It happened at dawn.
Sera was in the cottage, studying the ancient texts, when the ground shook. Not a tremor — a *pulse*. A beat of energy that traveled through the earth like a stopped heart restarting.
She was on her feet before she knew she'd moved.
Dax was already at the door. Their eyes met.
"Something's happening."
They ran outside. The sky was clear — no clouds, no storm. But to the east, where the neutral lands bordered what remained of Shadow Fang territory, a column of black smoke rose against the morning light.
"Bloodcrest territory," Dax said. A guard was running toward them, his face pale. "Alpha Kai's eastern village. It's gone."
---
Kai met them at the boundary of what used to be his village.
There was nothing left. The houses were rubble. The fields were ash. The
