Lucian POV
We responded in perfect synchrony, shifting fully into wolf form as though the command had been carved into our bones long before the thought ever reached my mind.
The world snapped into sharper focus the instant my paws struck the earth. Every sound deepened, every scent layered itself into meaning. The ground beneath us hummed with power, not only ours, but Selene's, Nymeria's presence threading through the air like silver fire. Muscles coiled. Blood sang. Instinct rose, fierce and absolute.
The intruders moved first.
They were fast. Faster than ordinary rogues. Faster than scouts or mercenaries. Their movements carried discipline, training refined under an Alpha's command. That alone told me this was no random incursion.
They had been sent.
