Lucian's Pov
The front gates were open, rouges pouring in from it when I got there.
I didn't wait.
Steel gleamed in my hand, my feet already moving through the clearing fog of barrier residue. The first wave had gone better than expected—we had picked them off as planned, just enough at a time for the witches and wolves to work in tandem, kill, then reset the field. But now the barrier was down, and we were facing a horde of feral, bloodlust-high rogues and mixed-bloods charging at our defenses like a wave of teeth and muscle.
No hesitation.
"First offensive squad, move!" I barked through the mindlink, my voice slamming into the heads of every wolf aligned with me. I didn't need to speak aloud. I was Alpha King. I had been born for this.
They surged with me—Liam on my left flank, two witches from Calista's coven behind us. I could feel their magic humming against the air, thick with pressure, the scent of blood already tainting the wind.
