The forest went silent.
Too silent.
Every wolf felt it.
That unnatural stillness before something terrible happens.
Nyra's chest tightened as she stepped forward slowly, her senses sharpening.
"Something's wrong," she said.
Ronan nodded.
"Very."
Kael's warriors shifted uneasily behind him.
Even they could feel it now.
Then—
A sound.
A low, mechanical click.
Not wolf.
Not natural.
Nyra frowned.
"What was that?"
No one answered.
Because they all heard it.
And none of them liked it.
Then—
It happened.
A sharp whistle cut through the air—
Followed by an explosion.
The ground erupted near the edge of the clearing, sending dirt and debris flying everywhere.
Wolves scattered instantly.
Chaos.
"What the hell—?!" one of Kael's warriors shouted.
More whistles.
More explosions.
Precise.
Targeted.
Controlled.
"They're here," Kael said coldly.
Nyra's heart slammed.
Figures emerged from the shadows.
Not wolves.
Not rogues.
Humans.
But not normal humans.
Dressed in dark gear, moving with unnatural precision, their eyes scanning the battlefield like predators.
Hunters.
Real ones.
Nyra's breath caught.
"They're… hunting us?" she whispered.
"No," Ronan said quietly.
His eyes locked onto her.
"They're hunting you."
That was all it took.
The hunters moved instantly.
Their weapons shifted—
All aimed at her.
"MOVE!" Kael roared.
Nyra didn't hesitate.
She ran.
The moment she moved, the hunters fired.
Not bullets.
Something else.
Energy-based.
Glowing restraints shot through the air, slamming into the ground where she had just been standing.
The ground burned where they hit.
Nyra's heart raced wildly.
"What ARE those?!" she shouted.
"Not something you want to get hit by!" Ronan snapped.
Kael moved beside her instantly.
Protective.
Fast.
"Stay between us," he ordered.
Nyra didn't argue this time.
Because this—
This was different.
One hunter stepped forward, raising a weapon that hummed with energy.
"Target confirmed," he said coldly.
"Capture alive."
Nyra froze.
Alive?
Why?
Before she could think—
The weapon fired.
A massive pulse shot toward her—
But Kael blocked it, taking the hit head-on.
The force pushed him back several steps.
Nyra's eyes widened.
"Kael!"
"I'm fine," he growled.
But his arm—
It burned.
Ronan's eyes darkened.
"That's enough."
He moved fast.
Too fast.
Shifting mid-run—
His wolf tore through one of the hunters instantly.
But more stepped forward.
Prepared.
Organized.
Deadly.
Nyra's breathing became uneven.
Her power—
It reacted again.
Stronger.
Wilder.
Calling.
They came for you.
The voice echoed inside her.
Then let them see you.
Nyra's eyes flickered.
Silver.
Dark.
Unstable.
"No…" she whispered.
But it was too late.
The power surged.
And this time—
She didn't stop it.