LILA’S POV
The shadow moved with a speed that defied logic. My chest tightened, my wolf instincts screaming at me to run, to hide, to fight but there was nowhere to go. My father, the king, and the Devourer themselves looked as unsettled as I felt.
Marcus’s hand found mine, grounding me. “Stay with me,” he whispered, though I could feel the tremor in his grip. Fear wasn’t something I’d ever seen him show, and yet now… it radiated off him like heat from a flame.
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice out. “I… I’m not going to run. Not this time.”
The shadow stopped a few feet away, impossibly tall, impossibly dark. Its eyes glowed, red at first, then shifting into a void so black I felt my soul shrink. My wolves growled in unison, a chorus of warning that seemed almost futile. The air vibra
