Silence fell over the ridge after the tear snapped shut, swallowing Frederick and Rodney into its sickening red glow. The battlefield, once filled with snarls and growls, now felt hollow — as if the world itself had stopped breathing.
Selena pressed against my heart, trembling. He’s gone.
My mother collapsed to her knees, her hands digging into the dirt. Her wolf form flickered, shifting back into her human body as sobs tore from her chest. “Frederick… no… no…”
Jonah staggered forward, shifting back into his human form. His knees buckled, and he fell beside her, grabbing her shoulders. “Mom… Mom, look at me.”
She didn’t. She couldn’t.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the place where the tear had been.
Jonah’s voice cracked. “Dad… he— he said my name. He saw us. He—”
His voice broke entirely
