I squeezed her shoulder tightly. As badly as I wanted her to get rest, I knew that wasn’t coming anytime soon. I radioed Kaleb, asking him to have blankets ready and gather some healers for us when we arrive.
As we arrived in town, I expected people to be unsure of how to handle these newcomers, but everyone welcomed themwith open arms. The healers were quick to help the injured, and everyone offered blankets and fresh clothes.
Kaleb came up to us, looking at Jade with wide eyes. “What happened?”
“Jade killed all of them,” Westley said quickly.
Kaleb looked stunned. “What? How?”
“She’s powerful,” I stated.
Jade offered a weak smile, and I knew it was taking a lot of energy to keep. Kaleb pulled her into a tight embrace, whispering something in her ear. I watched her smile in return, her arms tightening around him.
“Where do you want us to take everyone?” Asher asked as he stopped next to me. I looked over the crowd, taking them all in. They needed to shower and eat something. The children looked like they were seconds from falling asleep.
“Take them to the city hall. Find some beds and get everyone situated.” Everyone was moving at once. People were being guided toward City Hall. We had them go into the large meeting room, shoving tables against the walls.
I stopped Kaleb as he was walking to hand out more blankets. “What happened with the hybrid you saw here?”
Kaleb shrugged. “It ran off. We have no idea where it went. I had a couple of guys go and track it, but they lost it a couple of miles out.”
My stomach twisted up.
“Asher, Westley, I need you to go look at the footage and make sure there are no more lurking around.”
They both nodded, splitting off from us. I cleared my throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Can I have all the adults meet me in the hallway?”
I moved out of the doorway, and the adults of the other pack followed me into the hall. I was still trying to piece together what happened. Once everyone was outside, the door was shut.
“Alright, I know everyone is tired, and I’m going to make this quick before we get everyone off to sleep. When did the attack start?”
“This morning,” a man said, wiping his hands on a towel. “The first creature was spotted probably around nine.”
“It’s a hybrid,” Kaleb offered. “It’s a vampire and a shifter blended together.”
I watched everyone look in horror at this information. “How do you know this?” the man asked.
“We’ve been hunting them for a few years before we were placed here,” I offered. “So, when you spotted it, was your Alpha still alive?”
The man nodded. “He and some of his guys were doing some training near the edge of town.”
“Training for what?”
Most of the guys shrugged. “No clue. He didn’t include us, just his group of close friends.”
That felt off. “So, you guys weren’t getting proper training?”
The men snorted as they shook their heads. “No. We haven’t had training in years.”
I turned, looking at the map we had hung in the hallway, and started to zone in on their town. It was small, really, Iwouldn’t even consider it a town. It was self-sufficient and had open land near it. If the hybrids needed space, it would be a smart choice for use. They weren’t hard to take down, and they were close to us. It could have been a stepping stone to get there.
I frowned as I realized we were never the first target. We were their final destination. There was a handful of smaller packs that surrounded us. If they took over them, it would be nearly impossible for us to fight against them. They would be coming from all directions. No amount of training would save us.
“Shit.”
“What?” Asher and Westley asked in unison.
“They planned that. They have been watching. Not just us, but the surrounding areas as well. They picked them on purpose.” I pointed to the map. “We were never the first target.”
