Beta's POV
A sudden howl broke through the forest, cutting across the wind. My ears perked up.
The pack. They were coming.
Franco growled low. “We knew she wouldn’t stay gone.”
I nodded, feeling the fire rise again. My team looked at me, waiting, ready. Sam still stood there, human but defiant.
“Prepare yourselves,” I said, voice loud and steady. “This is only the beginning.”
And then, from the shadows of the trees, a shape moved. Faster than a human.
Martha had returned.
The howl came again, louder this time. Martha stepped out of the shadows, flanked by her troops. Their eyes glowed like embers, and their teeth caught the moonlight.
“Attack!” someone from her pack shouted.
Franco growled, and the rest of us spread out. The ground shook as claws hit dirt.
One of her soldiers lu
