Chapter 78

Fear.

Elara’s POV

“Warriors outside! Now!” Kieran’s voice boomed through the pack house, commanding and absolute. The Alpha in him radiated power, and for a moment, even my bones rattled with the force of it.

“Astrid, lead the women and children to the back. Saffron, you stay here with Elara. Barricade the doors. Now!” The warriors scrambled in a blur of movement, their bodies shifting, and their claws ripping through skin as their wolves surged forward.

The scent of blood and sweat from the shifting wolves filled the air, and for a fleeting, terrifying moment, I was no longer in the packhouse. The metallic tang of blood was so real and so vivid that it pulled me back to the night I couldn’t forget.

It felt like a replay of a nightmare I had lived before. Fifteen years ago.

When I got a hold of myself, Astrid was already pushing the women and children toward the back of the kitchen, her voice loud over the chaos, while Saffron stayed close