Perry's POV
Time moved like lightning, and I couldn't stop what unfolded before me. This had to be the most horrific nightmare I'd ever experienced.
But this wasn't a dream I could wake from and dismiss as fantasy—this was my harsh reality.
I watched Phoebe deliberately press her throat against Marco's razor-sharp claws, her expression resolute and unwavering.
Marco recoiled in shock, never anticipating her desperate move. His instinctive jerk only deepened the gash across her neck.
Her body collapsed forward, a gaping wound torn open at her throat, crimson flowing freely. The earth beneath her quickly darkened as her lifeblood spread in an ever-widening pool.
Marco stumbled backward, his gaze frozen on her trembling form. She convulsed, gasping for air that couldn't reach her severed windpipe.
A deathly silence fell over the battlefield. The beasts who'd been attacking me froze mid-strike, sensing they'd crossed a line they couldn't uncross.
