THE SHIELD AND THE SWORD
Alpha Ridge had never felt so restless.
The wind tore across the high stone terraces like a living thing, howling through the spires and ancient watchtowers, carrying with it the scent of unease—ozone, old magic, and something darker that made every wolf stationed along the walls tense. The wards etched into the mountain’s bones glimmered faintly, their silver runes flickering as if struggling to remain anchored.
Lykos stood at the highest parapet, cloak snapping violently behind him, eyes narrowed as he scanned the valley below.
The land itself was uneasy.
He felt it in his chest—in the way his heartbeat refused to settle, in the way his wolf prowled beneath his skin, teeth bared, pacing without rest. This was not the aftershock of the Moon Well alone. This w
