The clearing opens into a jagged cliffside, half‑hidden by overgrown vines and thick roots. At first glance, it looks like nothing but rock — but Ryker feels the wrongness in the air. The faint hum of magic. The stale scent of wolves who’ve passed through recently. The echo of Elena’s fear vibrating through the bond.
“There,” Kai says, pointing to a narrow break in the stone.
A disguised entrance.
Ryker doesn’t wait for a plan.
He charges.
The stone doorway shudders under the force of his shoulder, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. A second hit sends it exploding inward, dust and debris billowing into the dark corridor beyond.
The guards flood in behind him, Lira at their flank, the witches close behind. Sasha murmurs a spell under her breath, her hands glowing faintly as she
