Maya's POV:
The scream tore through the night like glass exploding in my ears.
I jerked upright so fast the room spun, heart hammering against my ribs. Beside me, Kai was already in motion—no hesitation, just that sudden, predatory stillness that meant something was very wrong.
The sound came again. Closer. It wasn't human. It was something old and cold and hungry, a dragging sound that made my soul want to crawl backward.
Through the mate bond, Kai's emotions slammed into me: protective fury, a shield of it, wrapped around a cold, calculating edge. He already knew. This wasn't random. This was Elena’s promised “cleansing.”
“Shadow Wraiths,” he said, his voice a low growl as he pulled on clothes with sharp, efficient movements. “Multiple signatures.”
I stumbled to the window, the flo
