KAEL'S POV The power hit me like a charging bull. My body flew backward across the plateau. My back slammed against the rough stone. Pain shot through my ribs. Stars exploded behind my eyes. For a moment I could not breathe. Could not think. The pack bond screamed warning through my blood.When my vision cleared, I saw something that made my wolf howl in terror. Elara was floating above the altar. The liquid moonlight had risen from the cracked obsidian. It swirled around her like hungry serpents. Silver light wrapped her arms. Her legs. Her throat. She was drowning in divine power. Her eyes rolled back white. Her mouth opened in a silent scream."Elara!" I scrambled to my feet. My ribs protested but I ignored them. The moonlight was pulling her higher. Away from us. Away from the solid ground that kept her anchored to this world. "She's being consumed!"Ronan was on his knees beside the altar. Blood trickled from his nose. The power surge had hit him too. But his eyes were clear. Fo
ELARA'S POV "The air smells different, I could feel it as it swirled around me” I breathed deeply. My wolf stirred with hope with my both hands spread widely. Welcoming the fresh air blowing me.We climbed the steep path, I allowed Kael to lead, and Ronan walked behind me. His scent was sharp with worry, I could scent it.The ash was thinning. Less silver dust in the air."There," Kael pointed ahead.A plateau rose before us. Flat stone covered with strange markings.We climbed the last stretch. My paws found a good grip on the rock.At the plateau's center stood something amazing.An altar. Made of black obsidian. Carved into the shape of three wolves.The wolves twisted together. Tails wrapped around each other. Heads touching in the middle."Moon's blood," Ronan whispered.I walked closer. The carving was perfect. Each wolf looked real. Like they might breathe."Look at this," I said.Words were carved at the altar's base. Old pack script. Deep and clear."Unity or ruin," I read
RONAN'S POV "Look at that."Kael pointed through the ash-thick air. Something dark rose from the gray wasteland.I wiped dust from my eyes. A stone obelisk stood ahead. Tall as three wolves standing on hind legs. Ancient symbols covered its surface."More ruins," Kael muttered. His voice was still shaky from yesterday's whispers.We approached slowly. My wolf senses picked up something strange. Magic. Old magic that made my fur want to stand on end.The obelisk was black stone. Not gray like everything else here. The silver ash would not stick to it. Symbols glowed faint blue along its sides."Can you read it?" Kael asked.I walked closer. The ancient pack script was worn but readable. My father taught me the old tongue when I was a pup."It's a prophecy," I said. My throat felt tight."What kind?"I traced the symbols with one finger. They felt warm under my touch. Alive."One must bleed where the moon meets ash," I read aloud. "The worthy shall pay with crimson. Only through sacrif
KAEL'S POV "The air tastes like death."I spat out silver dust. It coated my tongue. Made everything taste like metal and old bones.Ronan walked ahead of me. His boots left prints in the ash. Deep gray prints that filled up fast."How much further?" I asked."Days," he said. His voice was muffled. He had cloth wrapped around his face. "Maybe weeks."The Ash Plains stretched out forever. Nothing but gray dirt and dead trees. The sky was the same color. Gray and heavy.I pulled my cloak tighter. The ash got through everything. It was in my hair. In my clothes. Under my nails."Tell me again why we came this way," I said.Ronan stopped walking. Turned to look at me. His eyes were red from the dust."Because the other paths are watched," he said. "This place... they avoid it."I knew why. Everyone knew the stories.The Ash Plains used to be green. Full of life. Then came the war. Magic burned everything. Left only death behind."My grandfather told me stories," I said. "About this place
RONAN'S POVThe ravine was darker than I'd expected.We moved through the shadows like we'd practiced this dance our whole lives. Three bodies. One mind. The bond hummed between us, steady and sure.Kael took a point down the center path. His footsteps were silent on the rocky ground.I kept to the left, close enough to feel the connection burning warm in my chest. Far enough to flank whatever was waiting.Through the bond, I felt Elara's concentration. She was our compass. Our anchor.The beast's scent grew stronger with every step."It's close," I whispered.*I know,* came Kael's mental response. *Can you feel where?*I paused. Let my senses expand through the connection.There. A wrongness in the air about fifty yards ahead. Hidden behind the fallen rocks.*Got it,* I replied.We moved closer. The synchronization was perfect now. No hesitation. No doubt.Just the three of us, moving as one.The attack came fast.The beast erupted from its hiding spot with a roar that shook loose st
KAEL'S POV The beast's tracks ended at the cliff edge.I stared down into the ravine below. Three separate paths wound through the rocks. Each one leading in a different direction."It's splitting us up," I said.Ronan crouched beside me. Studied the terrain with those dark eyes that missed nothing."Classic trap," he agreed. "Forces us to choose."Elara moved to the third path. Her amber eyes were distant. Focused inward."I can feel it," she said. "The corruption. It's... everywhere down there."I understood what she meant. Through our bond, I could sense it too. A wrongness that made my skin crawl.The beast wasn't just hiding. It was waiting."We need to split up," I said.The words hit them like a physical blow. Through the bond, I felt their immediate rejection."No." Ronan's voice was flat. Final."Listen to me.""We don't separate." Elara turned to face me. "Ever. You know what happens."I knew. We all knew.But two villages were already ash. How many more would burn while we