The city gates loomed before her like the gaping maw of a beast, iron bars rising high into the night. Beyond them, the faint glow of fire licked the sky, a sickly red bleeding into the horizon. The air smelled of smoke already, carried by the wind, acrid and suffocating.
Zaria tightened her grip on the reins of her steed, her pulse thundering. She had not yet reached the battlefield, but her heart knew war had already begun.
Behind her, the clamor of warriors gathering filled the night wolves in armor, some bearing swords, others shifting into their beast forms, their growls rising like a storm. The city vibrated with readiness and fear, and Zaria felt both crash into her veins.
Damian rode beside her, his presence steady as stone. His dark eyes swept over the assembled warriors, notin
