group rushed for cover as more fireballs hit the cabin. Outside, The Mother's army was getting closer. I could hear their howls, smell their bloodlust.
I caught Amara's eye across the room. Despite everything, my heart still skipped when she looked at me. Even now, covered in dirt and blood, she was beautiful. And I had almost lost her forever because of my stupidity.
"The north side is already burning," Maya reported, running in from the back room. "We're trapped."
I clenched my hands. This was my fault. My mother had helped bring this horror upon us. My beta had betrayed me. And now everyone I cared about might die.
A howl cut through the noise – deeper and more powerful than the others. I recognized it instantly.
