“The gods demand a sacrifice.”
The voice didn’t come from above or below—it came from within. It thrummed through the marrow of Seren’s bones, vibrating in her chest like a second heartbeat. Kael heard it too; his body tensed against hers, breath catching as though the truth had already begun to carve its price into him.
Around them, the void had transformed.
The shadows were no longer just illusions—they were watching. Ancient eyes, wide as moons and deep as the Hollow itself, blinked open from the walls of the dark. From cracks in the ground. From the air.
Judgment was over.
This was something older.
The place where gods made their wagers.
And where mortals bled to pay the debt.
Kael pulled Seren behind him instinctively, his Alpha rising, protectiveness sharper than any blade. B
