Darkness breathed.
It wasn’t cold — not yet — but heavy, thick, the kind of dark that pressed in until sound felt muffled and even light seemed afraid to exist. Crystal stood barefoot in a field of silver dust, the ground beneath her glowing faintly like moonlit ash. A wind stirred, carrying whispers that weren’t words but something older — older than wolves, older than gods.
Bree stood beside her, vast and radiant in her true form. Her fur gleamed white as starlight, each strand glimmering as if dusted with frost. Her golden eyes were steady, ancient — the kind of eyes that had seen the beginning of things and feared their return.
You’ve seen this before, Crystal realized. Haven’t you?
Bree’s voice filled her mind, calm and resonant. Once. Long ago. When Selene still walked the earth.
