The demon hit the eastern border at moonrise like the scouts predicted, except nothing about seeing it in the forest had prepared me for watching it tear through the first line of defense like they were made of paper.
Three wolves down in under a minute.
My stomach tried to crawl out through my mouth and I had to lock my jaw to keep from throwing up right there in front of forty pack members who were looking to me for answers I didn't have.
"Selene." Kael's hand found my elbow. "Breathe."
I was breathing. Too fast, actually, my lungs pulling in air like I'd forgotten how to regulate basic functions, but breathing wasn't the problem—the problem was the demon was real and here and those were real wolves bleeding on real ground and this was happening right now whether I was ready or not.
Spoiler: I was not ready.
"I can't—" My voice came out thin and reedy and pathetic. "Kael, I can't do this."
"Yes, you can." His grip tightened. "Look at me."
