登入Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.The howls kept coming.They rolled down from the mountains in endless waves, shaking the valley beneath them. Every wolf in the courtyard stood frozen, staring toward the ridgelines.
Eyes.Thousands of glowing eyes.Watching.Waiting.Savannah felt Grayson move beside her.
Not much.Just enough for his body to shift instinctively between her and the mountains.Protective.Automatic.Mason personally led the recovery team.Grayson went with him.So did Elias.Nobody tried stopping either of them.The morning sky was gray when they reached the road. The smell hit first.Blood.Death.Smoke.Savannah had smelled enough battlefields to recognize all three immediately.Still, nothing prepared her for what waited beyond the tree line.Twelve bodies.Every one dressed in the dark silver armor of the Keepers. Every one, suspended from ancient oak trees.Crucified.Savagely.Deliberately.The Prophet hadn't simply killed them.He had displayed them.Sentinels moved quietly between the trees, cutting down bodies one by one.Nobody spoke.Not even Hugh.Elias stood perfectly still.Savannah watched him carefully.The First Keeper looked carved from stone. But his hands were shaking.Beside him, Lucas whispered something in the old tongue.A prayer.Perhaps a goodbye.Grayson stopped beneath the nearest tree. The Keeper hanging there couldn't have been older than thirty.His
Everyone remained frozen in stunned silence.The Southern Council.The Prophet.Together!!.Even saying it aloud felt wrong.Lucas looked like someone had punched him in the chest."Impossible," he whispered.Elias slowly turned toward him. "Apparently not.""No." Lucas shook his head. "You don't understand.The Southern Council spent decades trying to destroy the Prophet. They lost thousands of wolves fighting him.""People change," Mason said grimly."Not that much."Lucas looked genuinely disturbed."The Council considers the Prophet a fanatic. A heretic.""Then why join him?" Savannah asked.Nobody answered.Because nobody knew.And that frightened everyone.Mason was the first to recover."How long?"The scout swallowed."Our eastern patrol intercepted a courier less than an hour ago. According to the message, the Southern Council's delegation
Nobody moved.Nobody breathed.The howls kept coming.They rolled down from the mountains in endless waves, shaking the valley beneath them. Every wolf in the courtyard stood frozen, staring toward the ridgelines.Eyes.Thousands of glowing eyes.Watching.Waiting.Savannah felt Grayson move beside her.Not much.Just enough for his body to shift instinctively between her and the mountains.Protective.Automatic.She barely noticed.Lucas had gone pale.Actually pale.The calm, unreadable man who had walked into Reed Territory without an army, without fear, without hesitation, looked terrified.Mason saw it immediately."What is that?" the old Alpha demanded.Lucas didn't answer.His gray eyes remained fixed on the mountains."No," he whispered again.A horn suddenly echoed across the ridges.Deep.Ancient.Nothing like the horns of Ree
The second impact nearly tore the gates off their hinges. The entire manor shook.Dust rained from the ceiling.Outside, wolves were shouting.Running. Weapons clashed.And somewhere in the middle of the chaos, a horn blasted across the valley.Not a Reed horn.Not a Black Ridge horn.Something older and ancient.Something deeper.Something that seemed to vibrate through bone.The Sentinel standing in the doorway looked like he was struggling to breathe."They're here."Nobody needed clarification anymore.“The Sovereign.”The name alone had transformed the room.Moments ago they had been discussing him. Now he was at the gates. Savannah's stomach twisted. Everything was happening too fast.Mason moved first.Of course he did.The old Alpha grabbed his coat and headed for the door."Everyone outside."No one argued.Within seconds the war r
The rider knelt in the dirt.Blood covered his clothes.His horse had collapsed behind him.And the words he had spoken seemed to suck all the air from the courtyard.“Blackwater has fallen.The Northern Council is dead.The Sovereign is coming.”Silence stretched.Heavy.The Prophet stood perfectly still.For the first time since his arrival, he looked uncertain.Not weak.Not defeated.Just caught off guard.And somehow that frightened Savannah more than anything else.Because men like him weren't supposed to be surprised.Mason noticed it too.The old Alpha stepped forward slowly."What does that mean?"The rider looked exhausted.Broken and terrified.His eyes found the Prophet.Then immediately dropped to the ground.Like looking directly at the man hurt."The Council is gone."His voice cracked."All of them."Nobody moved.Frank looked stunned.Actually stunned.Like a man who had just heard the moon had fallen out of the sky.Damon frowned."What happened?"The rider swallowed
The blade moved.A thin line of blood ran down Ethan's neck.The entire courtyard exploded.Damon lunged.Three Sentinels grabbed him.Barely.The Beta roared so violently that several younger wolves flinched."Ethan!"The boy fought against the wolves holding him."Dad!"The Prophet didn't even blink.He simply stood there watching.Calm and patient.Like a man observing a storm from behind glass.Savannah felt rage burn through her chest.Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to move.To attack.To do something.But she couldn't.Nobody could.Because one wrong move would get Ethan killed. The realization sat like poison in her stomach.Beside her, Grayson looked carved from stone.No emotion.No movement.Nothing.That frightened her more than Damon losing control.Because Savannah knew Grayson.Knew him better than almost anyone.And she knew exactly what happened when he became this quiet.He was thinking.Calculating.Preparing.The Prophet's eyes never left him."Now you
The valley pretended everything was normal. That was the problem.The sun still rose over the mountains. Children still ran through the town square. Farmers still argued over livestock. Merchants still opened their shops every morning. Life continued exactly as it always had.
Nobody spoke during the run to the eastern gate.Not Grayson.Not Damon.Not Ryder.The alarm horns continued echoing across Black Ridge. Sentinels rushed through the territory.Doors opened.Lanterns flared.Wolves poured out, from d
The message changed everything. Not because Hollow Fang had Ethan Cross. That alone would've been enough. The problem was what came after.“Trade him for me”.Seven words.Simple.Direct.Terrifying.Because now the war had a fac
Black Ridge remained awake long after midnight.Lanterns burned across the territory. Sentinels patrolled the walls. Scouts came and went.And inside the Alpha House, Damon Cross sat alone. Grayson found him there shortly before dawn. The Beta hadn't move







