LILA’S POV
The howl echoed through the forest like a blade slicing through the silence.
Every wolf in the clearing turned toward the trees.
My heart pounded so violently it hurt.
Marcus had gone completely still beside me.
And that terrified me more than the Devourer.
Because Marcus never froze.
Never hesitated.
But right now…
He looked like someone who had just seen a ghost.
The trees rustled again.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
A wolf stepped out of the shadows.
Gasps rippled across the clearing.
It was massive.
Not as enormous as the Devourer or the ancient Alpha, but still powerful its silver-gray fur gleaming under the pale moonlight.
Its eyes burned a deep, icy blue.
Cold.
Sharp.
Merciless.
But what made my chest tighten painfully wasn’t the size of the wolf.
It was the
