POV: Ayla

The alarms scream through the compound, their high-pitched wail slicing deep into my bones as red lights flood the kitchen and bathe everything in a sick, blood-red glow.

My heart hammers like a trapped bird desperate to break free. Ryker doesn’t wait for me. He’s already sprinting toward the perimeter sensors, his voice barking sharp commands into his comms unit while Caius’s voice rings out over the speakers, cold and furious, directing the team with lethal precision.

I leap off the counter, my legs shaky beneath me, and race toward my bedroom door just as it swings open on its own.

Zane stands there like a statue carved...