CHAPTER 3: The BurnThe cabin burns at dawn.I wake to smoke, black and thick. It fills my lungs, my mouth, my eyes. I cannot see. I cannot breathe. I cannot think."Mama!" Marcus coughs. He sits up. Terrified."Mama, I can't see! Where are you?"I grab him. Roll off the bed. The floor is hot. Too hot. It burns my feet through my socks. The window, closed.Locked from outside. Someone nailed it shut while we slept. Someone wanted us to die.I kick it. Once. The glass cracks.Twice. It shatters. Fresh air rushes in. Cold. Clean. Life."Climb out!" I lift Marcus. He is small. Light. He fits through the broken window, glass tearing his shirt. He doesn't cry. He is brave. He is so brave.I follow. My arm catches on the frame. Glass bites deep. Blood runs down my elbow. I don't stop. I don't look.Outside, the yard is chaos. Kael's men fight shadows in the smoke. Gunshots. Sharp and loud. Wolf snarls. Someone has shifted. Fur and fury in the dark. Death sounds.Then I see him.Kael runs to
Last Updated : 2026-04-09 Read more