A group of lower demons, spindly creatures with elongated limbs and eyes like glowing coals, crested the hill in front of her. They had been sent ahead of the main army to flush out survivors, and when they saw Mayari, they let out a series of clicking, hungry sounds. They didn't recognize her as the queen of their realm; they only saw a woman standing alone in the path of an apocalypse.
As the first demon lunged, its claws extended like obsidian daggers, something inside Mayari snapped. It wasn't the slow breaking of a heart; it was the shattering of a cage. For years, she had pushed her wolf into the deepest, darkest corner of her mind. She had smothered her instincts to blend with the realm. But as the demon’s shadow fell over her, the wolf didn't just wake up; it exploded.
The shift
