Liliana’s POV
The hybrid attacked with a ferocity that stole the breath from my lungs. Its grotesque form burst from the shadows, its twisted frame illuminated in jagged flashes by the torches of the castle gate. Crimson eyes locked on Alaric, perched on my back, and its guttural roar vibrated through the ground beneath us. My instincts screamed to protect him. I crouched lower, shielding him with my body as the beast charged.
The others reacted instantly. Bastian’s massive black wolf surged forward with a thunderous growl, his powerful frame colliding with the hybrid mid-lunge. The impact sent a shockwave through the air, and the ground trembled beneath their combined weight.
Lucien and Liam moved with practiced precision. Liam shifted into his sleek gray wolf form in a blur, his claws
