The world explodes before me.
I wake to chaos. The forest is alive with sound… snapping branches, howls, shouts, the crack of claws against bark and earth.
My heart is hammering, but I barely notice. The air tastes like iron, thick with the smell of blood and fear. Something deep inside me surges, silver energy rippling under my skin.
The rogues are here. Not in the distance. Not at the border. They’re in our woods.
Kael is already moving, his voice cutting through the chaos: “Hold the line! Everyone, defend the ridge!”
I watch him. He’s changed. Older, sharper and commanding. There’s no hesitation in him now. Every pack member is keyed to his rhythm, moving like one living thing.
And then I see them.
The rogues.
They’re… wrong. Larger than any wolf I’ve ever seen. Their fur is mat
