Leah Carter’s Point of View
The air still smelled of burnt earth. Every breath I took felt heavy, like the world itself had been scorched from the inside. The fissure where the beast had appeared was gone now, sealed as if it had never been there, but I could still feel it breathing beneath the soil. A slow, steady rhythm that echoed through my bones.
Emma slept in my arms, her skin still warm from whatever power had passed through her. Kael stood a few paces away, his hands braced on his knees, staring at the ground where the red glow had faded. Around us, the warriors of the Forgotten Pack murmured among themselves, voices full of fear and wonder.
Seraya was the first to speak. “That thing wasn’t natural,” she said quietly. “It shouldn’t exist.”
Kael straightened slowly, his face har
