Zack’s POV
The copper tang of blood clung to the night air like a promise. The roar of my pack still echoed across the Bloodmoon territory, but the forest wasn’t quiet — it pulsed. Every leaf, every shadow, every heartbeat out there could be Kieran’s next strike.
My claws dripped red as I stood over the corpse of one of his warlocks, his spine snapped in my hands. It hadn’t even been enough. The bastard’s magic had already burned half a line of my border sentries before I got to him.
Lilly’s voice slammed into my mind through the bond, sharp and commanding.
“Alpha—south ridge—two mage teams moving fast.”
I didn’t even answer. I shifted mid-sprint, fur exploding from my skin, bones snapping into the towering frame of my Lycan form. The earth buckled under my weight as I charged.
The n
