The journey back to Veilwood was somber and swift.
The sky had darkened to a bruised, angry purple, and the wind carried a faint, mournful howl that seemed to vibrate through the bones of the earth. The land itself felt sick—the trees drooped, the snow turned grey, and the air grew thick with a pressure that pressed down on the lungs like a physical weight.
Evelyn sat in the back of the SUV, her eyes fixed on the horizon. The seal on the First Alpha’s tomb was intact. The dragon scale was secure. But Lilith’s phantom scream still echoed in her ears.
“I will find another way.”
She had meant it.
As the convoy approached the iron gates of Veilwood, Evelyn’s worst fears were confirmed.
The gates were closed. The walls were lined with guards. And beyond the perimeter, stretching across th
