Asher’s POV
The moment that thing opened its eyes beneath the black water, I felt true fear for the first time since I’d entered this territory.
Not the fear of a fight.
Not the fear of losing a battle.
Something far worse.
The fear of realizing that there were things so ancient and immense that not even the alpha truly seemed capable of controlling them.
The entire corridor shuddered violently after those eyes emerged just beneath the dark surface, two luminous shapes moving slowly beneath the black water as though something gigantic had finally awakened from a sleep far too long. Blue fire rippled around the chamber, and the walls began emitting that deep, ancient sound I had already learned to hate, like stone cracking beneath impossible pressure.
But none of that was what truly
