Se connecter…or save the seal. The words echoed through Althea’s mind like a death sentence. For one terrible moment, everything around her faded. The battlefield. The screams. The collapsing territory. All of it drowned beneath the crushing weight of the First King’s voice. Then Lucien screamed again. The sound ripped her back into reality instantly. Black resonance exploded violently across his arm, spreading farther this time—past his shoulder now, dark veins crawling beneath his skin like living shadows. Silver energy fought back desperately. The counterpart bond pulsed uncontrollably between him and Althea, sending waves of pain through both of them. Althea dropped to her knees beside him without thinking. “Lucien.” His breathing was ragged now. Uneven. Dangerously weak. “Don’t touch him!” Varis barked sharply. Althea looked up furiously. “He’s dying!” “And if the corruption finishes synchronizing through the bond, it won’t stop with him!” The fear in Varis’ voice stunne
Lucien dropped hard to one knee. The moment he hit the ground, the counterpart bond reacted violently. Silver resonance burst outward around him in unstable waves, colliding against the black corruption spreading across his arm. The energy cracked through the courtyard stone beneath him like lightning tearing through ice. Nightfall warriors nearby staggered backward instantly. Some shielded their eyes from the force. Others stared in horror. “No…” Seraphine moved immediately toward him, her expression sharper than Althea had ever seen before. “This is bad,” Kael said unnecessarily. For once, nobody ignored him. Lucien’s breathing had become uneven. One hand pressed against the ground while the other gripped his corrupted arm hard enough to draw blood. Black resonance veins spread slowly beneath his skin. The same corruption Tavian carried. Althea’s stomach dropped. “Lucien.” The moment she stepped toward him, the bond reacted again. Pain slammed through both of them sim
“You need to know who I am.” The words barely left Varis’ mouth before the mountain exploded. A deafening crack tore through Nightfall territory as the massive silver fracture split open beneath the courtyard. Everyone lost footing instantly. Stone collapsed. Warriors were thrown backward. Suppression pillars detonated one after another across the territory in violent bursts of dark resonance. Then something roared beneath the mountain. Not wolf. Not human. Ancient. The sound alone froze the battlefield. Even the corrupted wolves stopped moving. Althea felt ice crawl down her spine. Because the resonance inside her answered it. The First King. “No…” Seraphine whispered. Real fear crossed her face now. Not controlled concern. Fear. The courtyard floor exploded upward. A massive surge of black-silver resonance erupted from the fracture like a volcanic blast, forcing everyone backward. Lucien caught Althea before she hit the ground. The counterpart bond flared viol
The courtyard exploded into motion. Nightfall warriors immediately surged forward, forming a wall between Althea and the Council execution squad. Claws extended. Fangs bared. Instinct overriding fear. Every suppression weapon in the courtyard remained aimed at Althea. Not the corrupted wolves. Not the spreading storm. Her. Lucien stepped directly in front of her. The counterpart bond flared violently around him, silver resonance pulsing beneath his skin like living lightning. Dorian’s expression remained cold. “Move aside.” Lucien’s answer came without hesitation. “No.” Another scream echoed from the northern ridge. Closer now. The corrupted wolves were advancing fast. But Dorian did not even look toward the storm. His focus remained entirely on Althea. “She is the breach point,” he said calmly. “If she dies, the network destabilizes.” Varis’ head snapped sharply toward him. “That theory was never confirmed.” Dorian finally looked at him. “It was confirmed the
Tavian charged again. This time— everyone moved. Ronan intercepted him head-on, claws flashing as the Alpha slammed into the corrupted wolf with enough force to crater the courtyard stone beneath them. But Tavian did not fall. He laughed. A broken, distorted sound that did not belong in a living throat. Black-silver resonance erupted from his body violently. Nightfall warriors nearby staggered backward as corruption pressure rolled across the courtyard. “Do NOT let him bite anyone!” Seraphine shouted sharply. The warning hit instantly. Because everyone understood what that meant. Lucien’s eyes narrowed. “It spreads through contact?” Varis answered grimly. “If the corruption fully stabilizes—yes.” Kael blinked slowly. “…Fantastic. We’ve officially upgraded to supernatural infection.” Tavian lunged at Ronan again with unnatural speed. Ronan blocked the strike— but Tavian twisted mid-motion and drove corrupted claws across Ronan’s side. Blood sprayed across the court
The courtyard went silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. Ronan stepped forward immediately. “What did you see?” The injured guard struggled to breathe, blood running down his arm. “I—I don’t know.” Fear shook his voice badly enough to unsettle every wolf listening. “It wasn’t a wolf.” That changed everything. Dorian’s expression sharpened instantly. “Describe it.” The guard swallowed hard. “It moved inside the resonance storm… like the shadows were alive.” A pause. “And it was hunting.” Another distant scream echoed across the northern ridge. Closer this time. Nightfall warriors immediately shifted positions around the courtyard. Weapons drawn. Instincts screaming. Kael looked toward the darkened northern cliffs. “Well. That sounds deeply terrible.” For once, no one ignored him. Ronan turned sharply toward his commanders. “Seal the inner territory. Move civilians into the lower halls.” Nightfall warriors scattered immediately. Training took over where fear th







