My throat tightened, and I knelt beside the elderly woman, placing a gentle hand on her trembling shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” I whispered. “We will do everything in our power to find her and the others. I promise you that.”
Her wrinkled hands clutched mine, desperation was evident in her grip. “You promise?” she whispered, more of a pleading.
“I promise,” I said again, my voice firm, though my heart ached with the burden of her plea.
Nearby, a young man approached, his face twisted with rage and sorrow. “My brother was one of the warriors,” he said, and he was shaking. “He died protecting this village, and for what? They slaughtered us like animals, stole our children, and left us with nothing. Where was the Golden Shadow Pack when we needed you?”
His words cut deep, and I
