POV: Ingrid Devereaux
Ingrid slammed the heavy wooden bar across the main gate just as the first wave of dark-robed figures reached the outer wall. Their hands glowed with an eerie purple light that matched the beam shooting into the night sky miles away.
"Hold the line!" she yelled to the warriors positioned along the wall. "No one enters the stronghold!"
Her heart pounded as she ran back toward the main house. The Mother's followers weren't striking yet—just surrounding them. Waiting. But for what?
Ingrid had seen this coming for years. She had prepared. She had warned her son, but Elias never listened. And now he was gone, chasing after that girl—Amara—leaving Ingrid to protect what left of their pack.
Inside the great hall, chaos reigned as pack members rushed to follow emergency orders. Children were being led to the underground tunnels while fighters grabbed weapons from the armory.
