The smell of blood clogged the back of my throat.
Kai stood in the middle of the clearing, chest rising slowly, crimson dripping from his fingers and down the side of his face. Around him, dead lycans littered the forest floor in twisted heaps. Torn flesh. Broken limbs. Steam rising from open wounds into the freezing night air.
The moonlight made him look monstrous.
For one horrible second, nobody moved.
Then the howls started again.
My stomach dropped instantly.
The sound came from every direction at once. Deep. Violent. Close enough to rattle the trees around us.
More.
There were more.
Branches snapped in the distance. Heavy paws slammed against dirt. The forest itself seemed to shake beneath the approaching pack.
Arc swore under his breath beside me. "You have to be joking."
Kai slowly lifted his head.
His eyes glowed.
The darkness exploded.
