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The first scream shattered the dawn.
Aria jerked upright in her bed, heart pounding, every nerve on edge. The air was heavy, unnatural, carrying the copper sting of blood before the alarm horns even sounded. She scrambled for the blade Kael had given her, her hand shaking as she clutched the hilt.
Then came the howls. Not the deep, mournful song of her pack — but sharp, guttural cries, wrong in their cadence, crawling beneath her skin like insects. Hollow wolves.
The corridor outside erupted in chaos. Wolves in half-shift sprinted past her door, claws raking against stone, voices rising in frantic shouts. The stronghold was under attack. Again.
But this time… it felt different.
A sharp knock rattled her door before Mira burst in, a dagger in each hand, her golden eyes blazing. “T
