The ground trembled beneath their feet.
Ashyra forced herself upright, clutching Stephan’s arm for support as the Tree split further, dark energy seeping from its exposed core like a bleeding wound. The corrupted wolves fell into formation, circling it, their heads bowed as if in reverence. Lira—if that thing still was her—stood unmoving at the head of the ritual, eyes vacant, lips parted in a silent chant that matched the others.
“We can’t let whatever’s inside come out,” Kael said, his fur bristling as he shifted back to human form. “That thing is older than any of us. This isn’t just dark magic. It’s forbidden.”
Stephan’s eyes never left the Tree. “It’s a seal. Not a sanctuary. Someone bound it. Someone buried it. And now it’s being unearthed.”
Ashyra’s pulse pounded in her ears. “W
