The remaining recruits sat in tense silence, their breaths heavy, bodies sore from the night’s battle. Their instructor was gone. The leader they had relied on for the past four months was dead, leaving them stranded in the middle of nowhere with no guidance.
For months, they had only worked under strict orders. They were told when to wake, when to fight, when to eat. They had never been left to make decisions on their own, and now, for the first time, they had no choice.
They had to decide their next move.
Khael stood at the center of the group, his hands clenched into fists. "We can't stay here."
Everyone knew he was right. The beast had torn through them as if they were nothing. There was no telling when it would return, and if it did, none of them would survive another attack.
"We
