The first blade never reached us.
Sera's nearest wolf intercepted it with a short, brutal cut that dropped the hunter at the edge of the platform. The man went down without a sound, his blade clattering against the wooden boards. The square erupted into noise, shouts, the scrape of steel, the low collective growl of packs who had come for a controlled spectacle and were suddenly watching something live and dangerous.
"Hold the line!" Sera's voice cut through the chaos. "Don't let them close the gap!"
Rowan's face stayed calm, but the bond carried the exact spike of Darius's cold satisfaction as several pack leaders took an involuntary step backward. I felt it through the connection, a pulse of grim triumph that was quickly swallowed by the rising chaos. The masks were cracking. The pack
