CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-EIGHT - ESCAPE FROM DARKNESS

Freya's voice crackled through the comm, tight with exertion. "Anna, we need eyes on their movements. Get to the control room!" Dodging debris and ducking under clashing werewolves and hunters, Anna made her way to the reinforced basement where they'd set up their command center. She slid into the chair, fingers flying over the keyboard as she brought up the security feeds. "Freya, they're using some kind of gas on the west side," Anna reported, her heart racing as she watched pack members collapse. "It looks like wolfsbane aerosol. I'm sealing off that section now." For hours, the battle raged. Anna coordinated their defenses from her station, guiding teams, sealing off compromised areas, and desperately trying to stay one step ahead of the hunters' moves. When it was finally over, the toll was heavy. Several pack members were severely injured, and parts of the mansion lay in ruins. As Anna emerged from the basement, the acrid smell of smoke and blood assaulted her senses. Freya s