The massive wolf stepped into the clearing, its paws sinking deep into the damp earth. Every movement was slow and deliberate, the kind of confidence that belonged only to something that knew it was the most dangerous creature present.
Seraphina’s breath caught, her wolf bristling inside her. Not just big. Ancient.
The crimson glow in its eyes wasn’t just light, it pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat. And with each pulse, she felt a strange pressure in her skull, as if something unseen was pressing against her thoughts, testing the edges of her mind.
The dark-haired man’s blade came up, but his pose shifted subtly, from attacking to defending. “Don’t look into its eyes,” he said without turning.
She tore her gaze away just as the pressure increased. Her wolf recoiled, snarling in her head
