The ridge was a jagged scar against the twilight sky, its rocky edge silhouetted by the fading light. Maya stood with Kade, Soren, Naari, and Eliah, the scentless wolves forming a tight line behind them. The air buzzed with tension, the chorus in Maya’s chest a relentless drumbeat urging her forward. Below, the Council’s army advanced—fifty wolves, some shifted, others in human form, their armor glinting and their scents sharp with iron and intent. Among them, Maya glimpsed the silver-haired woman, her presence commanding even from a distance.
But it wasn’t just the Council. The howls of the Hollowed echoed from the forest, their amber eyes flashing in the shadows. They moved like specters, weaving between the trees, not with the Council but alongside them, as if drawn by the same chaos.
