Rhydor's POV
I stood frozen in the middle of the courtyard, my eyes locked on the pile of fallen stone where the back section of the pack house used to be.
Thick, gray dust and suffocating smoke still hung heavy in the warm air, rising like a dark mountain toward the sky.
My heart hammered wildly against my ribs. That exact collapsed corridor was the private entrance leading down to the hidden subterranean chamber, the place where my sweet mate's body rested in her silent, floating sleep.
My mother was already sprinting toward the crumbling rubble, her dark gown trailing in the dirt as she moved with shocking speed.
"Go!" she shouted over her shoulder, her tone firm and leaving no room for argument.
"I will handle things down here and check on the lower levels. You are needed above!"
I took a half-step toward her, hesitation pulling hard at my chest.
