Aria.
I sprinted across the battlefield, my boots sinking into the blood-soaked earth, my heart Polk, my heart hammering so loud it drowned out the screams and clashes of steel around me. The air reeked of iron and sweat, and the ground trembled under the chaos of the pack war. Ahead, I saw him—Kael, my Alpha, sprawled on the ground, his chest heaving, blood pooling beneath him. A hulking brute loomed over him, claws gleaming like daggers in the moonlight, poised to tear him apart.
"Kael, no!" My scream tore from my throat, raw and desperate, as I charged forward, shoving through the fray. My muscles burned, my breath ragged, but I didn't stop. I couldn't. The brute's claws swung down, and I threw myself at him, slamming my shoulder into his side with every ounce of strength I had. He staggered, caught off guard, and I stumbled, my knees hitting the dirt beside Kael.
His eyes, glazed with pain, met mine. "Aria…" he rasped, his voice barely a whisper.
