I paced the dim hall, the walls felt like they were closing in on me with each step. The air was thick, suffocating, as if the castle itself had turned against me. My hands trembled slightly, and I flexed my fingers, trying to summon the strength that used to come so easily.
But there was nothing.
The wolf inside me, the beast I had lived with my entire life, was silent. Gone. The bond severed, leaving only a hollow, aching void where my power had once burned.
*Lycaon.*
The cruel laugh echoed in my mind, slithering through my thoughts like poison. His voice, a constant reminder of my failure. It mocked me, taunted me with every breath I took.
“You think you can defy me?” his voice hissed. “You are nothing without me, Leo. A puppet, dancing on the strings I control.”
I clenched my fis
