The village erupted into chaos. Claws slashed. Arrows flew. Blades clashed against steel.

  Ashley dodged a poisoned dagger, her reflexes sharp as she spun and kicked her attacker into the dirt. The hunters were strong, but she was faster.

  Across the battlefield, Coleen’s massive black wolf ripped through enemies, his growls shaking the ground. He fought like a true king—relentless, brutal, unstoppable.

  Lena moved with deadly precision, cutting down hunters twice her size. Despite having no royal blood or special abilities, she fought as fiercely as any warrior.

  Dave and Elena fought side by side. Elena, even with her pregnancy, managed to support the fight by using her agility to dodge and confuse their enemies. Dave protected her fiercely, taking down anyone who got too close.

  Ashley’s wolf itched to be free, but she held back. Not yet.

  Then, amidst the chaos, she saw him.

  The hunter. The one who had haunted her dreams.

  He stood at the edge of the battle, watching her. The man who had vowed to wipe out her kind.

  The man who had once loved her mother.

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  His hood was drawn back, revealing sharp features and piercing gray eyes. Eyes filled with hatred.

  Ashley’s heart pounded. This was the man who had slaughtered her family.

  The hunter smirked. “I’ve waited a long time for this.”

  Ashley’s hands clenched into fists. “Then let’s finish it.”

  She charged, earth splitting beneath her feet as she summoned her power.

  The hunter dodged, moving with unnatural speed. He wasn’t just human. He had taken something—some kind of enhancement.

  Their battle was fierce. Blow for blow. Power against speed.

  Ashley’s magic sent rocks flying, but the hunter dodged with ease, striking with calculated precision. He knew how to fight shape-shifters. He had studied them. Hunted them.

  But Ashley wasn’t just any shifter.

  She was the daughter of the Moon Goddess.

  With a growl, she channeled her power, roots bursting from the ground, wrapping around the hunter’s limbs.

  For the first time, his expression changed. Shock.

  Ashley tightened her hold. “You destroyed my family.”

  The hunter laughed, even as the roots constricted. “And I’ll destroy you too.”

  Ashley’s eyes glowed. “Not today.”

  She sent a wave of force through the earth, sending him flying into a crumbling stone wall.

  Across the battlefield, the hunters were falling.

  Coleen, bloodied but unbroken, stood over the bodies of the fallen, his wolf panting heavily. His golden eyes burned as he looked at Ashley.

  Lena was covered in scratches but alive, standing triumphantly over a downed hunter.

  Dave pulled Elena close, his expression fierce. “It’s over.”

  But Ashley wasn’t so sure. The hunter wasn’t dead.

  She approached the rubble where he had fallen. Empty.

  Her stomach twisted. He had escaped.

  Coleen joined her, his breathing heavy. “He won’t stop.”

  Ashley’s jaw clenched. “Neither will I.”

  The war had truly begun. And she would finish it.