They saw him before they heard him.
A massive wolf cloaked in black fire stood just outside the academy gates, its form barely contained by flesh. His fur smoked with ash, eyes the color of Ivy’s—burning gold rimmed in shadow.
He didn’t growl.
He didn’t pace.
He waited.
As if daring them to come closer.
Jax’s voice trembled. “What the hell is that?”
Professor Velar’s jaw was tight. “The Shadow King’s first general. His name is Vaelrik—and once, he was one of us.”
Vaelrik had once been an Alpha heir.
A student at the academy.
A warrior bound to light.
Until the Shadow King claimed him.
Ripped the soul from his bones and poured fire into the hollow.
Now, he hunted the world that cast him aside.
And his target was Ivy.
Kael stormed into the strategy chamber. “We need to evacuat
