"Do you hear that?" My heart skipped a beat, and my breath caught in my throat. The wind carried a chilling howl through the trees, but it wasn’t the wind that made my skin crawl. It was the sound of a distant war drum. My gaze flickered to my children, standing by my side, their faces grim.
"Mother," Lior's voice was calm, too calm for my liking, "it’s them. The rival pack."
I could feel the tension mounting in the air, thick and suffocating. The peace we had fought for, the fragile life we had rebuilt, now seemed like a thin veil about to tear apart. I clenched my fists at my sides, my eyes narrowing as I stared at the horizon.
"I know," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "And we’re not ready."
Eiran, my eldest, stepped forward. His eyes, like twin mirrors of mine, were hardened w
