67. Protect Us

The woods were dense and vast, cloaking secrets within their folds. As Gideon, Meave, Kane, Thomas, Ethan, Marcus, and a group of seasoned warriors sprinted into the wilderness, the air felt thick with tension. They were guided not just by logic and intuition but also by the raw instinct that their werewolf lineage bestowed upon them.

Back at the house, a different sort of drama unfolded.

Avla, cradling Liam in her arms, attempted to console him. The boy's tears stained her shirt as memories of Avla's disappearance, not so long ago, echoed in his young mind. The events had deeply scarred him. The boy had just started healing, and Tanner's sudden absence threatened to rip open those emotional wounds again.

Avla gently rocked the swing, her fingers running soothingly through Liam's hair. "Shh, it'll be okay. We'll find him," she whispered. But as each second ticked by, her own confidence wavered.

As they sat in silence, Liam, with his innocent and wondering eyes, looked at Avla's s