The moon was hidden that night, covered by thick clouds that stretched across the sky like a dark blanket. The air smelled of smoke, of ash that refused to leave after the burning of the Nile Pack’s home. The forest still held the memory of screams, and the ruins of houses still whispered of the families who once laughed there.
Bonez stood in the shadows, his hood pulled low. His eyes burned like dying embers as he looked over the land that had once belonged to wolves. Now it was only dust, broken wood, and blackened stone. His lips twisted into a cruel smile.
“Gather them,” Bonez said coldly, his voice like a blade cutting through the silence.
The dhampirs came one by one—thin, pale, some with blood still staining their mouths. They were hungry creatures, half-vampire, half-human, livi
