Chapter 70
Astrid's POV
My blood ran cold. The sudden silence was more terrifying than a scream. Every instinct I had, honed by years of living in a state of constant threat, told me that the children were in danger. They were not alone.
'Sheena,' I projected to my wolf, my internal voice sharp with command, 'be ready.'
A low, rumbling growl was her only answer. She was already coiled and prepared, a predator sensing a threat to the pack's young.
I took a slow, deliberate step forward, my feet making no sound on the soft earth. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the sudden, eerie quiet. I moved toward the large rhododendron bush, my eyes scanning the surrounding woods for any sign of movement. The scent of the children was strong here, but it was tangled with something else, something unfamiliar that I couldn't quite place.
