The Veil tore wider behind Mother Thorne, its silver edges bleeding blackness into the sky. The creature that stepped forth from the rift was not just old—it was primordial. A being formed before language, before flesh, before even the bonds of moon and wolf.
It moved with a terrible elegance, tall as a tree, limbs stretched too far, its chest hollow and glowing faintly with imprisoned light.
Its face was smooth bone, without eyes, only deep rivets where a crown of antlers grew, weeping mist that made the wolves recoil.
“What is that?” Jace growled, his fur bristling.
Kaelen’s voice echoed inside Rowan’s skull, dark and strained.
“The First Hunger. The Forgotten Thirst. It is the void I was created to keep locked away.”
Rowan swallowed, his body trembling.
“Then why is it here?”
“B
