Klaus’s POV
The stench of smoke and iron hung thick in the air, and for a moment I thought my lungs would collapse under the weight of it. My claws were still wet, my fur matted with blood that wasn’t all my own. Around me, the warehouse floor was littered with bodies—some human, some wolf, that blurred between both.
Three of those bodies belonged to my warriors.
I shifted to my human form and stared at them longer than I should have, longer than a commander was supposed to in the middle of an operation. Their eyes were glassy, their chests unmoving. I had fought beside them for years, had trusted them with my life, and now—because of my decision—they would never return home.
Three families would hear the news. Three mothers, three fathers, maybe children, maybe mates. Each word I deli
