"You just made the biggest mistake of your lives."
There are four of them. Two look hardly older than him, Level Two students, probably banking on their numbers and rank. The third looks like he's been in a few too many fights. The fourth Darien recognizes from his own class. His name is Lars. A bloody coward.
All of them freeze the moment they set their eyes on him. So here they are – the traffickers.
Except Lars who bolts immediately. The others follow before his Alpha aura can even settle on them. Darien growls and almost chases after them—his blood demands it, but a low, broken sound pulls him back.
It's a whimper. He turns around and his heart stops.
Heidi lies on the dirt, crumpled like a discarded doll. Her leg is bent the wrong way—he doesn't even need a healer to tell him it's fractured. Her sweater is torn, face bruised, and blood paints her arm where it looks like they tried to claw through her skin.
