Another one shook his head. “There’s no way. The Moon Goddess watches over these grounds. No savage creature could break that protection.”
But the beta wouldn’t back down. His head jerked in denial, voice shaking. “I swear—I saw it. Tracks, claw marks, blood everywhere. It’s real.”
Their raised voices drew more of the pack. Warriors began to gather, curiosity turning to unease. And then Rydan appeared, his presence drawing silence. His eyes blazed with irritation as he scanned the group.
“What is this noise?” he growled. His gaze fixed on the beta. “Have you lost your mind, screaming like a lunatic?”
The beta opened his mouth to speak, but gagged, the images he’d witnessed flashing again before his eyes. Swallowing hard, he clenched his fists and forced the words through trembling lips.
“Come with me. You need to see it yourself.”
Rydan’s frown deepened. He didn’t like being spoken to like that—especially not by someone beneath him. But something in the beta’s shaking hands, the haunted look in his eyes, made a cold shiver crawl up Rydan’s spine.
“…Fine,” he snapped. “Show me.”