The carnage around us began to settle, the air thick with the metallic scent of blood and the low growls of the remaining wolves. Their bodies lay scattered across the ground, some still twitching, others lifeless. The guards were battered but alive, their breathing heavy and ragged as they regrouped near the wagons. Lunara and I stood at the center, blood dripping from my claws and her rapier.
And then, it came.
A bone-chilling howl cut through the aftermath, silencing everything. Even the wind seemed to stop. The remaining wolves froze in place, their glowing eyes flickering as if awaiting orders. From the shadowed edge of the forest, the Alpha dire wolf emerged.