Maya's POV:
The shadows behind Elena shifted, and I saw faces.
Not strangers. Worse. My pack.
Kai. Rebecca. Tommy. Jessie. Sarah. Janet.
They stood in the ruins of our home like broken dolls—breathing, yes, but empty. Their eyes were… gone. Blank, staring through me, as if their souls had been scooped out and left somewhere I couldn’t reach.
My throat burned. No, no, no—
“What did you do to them?” The words ripped out before I knew I was speaking. Power sparked around me, hot and silver, my fury too sharp to hold down.
Elena’s smile cut across her face like glass. Calm. Cruel. Enjoying this.
“Nothing permanent, darling. A little binding spell. They’re safe, so long as you cooperate.”
“Safe?” My word came out jagged, almost a sob. “They look half-dead.”
Her heels clicked over brok
