Kael and Zen stood in silence, their boots rooted to the ground, frozen in shock. Beside them, one of their youngest warrior guards bent over and retched, his shoulders shaking as he emptied the contents of his stomach into the nearby soil. For a moment, they were tempted to do the same. It was by sheer will power that the two stood there, only blinking slowly.
The air was heavy with the stench of blood and decay. It clung to their throats, thick and metallic, refusing to let them breathe freely. Kael's eyes swept over the scene. The Ruins lived up to its name—ruined beyond saving. But even as he stared at the carnage in front of him, his wolf was already growling. His wolf was a protector by nature, and seeing this scene was too much.
