Kyra’s POV

The gunshot echoed through the night, sending panic through me. My heart pounded as I worried about Mason and Sarah. Before I could think about what was happening, Nathan grabbed my hand tight and urgent.

"We need to move," he whispered, pulling me into a run.

Cold rain hit our faces as we ran through the forest. Mud splashed under our feet.

I could hear shouting behind us, getting quieter as we went deeper into the woods.

Sylvia stirred in my mind. "They’re coming after us. I can sense at least three of them."

"How far behind?" I asked between heavy breaths.

"Far enough for now," she replied. "But they’re moving fast."

Nathan pulled me behind a big oak tree. His eyes looked around in the dark, alert and focused.

"Are you okay?" he asked, pushing wet hair from my face.

I nodded, trying to control my breathing.

"Keep running, Kyra," Matt whispered, showing up next to us with blood coming through his shirt. "Nathan, get her out of here."

I shook my head and grabbed Matt’s arm. "What are you planning to do? You’re hurt!"

Matt gently moved my hand away. His face looked determined. "Dad won’t hurt me."

"You can’t be sure about that!" I hissed, getting frustrated. "Your wound is bleeding again. Come with us. You still need to find Emily and take care of her."

Matt smiled sadly and squeezed my hand. "I won’t die this way, Kyra."

Nathan’s grip on my waist got tighter. "We need to go now. We’ll wait for them at the edge of the forest."

I felt helpless. I hated being weak in this situation. All I could do was protect my unborn baby while others risked their lives.

As Nathan pulled me away, I looked back at Matt one last time, praying it wouldn’t be the last time I saw him alive.

We kept running until I could see the end of the forest and a road. Relief hit me for a moment before a dark figure jumped from the shadows, tackling Nathan to the ground. They rolled down toward the road, fighting hard.

"Nathan!" I screamed as his gun slid across the wet ground.

Nathan’s Alpha strength kicked in as he fought back against Connor. His punches hit with force. For the first few moments, he seemed to be winning. Connor stumbled backward, blood flowing from his nose.

"You think you can take everything from me?" Connor snarled, pulling out a small bottle from his jacket.

Before Nathan could react, Connor smashed the bottle against a rock and threw the liquid at Nathan’s face. The wolfsbane hit him directly. Nathan screamed in pain as the poison burned his skin and got into his bloodstream.

"Nathan!" I cried out as he doubled over. His werewolf strength was draining fast.

I lunged for the weapon, but something hit my head hard. I fell onto the muddy ground. I groaned, feeling cold rain mixing with what might be blood running down my temple.

"Fuck you!" Nathan’s voice cut through the sound of rain, though I could hear the weakness as he tried to fight the wolfsbane’s effects.

My heart sank. If Connor was here, what had happened to Matt and Mason? Before I could think about it, Diane Foster stepped in front of me. Her shadow looked threatening in the dim moonlight.

"Worry about yourself, Kyra. You’re going to die tonight," she sneered, her eyes gleaming with hate.

Despite the pain in my head, I glared up at her. "You knew about everything your husband did all along, didn’t you? You’ve been helping him commit these crimes!"

Her face twisted with rage. "You gold digging whore! None of this would have happened if you hadn’t shown up in our lives!"

I spotted Nathan’s gun lying in the mud several feet away. The distance seemed impossible in my current state, but I needed to try.

Meanwhile, Nathan was struggling against the wolfsbane poisoning. His movements were getting slow as Connor pressed his advantage.

"The mighty Alpha Nathan," Connor taunted, landing another brutal punch. "Not so strong now, are you?"

Despite the poison weakening him, Nathan managed to grab Connor’s leg and bring him down. They rolled in the mud. Both werewolves used their claws and enhanced strength, but the wolfsbane was winning.

"NO!" I screamed when Connor slammed Nathan’s head against the road.

Adrenaline rushed through me. I kicked Diane’s legs out from under her with all my strength, sending her crashing onto a large rock. She went limp right away.

I rolled through the mud, grabbed the gun, and aimed it at Connor, but he was faster. He yanked Nathan’s beaten body up, using him as a human shield.

Connor’s laugh echoed through the rain. "Come on, Kyra. Shoot me!"

"You coward!" I growled, tears mixing with raindrops on my face.

His expression got dark as he slowly pulled a gun from his waistband.

I raised my chin, gripping my weapon tighter. We stood facing each other, both guns pointed.

"You should’ve stayed hidden," he snarled. "You shouldn’t have dug up the past. You shouldn’t have stolen my company!"

"I’m not sorry," I said through gritted teeth. "You should rot in jail for everything you’ve done."

"YOU’RE THE EVIL ONE!" he shouted, spit flying from his mouth. "YOU RUINED MY FAMILY! SARAH REBELLED AGAINST ME! MY SONS LEFT ME! YOU DID THIS!"

Sylvia growled in my mind. "He’s distracted. Take the shot now!"

I smirked at Connor. "You deserve to fall, Connor. Every bit of it."

I pulled the trigger, hitting him in the shoulder. He howled in pain and let Nathan go. Nathan rolled toward the road. My heart stopped when I saw headlights coming.

In that moment, Connor lunged at me, grabbing a handful of my hair. I screamed as he dragged me through the mud, but the wet ground made him slip. I took the chance to crawl away, but he caught my ankle and yanked me back.

With all my werewolf strength, I kicked him right in the face. I felt his nose crack under the impact. I scrambled toward the gun I’d dropped. Just as my fingers touched the cold metal, another loud gunshot rang out.

"KYRA!"