Ash's POV
The acrid stench of burning rubber and twisted metal filled the air, thick and suffocating. The wreckage of Kael's car lay in a crumpled heap, smoke curling from the shattered hood, the passenger door barely clinging to its hinges.
And Opal was gone.
Ash barely heard his own breath—sharp, erratic, his lungs burning from how fast he had run here. His wolf was howling, clawing at his mind, demanding to find her. The unnatural dimness that had overtaken the sky still lingered, casting eerie, stretched shadows across the ground.
Something was wrong.
So wrong.
His fingers curled into fists, his silver eyes burning with fury.
Then—
"Over here!"
Ridge's voice rang out, sharp and urgent.
Ash whipped around, heart hammering as he caught sight of a limp form in the dirt—Kael.
Forrest skidded to a stop beside him, dropping to his knees. "Shit—he's still alive." His sharp emerald eyes raked over Kael's unmoving form, searching for injuries.
That's when he saw it.
