Zack’s POV
The ground still trembled under the weight of the Ancient Lycan’s collapse, but there was no time to celebrate. Even as the creature fell to its knees, letting out a final, unholy roar, my senses screamed that the battlefield was far from secure.
“Form ranks! Hold your ground!” I bellowed, claws scraping against fractured stone. The pack surged into tighter formations, fangs bared, eyes blazing with gold. Every step, every breath, was deliberate. We had only a brief moment before the next strike hit.
Then it came—the first flicker in the shadows. Not a creature of the ridge we had faced before, but something hidden, waiting. And when it struck, the roar of impact was deafening.
Shards of enchanted obsidian rained down, piercing armor and flesh alike. The hidden forces had ar
