The battlefield burned.
Smoke coiled in the cold night air, rising from the scorched earth and bodies that littered the valley. Ivy stood at the front, sword slick with blood, her cloak torn, hair wild in the wind. Her wolves flanked her—Kael on her right, Ember on her left, and behind them, hundreds of warriors howled into the darkness.
The enemy kept coming.
Eastern rogues. Exiled alphas. Betrayers.
The full moon glowed red above them, watching like a silent judge.
Ivy didn’t waver.
“Hold the line!” she roared, voice cutting through the chaos.
She slashed down a charging wolf mid-shift, driving her blade into its heart. It collapsed, snarling its last breath. She turned, catching another with a swift kick before Ember set it ablaze with a single flick of her wrist.
The Hollow was
