BLOODBOUND WAR
The forest no longer felt like a place of shelter.
It had become a battlefield.
The three Ascended stepped fully into the clearing, each one radiating a different distortion of Bloodbound power. One was massive, its frame hunched and plated with rune-etched bone like armor. Another moved with eerie grace, silver light flowing beneath translucent skin, eyes empty of mercy. The third remained partially obscured by shadow, its form flickering as if it existed in more than one place at once.
They did not rush.
They waited.
As if listening for a signal.
Kael’s pulse thundered in his ears. He could feel the Alpha bond tugging at the wolves around him—Riven’s pack included—stirring instincts older than loyalty, older than reason. Fear rippled through the clearing, sharp and
