Multiple POVs
Aiden POV
The howl that woke me wasn't from our pack.
I bolted upright in bed, my alpha instincts screaming danger. Through the window, I could see wolves running across our area in the pre-dawn darkness. But something was wrong with the way they moved – too stiff, too coordinated, like dolls on strings.
"Shadow-controlled," I breathed, grabbing my clothes.
Before I could even get ready, my bedroom door exploded inward. A wolf I recognized as Jake from the Mountain Pack lunged at me, his eyes completely black. I shifted instantly, my alpha wolf barely dodging his snapping jaws.
Jake had taught me how to fish when I was eight years old. Now he was trying to kill me.
I wrestled him to the ground, careful not to hurt him too badly. "Jake, it's me! It's Aiden! Fight the dark magic!"
But there was nothing behind those black eyes. No recognition, no feeling, just endless hunger.
More howls echoed outside. Dozens of them. Maybe hundreds.
