Chapter 48
Brian's Pov
The echo of the iron gates slamming shut still rang in my ears as I stepped into the heart of the pack.
Each breath I took felt like glass in my lungs, sharp and unforgiving. My legs shook, not from exhaustion, but from fury… and guilt. The kind of guilt that sinks its claws into your chest and refuses to let go.
I had failed. Again.
And the gates would not hold.
“Alpha,” Garrick limped toward me, his left arm bloodied and useless. “We lost about thirty… maybe more. Some didn’t make it back. They didn’t stand a chance.”
Thirty warriors gone.
I clenched my jaw until pain lanced up into my temples. I gave a single nod. I couldn’t speak. Not yet.
Behind me, the sounds of panic spread like wildfire. Scrambling paws, ragged breathing, cries of the wounded. The i
