Chapter 7: The Blood War Begins
721 Words
POV: Kael Draven
The summit was in ruins.
Smoke drifted through the shattered halls of the Redfang stronghold. Kael stood over Alpha Garrick’s body, his claws still wet with blood. The war had begun with a single message from Redfang: Submit, or die.
Kael chose neither.
He chose vengeance.
Redfang had aligned with the Abyssbound willingly, their minds twisted by promises of dominion. Their Alpha believed the Old Ways were dead. That strength alone determined survival.
Kael’s message, written in blood, was clear: You sided with the Abyss. Now you’ll rot with it.
Ryker limped beside him, blood streaked across his face. “We held them off, but they’ll regroup. Hollowpine hasn’t responded. If they join Redfang—”
“They won’t,” Kael said coldly. “Not after this.”
But he knew the truth.
The war had only just begun.
⸻
POV: Seraphina Vale
Back in Blackthorn territory, Seraphina met with the Mooncrest envoy. Her father, Elias Vale, stood beside her. Their alliance was still fragile, but Redfang’s betrayal had changed everything.
“They’ve attacked Blackthorn directly,” Elias said. “That makes it all of our war now.”
Seraphina nodded. “And they’re not just after territory. They’re after Kael. If he falls, the seal breaks.”
“What about you?” her father asked quietly. “The bond changed you.”
She hesitated. “It made me part of the gate.”
Elias’s eyes narrowed. “You’re the third seal.”
She looked away.
“You have to tell him,” he pressed.
“I will. When I have to.”
Her father’s voice dropped. “If you die, Seraphina—”
“I’m not planning on it.”
“But the Abyss is.”
⸻
POV: Abyssbound (Fragment)
In a cavern far beneath the charred ruins of Redfang’s eastern border, the Abyssbound stirred.
It had touched the girl.
It had tasted her fear.
She was the key. The lock. The final seal.
But the Alpha… the Alpha was fire.
He would not break easily.
No matter.
Fire can be consumed.
POV: Kael Draven
Hollowpine had always stood neutral, nestled deep in the misty woods—its warriors silent, its Alpha secretive. But neutrality was no longer an option. Not with Redfang’s betrayal. Not with the Abyssbound spreading like rot through the land.
Kael stood at the gates of Hollowpine with a force of Blackthorn and Mooncrest warriors at his back. His claws itched to draw blood—but this wasn’t a raid.
Not yet.
“Alpha Caelum must answer,” Kael growled. “One way or another.”
Seraphina stood beside him, calm but alert. Her aura shimmered faintly now, a byproduct of the seal’s magic growing within her.
A tall figure emerged from the misted gates.
Alpha Caelum.
His silver robes flowed like mist, and his eyes—one pale, one black—studied Kael with eerie calm.
“You bring fire to my trees, Draven,” he said. “Why?”
Kael didn’t flinch. “Because if you don’t stand with us, the Abyssbound will come anyway. And they’ll turn your warriors into beasts.”
Caelum sighed. “And if I say no?”
Kael unsheathed a blade etched with runes. “Then I’ll cut a path through your silence.”
⸻
POV: Seraphina Vale
Before violence could erupt, Seraphina stepped between the Alphas.
“Enough,” she said, voice sharp. “This isn’t about dominance. It’s about survival. The Abyssbound has already corrupted Redfang. They’re building an army in the eastern hollows. If Hollowpine doesn’t act now, it will fall alone.”
Caelum studied her for a long moment.
Then he turned and walked back toward the gate.
Kael started to move, but Seraphina held him back.
The gates opened fully—and behind them, hundreds of Hollowpine wolves stood waiting in silence, armored and armed.
“We don’t need war,” Caelum said. “We need strategy.”
Kael smirked.
“So we have your support?”
Caelum’s mismatched eyes gleamed.
“For now.”
⸻
POV: Abyssbound (Fragment)
From the rotted woods of Redfang, the creature watched.
Too many Alphas. Too many seals.
But it could feel the bond between them fraying.
They would turn on each other, soon.
They always did.
And when they did… it would break through.
- Writer
