Rhea stood at the absolute center of the war circle, surrounded by the pack.
Alpha Mareth stood across from her, his heavy arms folded tightly against his leather brigandine, his boots planted wide on the frost-dusted gravel.
"You said it's testing you," Mareth growled.
Rhea nodded slowly. "It sent those avatars to the perimeter at dawn. It wants to map my reactions. It wants to see what I'll do when it presses."
"And what are you going to do?" Mareth demanded, leaning forward.
Before she could reply, an agonizing howl suddenly tore across the valley. Then, silence.
Isla’s hand flew to the hilt of her broadsword. "Scouts?"
"No," Lucci said, stepping up beside Rhea. "Scouts don't sound like that. Something's coming."
Rhea felt it a fraction of a second before her eyes saw it.
It w
