My blood turned to ice as I scrambled backward through the underbrush, the reality hitting me like a physical blow. These weren't Kaelen's wolves. These were rogues—vicious, wild, and clearly here to hunt me.
"Goddess help me," I whispered, my hand instinctively pressing against my swollen belly where our child rested.
The gray wolf with the torn ear snarled, saliva dripping from his yellowed fangs as he stalked toward me. Three others circled around, cutting off my escape routes. Their eyes reflected the moonlight—cold, predatory, and utterly merciless.
I didn't waste another second. Gathering every ounce of strength I had, I launched myself through the smallest gap between two wolves and ran for my life.
