The night air was thick with tension. Leonard stirred first.
His sharp senses picked up on something of a disturbance in the distance, too faint for human ears but unmistakable to a wolf. His body tensed, and his piercing blue eyes flickered open.
Something was wrong.
He turned his head, taking in the scene before him. Eila lay between Zois and Lukas, their bodies relaxed in the afterglow of their last night's activities. The clearing was peaceful, the scent of wildflowers and damp earth still lingering in the cool night air.
But peace was an illusion.
Leonard sat up, his movements controlled yet urgent and nudged Eila's shoulder.
"Wake up," his voice was low but firm. She groaned softly, shifting against the grass. Sera was still lost in the haze of exhaustion, unwilling to wake up.
Leonard didn't have time to be gentle. His gut was screaming at him. Something was coming.
Zois stirred next, rubbing his eyes before looking at Leonard with a frown. "What's wrong?"
"Shift," Leonard ordered. "We need to head back. Now."
Lukas sat up groggily, his silver-grey eyes narrowing. "What—"
"No time. Just do it."
There was something in Leonard's tone that silenced them all.
Eila shook off her sleepiness, her heart beginning to race. Something wasn't right. The uneasy feeling in her chest twisted into a deep-rooted anxiety.
Leonard's mind was made up.
"Listen to me carefully." His voice was steel. "You three go back to Blackwell Manor. Stay there. Do not leave until I return."
Zois and Lukas both snapped their heads toward him, incredulous.
"What?!" Zois growled. "We're not—"
"That's an order."
Leonard's voice left no room for any arguments. A Beta's command was also a warning.
But Eila's heart was pounding harder. She was a mess inside because she suddenly remembered her premonition. It was like she went back to that blood-curdling scene again.
All those screams. The blood. Those bodies lying around. Her body shivered just by remembering it. She can not take any risks regarding her family's safety. She has to go there now. To save them from this bad reality.
She took a step forward, panic rising.
"Leonard, I—"
"You will go to the manor."
His tone was final.
And then, he shifted.
Zade burst forward—a massive black shadow vanishing into the trees, swift and unstoppable.
Eila barely had time to react before she turned to the twins, frantic.
"I have to go home."
Lukas growled in frustration. "Eila—"
"I'm going," she snapped.
Zois exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair before shaking his head. "Then we're going with you."
She didn't have time to argue. She shifted. Sera took over in a heartbeat, and before another word could be exchanged, she bolted toward her home.
Lukas and Zois followed instantly, their powerful forms flanking her on either side, their speed unmatched.
They ran in silence.
Only the pounding of their paws against the forest floor echoed in the night. But as they neared the Johnson household, the silence shattered.
Screams and helpless cries echoed far away. Sera was impatient; she was worried about the safety of her family members just as Eila was. She picked up pace with all her might and pushed ahead, her legs burning with effort.
Her home, her sweet home was under attack by those goddess-forsaken Rogues. She will fight with all she has to save them.
She reached the clearing first, and the moment she did, her heart nearly stopped.
Rogues.
Everywhere.
Michael was fighting valiantly with all his might, his movements swift but desperate. The triplets were doing almost as good as Micheal but they were no match to powerful rogues. As a result, all of them were struggling to hold their ground. The scent of blood had tainted the air.
Eila's vision blurred with rage. A snarl tore from her throat.
Sera lunged.