The night was heavy — a suffocating, unnatural stillness that even the wolves refused to disturb.
Inside the ancient ruin, Azeo, McKayla, Rex, and Shawnee gathered around the moonstone’s faint pulse. The silver glow cast their faces in sharp relief, each shadow telling its own story of fear and exhaustion.
McKenna was gone.
Not physically — not yet — but the part that was hers was slipping deeper with every breath.
Azeo could feel it through their bond.
Her heartbeat was no longer her own.
---
“She’s fading faster than before,” McKayla said quietly, her hands trembling as she traced the protective runes Shawnee had carved into the stone floor. “It’s like something’s pulling her soul apart.”
Azeo stood rigid, staring into the glowing cracks beneath the moonstone. His voice was low,
