AURORA'S POV
The winged beast roared .
Every instinct screamed at me to run.
The hairs on the back of my neck rose as a shadow glided over us, blotting out what little moonlight pierced through the canopy.
“Stay close,” Caesar growled, his voice low and tense.
The trees ahead exploded as the winged beast descended, its massive talons tearing through branches as if they were paper. It landed with a deafening crash, wings unfurling, blotting out the sky. Its eyes burned like molten fire, locked on me.
But this time… it wasn’t alone.
Figures slithered out from the darkness—dozens of them. Their twisted, nightmarish bodies crawled low to the ground, limbs too long, movements jerky and unnatural. Their guttural hisses sliced through the silence like knives.
Lucien’s face hardened. “Shad
