Aria's POV
The final battle began at dawn.
We hit the human staging area before they were fully mobilized. Two hundred and fifty wolves against a thousand humans. Terrible odds, but better than waiting for them to attack us on their terms.
I watched from the command center, coordinating teams and monitoring communications. Lucian had made me promise to stay back, to not put myself or the baby in danger.
But watching wolves die while I sat safe felt like cowardice.
"Alpha, we have a problem," Derek's voice crackled over the radio. "They've got reinforcements coming in from the east. Another two hundred humans, maybe more."
"Can we hold?"
"Not without significant casualties."
I looked at the tactical map, calculating options. We were already stretched thin. If the reinforcements hit us, we'd be overwhelmed.
"Pull back Team Three and redirect them to intercept the reinforcements. Tell Team One to push harder on the main position."
"Copy that."
