"Hands where we can see them!"
"Down on your knees!"
"Now!"
The command rent through the night as dozen of men in black tactical gear burst out of the tree line with rifles raised and bright torches cutting through the dark.
"They're wolves!" one of the soldiers yelled into a comm.
That was all it took. A second later, the entire perimeter was filled with movement as armed units surrounded them, their weapons pointed at them, lasers painting glowing red targets across their chests.
Alaric didn't bother to fight. None of them did. They did nothing wrong. So one by one, they dropped to their knees with their hands raised and their eyes fixed ahead. The forest fell silent but for the sound of barking orders and boots crunching against leaves.
They cuffed them, the cold metal biting into their wrists. This wasn't ordinary cuffs but suppressors designed to numb the wolf, and sever the connection to their inner beast completely.
The disorientation hit them.
