The ward shattered like glass under a silent blow, splintering into motes of blue light that clung to skin and fur like ash. Zack felt the sting along his shoulders where his wolf, Kael, pressed against his skin, itching to tear into something alive.
Now, Kael growled in his mind.
Zack didn’t wait. He crashed through the gap with Lilly flanking him—three streaks of fury under the moon. Their boots hit stone, the air thick with the stench of damp earth, burning herbs, and the metallic tang of blood. Magic burned at the edge of every breath.
Ahead, the forward base sprawled like a nest of thorns—black spires twisted by witchcraft, jagged barricades humming with runes, shadow-creatures pacing in the half-light.
The first trap triggered instantly. A wall of fire ripped upward from the grou
