That gets them moving.
With renewed determination, they form tighter ranks, pushing back against the rogues.
And I?
I push forward.
If I can’t shift, if I can’t fight like the warrior I was trained to be, then I will make up for it in blood with the image of Alpha Jag’s face, Magnus’ face, driving my every strike.
I lose track of time.
I don’t know how long we fight, how long I cut down enemy after enemy, how long I ignore the pain blooming in my side, the exhaustion dragging at my limbs.
All I know is that we are still standing.
Barely.
Kieran is a force of nature in the distance, cutting through the battlefield like a demon, his silver wolf tearing apart anyone who stands in his way.
But Eldon’s forces keep coming.
For every rogue we kill, more take their place.
And it hits me—
We really might not win this.
The thought lodges itself in my throat, thick and choking.
No.
No.
We can’t lose.
We won’t lose.
Not while I still breathe.
I lift my sword again, ready to charge forward—
And then—
A howl.
A deep, powerful, familiar howl.
I freeze.
The battle seems to pause around me.
And then—
A wolf leaps into view.
It’s a massive, jet-black wolf, her fur rippling, her eyes burning with an intensity I recognize instantly. It’s Ayana.
Her fangs sink into a rogue’s throat, a swift kill, before she spins, eyes locking onto mine. She wasn’t supposed to be on the front line. She’s supposed to be safe in the estate.