21. The Beast Awakens

The roar is so intense I feel it in my bones—a vibration that shakes something primal inside me. This isn’t the cry of any ordinary creature. It’s the manifestation of an ancient fury, a beast awakened in this forsaken land for reasons beyond our grasp. The mist writhes violently, as if even it fears what is about to emerge from the shadows.

Shadow doesn’t let go of my hand, but I can feel the tension in his body, coiled like a spring. In his eyes, rage and worry war for control, and I wonder if—even now—he senses that the battle before us is greater than anything we’ve faced before.

“What is that?!” My voice shakes, unable to mask the fear tightening around my throat.

Garret draws a deep breath, his eyes filled with grim understanding—and something else I can’t quite name.

“It’s a wyrm,” he says at last, his voice low, as though the very word might make the earth tremble. “An ancient creature—beyond our control.”

A wyrm. The word echoes in my mind, heavy and unfamiliar, but I have no time to absorb it. The ground continues to quake, and with every thunderous step of the creature, the shelter groans and shifts. Stones rattle. The earth itself trembles beneath our feet. The air grows thick, heavy—like it’s trying to suffocate us.

Shadow squeezes my hand harder.

“Stay close to me,” he murmurs, and though his voice is steady, I can feel the fear in him. Not ordinary fear, but something deeper—older. Fear rooted in the very bones of the world.

Then, an explosion of raw, uncontrolled energy shudders through the forest.

The beast is near.

Very near.

Trees bow before its approach, their roots ripped from the earth like paper. The sound of its claws tearing through the ground is deafening—an echo of terror that shakes the foundations of everything we know.

The creature finally emerges from the mist—and it’s far more terrifying than I imagined. Massive, covered in scales black as midnight. Its eyes burn with a crimson glow, like fire trapped within. Its face is a monstrous blend of reptile and nightmare, with fangs long enough to pierce stone. Its tail lashes across the ground with shocking speed, and its leathery wings stretch wide, stirring up a storm of dust and rubble.

A wyrm.

I never believed such a thing could truly exist.

“Stay calm!” Garret shouts, though there’s a sharp edge of panic in his voice. “We can’t let it catch us!”

But there’s no time to think. The wyrm roars again, a blast of sound that reverberates through our chests, commanding our bodies to move.

“Run!” Shadow bellows, yanking me away from the shelter.

Dust and debris fill the air as the creature charges forward, its massive form blotting out the sky. I try to run, but fear roots me in place for a heartbeat too long. Around me, the lycans scatter, sprinting in all directions, trying desperately to slow or contain the beast. But I know—it won’t be enough. No one is ready for this.

“Eve!” Shadow’s voice cuts through the chaos. His eyes find mine, blazing with fury and fear. “Go! Now!”

But the wyrm has no intention of letting us escape. Its enormous head dips low, its glowing eyes fixed on us with a cruel, intelligent malice. The earth quakes again, and I feel the oppressive heat radiating from its body—a suffocating wave of power, thick and suffused with hunger.

Adrenaline explodes through me, and I run—my legs moving with Shadow's rhythm, the roar of the beast echoing behind us. With every step, I feel the weight of that terrible pressure, the knowledge that we are being hunted by something far beyond us.

There’s no time for fear. No room for doubt.

Each passing second draws death closer.

The distance between us and the wyrm shrinks at an alarming rate. The ground trembles beneath our feet, and a blast of heat slams into our backs, radiating from the creature’s maw.

Suddenly, a shout tears through the din.

“Don’t stop!” It’s Garret’s voice, and I glimpse him in the distance, fighting the wyrm with inhuman strength—but even from here, I can see it won’t last.

“Eve!” Shadow shouts again, grabbing my arm and pulling me toward a nearby hill, trying to put some ground between us and the beast.

But the wyrm is too fast—far faster than I thought possible. Its claws carve deep into the earth, and one sweeps toward us, so close I can feel the heat of its breath.

Terror seizes me, and for an instant, I feel trapped in a nightmare with no way out. But Shadow doesn't let me fall. His eyes, locked on mine, burn with something stronger than fear. Something unyielding.

“Don’t let it reach you!” he yells, his voice merging with the wyrm’s deafening roar.

The wind tears through my hair. My breath comes in ragged bursts. The beast is close—closer than ever—and I don’t know how much farther we can run.

Death breathes down our necks.

And yet, the only thing that keeps me moving—the only thing that keeps my legs from collapsing beneath me—is the unshakable certainty that, no matter what happens...

Shadow won’t let me go.