Eighteen

Alpha Arnie stood in front of me a solemn look on his exhausted face, Luna Isabella wrapped her arms around his waist, offering herself as a pillar of strength.

“Where is Hugh?” I looked around, confused. My mother rushed to hug George who came up behind us with a sad look on his bloodied face.

“Oh my goddess!” she cried as she led George away to tend to his wounds with my sister who was sobbing away.

I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach, a mix of confusion and dread filling every fiber of my being. Something had gone terribly wrong. With trembling hands, I reached out to Alpha Arnie, my voice barely a whisper.

"Alpha Arnie, where's Hugh? What happened?"

Alpha Arnie's gaze fixed upon mine, his eyes searching for the right words to say. "Hallie, there was an ambush," he began, his voice filled with sorrow. "A group of rogue wolves attacked."

Fear gripped my heart as Alpha Arnie's words sank in. Hugh, my mate, had been injured in the attack. The rush of emotions from