The forest burned around them, trees collapsing, smoke curling through the moonlight. By the time the last rogue fell, silence settled like a suffocating fog. Only the sound of their ragged breathing filled the clearing.
Zane straightened slowly, his body streaked with blood, some his, most not. Lilith stood across from him, chest heaving, dagger still trembling in her grip.
They stared at each other. The battlefield between them reeked of death and magic.
And yet, for a long time, there was no hostility in her eyes. Only exhaustion. And something else she didn’t dare to name.
But the moment didn’t last.
The pack began to close in, dozens of wolves shifting back into human form, some limping, some bleeding. The looks they gave Lilith were unmistakable. Mistrust. Fear. Contempt.
“She’
