"Keep moving! Do not look back!" I shoved an elderly wolf toward the underground stairwell, my voice scraping against the roar of the sirens.
Thick gray smoke poured through the pack house corridors, choking the air. Somewhere above us, the violent snarls of Rogues echoed, shaking the plaster from the ceiling. Dust rained down on our heads, coating my clothes in a layer of white grit.
"Move faster, Marcus," I ordered a limping warrior, pushing him toward the heavy steel frame of the safe room entrance. "Get the pups inside. Do not wait for stragglers."
"What about you, Luna?" Marcus coughed, leaning heavily against the doorframe. "There are still people trapped in the east wing."
"I will handle it," I told him, pointing firmly into the bunker. "Get down those stairs."
As Marcus disappeared into the safe room, a terrified voice pierced the chaos.
"Luna, wait for me!"
I spun around. Clara, a young Omega maid, clutched a bundle of medical supplies to her chest. She trailed ten yards behind the main group, coughing violently, blinded by the black smog rolling down the hallway.
"Run, Clara! Get to the bunker!" I shouted, waving her forward frantically.
A deafening crack split the hallway. A flaming wooden support beam snapped from the ceiling, plummeting straight toward her.
Clara shrieked. The burning timber slammed into her leg, pinning her to the floor. Blood instantly pooled beneath her knee, staining the intricately woven rug. The medical supplies scattered across the tiles, rolling into the flames.
"Help!" she wailed, clawing at the floorboards. "Please! It burns!"
I didn't hesitate. I sprinted back into the smoke, abandoning the safety of the bunker entrance. The heat intensified with every step, blistering the skin on my arms.
"Hold still," I commanded, dropping to my knees beside her. The heat scorched my cheeks, singeing the edges of my hair.
"Leave me," Clara sobbed, her fingers digging into my wrist with bruising force. "They are coming. I can hear them breaking through the barricades."
"I am not leaving a pack member behind to die," I snapped. I wedged my shoulder under the blazing beam and shoved upward.
My muscles protested instantly. The wood groaned, shifting a mere inch. The smell of burning pine filled my nose, stinging my eyes.
"It is too heavy!" Clara cried, trying to push against the wood with her weak hands.
"Stop talking and get ready," I grunted, straining against the crushing weight. "Pull your leg out! Now!"
Clara yanked her bleeding limb free. I let the beam crash onto the tiles, sending a shower of orange sparks over us. I grabbed her by the armpits, hoisting her up.
"Lean your weight on me," I told her, wrapping her arm securely around my neck. "We are walking out of here right now."
Every step felt like wading through wet cement. Clara whimpered with each movement, her blood leaving a dark trail behind us. Ahead, the heavy steel door of the underground safe room stood open. The emergency countdown light flashed a frantic, blinding red, casting eerie shadows across the walls.
Inside the bunker, Celeste crouched on the concrete floor, her hands clamped tightly over her ears. Her thin silk nightgown offered no protection against the cold underground air.
"Shut the door!" Celeste shrieked, her face buried in her knees. "They are going to get inside! They are going to tear me apart!"
"Quiet!" I shouted over the blaring alarm, dragging Clara another two feet. "We are almost there!"
Lucas stood frozen at the bunker's control console. The flashing red light painted his pale face in sharp, terrified lines. His wide eyes darted from Celeste's trembling form to me, struggling under Clara's weight.
"Lucas, hold the door!" I yelled, my boots slipping on the slick floor. "Press the green button to pause the timer!"
"I... I..." Lucas stammered, stepping back from the panel. His hands shook wildly.
"Do not let the monsters in!" Celeste wailed, her voice cracking into a hysterical pitch. She threw herself toward Adrian, who stood just inside the threshold. She grabbed the fabric of his shirt, burying her face in his chest. "Alpha, please! I do not want to die! Tell him to close it!"
"Nobody is dying," Adrian said, his tone tight. He placed a hand on Celeste's shoulder, steadying her.
"Lucas!" I barked, adjusting my grip on Clara as she stumbled. "Press the button!"
Lucas looked at me. Then he looked at Celeste, who was sobbing hysterically into his father's shirt. He screwed his eyes shut, raised his small hand, and slammed his palm down on the red emergency lockdown button.
A mechanical siren blared. The massive steel gears ground together, and the heavy door began to slide shut.
"No!" Clara sobbed, sagging against me in defeat. "They are closing it!"
"Adrian, stop the door!" I demanded, pushing Clara forward with everything I had left. We were merely five yards away. Four yards.
Adrian lunged toward the console, pulling away from Celeste. His hand hovered directly over the manual override switch. I locked eyes with my mate, expecting him to slam it, expecting him to halt the closing steel to save his Luna.
Instead, he stopped.
He looked at Celeste, who was shaking violently on the floor. He looked at Lucas, who was shivering beside the control panel, tears streaming down his face. Adrian dropped his hand, wrapped his arms around our son, and pulled him into his chest. He stared at me through the narrowing gap, his expression completely unreadable, his jaw clenched tight. He did not touch the switch.
"What are you doing?" I roared, disbelief flooding my veins. "Open it!"
"Mom can shift!" Lucas yelled, his voice cracking with tears, piercing through the shrinking opening. "Celeste cannot fight! We have to protect her!"
"Adrian!" I bellowed, lunging for the gap, stretching my hand toward the metal frame.
The steel door slammed shut with a deafening boom.
The heavy locking bolts slid into place, shaking the floor beneath my feet. The red emergency lights above the bunker entrance died, plunging the hallway into absolute darkness.
I stood there, Clara's dead weight dragging against my side, staring at the solid metal wall.
My son had locked me out.
My mate had let him.
"Luna," Clara whispered, her voice trembling so hard her teeth chattered. "What do we do?"
A low, guttural snarl echoed from the corridor behind us. The sound vibrated through the soles of my boots, echoing off the narrow walls.
I turned slowly, adjusting my stance to shield the injured maid.
Three massive Rogues stepped out from the shadows of the corner. Their eyes glowed a sickly, unnatural yellow in the smoke. Thick drool fell from their bared fangs, sizzling as it hit the burning debris on the floor. Their claws scraped against the stone tiles.
"Get behind me," I told Clara, my voice eerily calm despite the betrayal burning in my chest.
The largest Rogue, a hulking beast with a scarred snout, lowered its head and charged straight for my throat.
