The smell of smoke still lingered when Kieran's SUV screeched to a halt at the edge of the village.
He shoved the door open and stepped out, boots crunching against gravel already dusted with ash. The once-bustling market, the heart of his territory, was nothing but ruin.
Families wept in the streets. Wolves rushed back and forth, carrying the wounded, trying to douse the last of the flames. Lanterns still glowed faintly where the market stalls used to be, now they were just charred remains.
"Alpha!" One of the guards, whose uniform was ripped and his face smeared with soot, rushed forward.
Kieran's eyes were like sharpened steel. "Report."
The guard swallowed. "Alpha, they came just after dusk. Firebombs landed in the market before anyone could react. By the time alarms sounded, the whole square was burning."
"They were coordinated," the second added grimly. "Quick and precise. But it seems that they weren't here to destroy everything."
Kieran frowned. "What do you mean?"
