The crossbows fired in a single, flat wave of sound.
The release was almost simultaneous, a brutal harmony of mechanisms snapping and strings thrumming. The bolts flew in a dark arc, their steel tips catching the pale afternoon light. Kane's wolves dropped. Some screamed. Most didn't have time. The bolts punched through armor and flesh with wet finality, each impact a wet, sickening thud that seemed to echo across the clearing. Men fell from their saddles, their horses rearing and bolting into the trees.
Kane himself took one in the thigh and another through the meat of his upper arm. He staggered, amber eyes wide with pure disbelief that Rowan had actually done it. His face twisted, confusion warring with rage. He had expected loyalty. He had expected the Beta to fall in line. He had be
