THE SHADOW ASCENDS
The forest hung in an uneasy stillness. Wolves patrolled cautiously, senses alert, muscles coiled like springs. The counteroffensive had been successful, but the victory was fragile—temporary at best. Lykos and Aria had proven that their bond could stabilize the pack, amplify the fragment, and force the shadow leader onto the defensive. Yet every instinct screamed that this calm was the precursor to something far more dangerous.
Lykos stood in the center of the clearing, silver aura pulsing faintly, senses straining toward the northern ridge. His wolf growl rumbled low, resonant, warning the pack even before the first signs appeared. Every shadow trembled, every leaf shivered, every vibration in the forest resonating with a sinister energy unlike any before.
Aria hove
