LENA'S POV:
My heart pounded in my chest as I crouched in the darkness, my child trembling in my arms. The distant howls and snarls echoed through, each sound scraping at my nerves, reminding me that danger was close. Too close. I pressed my lips to my son’s head, trying to calm him though I couldn’t calm myself.
“Shhh,” I whispered, voice barely a breath. I clutched him tighter, feeling his small body press into mine. Every maternal instinct in me screamed, but there was no strength left. The pack house was under siege, and we were the prey.
My hand instinctively reached for the small knife I kept tucked into my belt. A poor weapon against what lurked in the shadows, but it was all I had. My lips moved silently, reciting the prayer my mother had taught me when I was a girl, though even
