The valley erupted into chaos.
Arrows rained from the cliffs.
Steel clashed against steel as the Blood Guard charged to protect their Queen.
The air filled with battle cries and the howl of wolves shifting into their beast forms.
But Kaelira barely heard any of it.
Her eyes were fixed on Ronan.
He stood frozen in the center of the battlefield, one hand pressed against his head, his body trembling violently.
Something inside him was breaking.
Or worse…
Something was breaking free.
“Ronan!”
Kaelira fought through the battle toward him, cutting down the soldiers who blocked her path.
Before she could reach him, he fell to his knees with a cry that echoed across the valley.
His fingers dug into the earth.
Dark veins spread across his neck, disappearing beneath his jaw.
The black
