Every movement sent another jolt through me, sharp enough to steal my breath. I crumpled onto the dirt, writhing, my body twisting on instinct to escape a pain that wouldn't let me go.
The scream tore out of me again, louder this time, ragged and hoarse. It hurt like nothing I'd ever felt—worse than any wound, worse than any broken bone.
That was when I heard it.
Hoofbeats, closing fast.
I hadn't warped far enough from the herd, and my own voice had betrayed me. The sound must have carried straight to them.
The Alpha appeared first, stepping into view through the haze of my pain. Its head was lowered, antlers blazing brighter than before, its posture carrying the confident stride of something that knew the kill was already certain.
"Goblin…" The voice rumbled in my head, low and venomous. "…you'll pay for killing my mate."
Then it fired—another beam, the glow condensing into a blazing spear of energy that screamed through the air toward me.
So it could speak, huh?
