THE SHADOW WITHIN
The forest had changed. It was no longer merely a home, a territory to patrol, or a hunting ground. It had become a battlefield, a place where unseen forces moved with intelligence, precision, and malice. Every tree, every leaf, every shifting mist seemed to whisper secrets that weren’t meant for the pack’s ears.
Lykos walked at the head of the patrol, aura flaring faintly, wolf instincts humming in tension. The rift at the southern ridge still pulsed faintly, like a wound in reality, and from it had come the infiltrator. Whoever—or whatever—had slipped through tonight was no simple shadow, no minor corruption. It was intelligent, patient, strategic, and adaptive.
Aria moved beside him, silver fire flowing in steady currents through her aura, weaving protection, reinfo
