The creature stepped fully into the light.
Its body seemed to be made of smoke and muscle in equal measure, shifting with every breath. Its wolf’s head was massive, jaws lined with teeth that glistened like obsidian. The crimson glow in its eyes wasn’t just light — it pulsed in time with the Heart’s own rhythm.
Elinora’s wolf cowered in the back of her mind, not out of submission but recognition. He is the first.
The First Alpha lowered its head and inhaled deeply, as though scenting her. The air turned colder with each breath it took.
Riven moved instinctively to stand between her and the beast. “Stay behind me.”
Kaelen stepped to her other side, shadows curling off him like smoke from a fire. “It’s not going to listen to you.”
The First Alpha’s gaze swept over Riven, over Kaelen… a
