LOGIN“Althea.”The chamber went silent.Every warrior froze.Every wolf stopped moving.Even the First King stared.The Devourer's voice rolled through the First Path like distant thunder.Ancient.Deep.Intelligent.Far too intelligent.Althea felt every hair on her body rise.Not because it knew her name.Because it spoke it as if it had known her for a very long time.The creature lowered its massive head.Silver light pulsed beneath the cracks in its scales.Its eyes never left her."You carry his habit."Althea frowned."What?"The Devourer laughed.The sound shook dust from the ceiling."Looking for answers while everyone else looks for enemies."A chill ran through the room.Nobody moved.Nobody attacked.The situation had become something else.Something dangerous in a completely different way.The First King stepped forward."Do not listen to it."The Devourer's eyes shifted toward him.Amusement appeared in them.Actual amusement."You are still giving orders."The First King's e
The war ended with a single sentence.I need your help.For a long moment, nobody answered.The Devourer prowled through the shattered chamber, its massive body scraping against broken pillars and ancient stone. Every step sent tremors through the First Path.It was feeding.Growing stronger.The silver light beneath its scales burned brighter with each passing second.And the First King was kneeling.Bleeding.Exhausted.Defeated.Althea looked at him.This was the man who had haunted their journey for months.The man who had manipulated armies.The man who had awakened ancient powers.The man responsible for countless deaths.Now he looked like nothing more than an old warrior who had finally reached the end of his strength.Ronan broke the silence first."No."Everyone looked at him.The Alpha of Nightfall folded his arms."No?"The First King's voice was hoarse."No."Ronan pointed toward the Devourer."You don't get to ask for help and pretend we're suddenly allies."The First Ki
The claw tore through the floor.Stone exploded upward.Warriors were thrown backward.Ancient pillars collapsed.The entire First Path shook as though the mountain itself were screaming.For several seconds, nobody moved.Nobody breathed.The claw alone was larger than Dreadfang.Black scales covered its surface.Ancient runes burned beneath the scales like molten silver.Power rolled from it in waves.Raw.Ancient.Terrifying.The First King's face had gone completely pale.Althea noticed immediately.That frightened her more than the creature itself.Because this was the First King.The man who had faced armies.The man who had survived centuries.The man who had shown almost no fear.And he looked horrified.The claw withdrew slightly.Then something massive began pulling itself upward from the darkness below.The floor cracked further.Entire sections of the chamber collapsed inward.Lucien immediately moved to Althea's side.Ronan joined them.The others regrouped quickly.Night
The roar echoed through the First Path.Ancient.Monstrous.Unnatural.But for the first time, nobody cared.Not Althea.Not Lucien.Not Ronan.Not Varis.Not even Lyra.Because they had finally found the truth.The First King was afraid.And fear meant weakness.The ancient ruler realized it too.His expression hardened instantly.The uncertainty vanished behind centuries of discipline.Power surged around him.Dark resonance exploded from his body.The corridor cracked.Several warriors were thrown backward.Pillars shattered.The temperature dropped.The First King raised one hand.Enough power gathered around him to level an army."Then come."The invitation wasn't a challenge.It was a threat.The battle began.Lucien moved first.The Alpha exploded forward in wolf form.Not alone.Ronan was beside him.Two Alphas.Blackwood and Nightfall.Fighting together.For perhaps the first time in history.The First King met them head-on.The collision shook the mountain.Lucien attacked f
The mountain exploded. A section of the corridor wall collapsed inward with a deafening roar. Ancient stone shattered. Dust erupted into the air. The entire First Path trembled. For one brief moment, everyone stopped fighting. Including the First King. A massive hole now gaped in the side of the corridor. Broken rock slid across the floor. Then a familiar voice echoed through the dust. "Nobody say I was wrong." Varis stepped through first. Covered in dirt. Bleeding from a cut above his eyebrow. Looking extremely pleased with himself. Behind him came Ronan. Then Evelyn. Then Seraphine. Then nearly thirty warriors from Nightfall and Blackwood. The sight was so absurd that Althea simply stared. "You broke into the First Path." Varis pointed proudly. "We did." "The ancient sealed mountain." "We did." "The impossible fortress." "We definitely did." Ronan immediately smacked the back of his head. "Stop celebrating." "I'm celebrating because we're alive." "Unfort
Dreadfang hesitated.For the first time in centuries.The massive creature stood frozen between obedience and freedom.Its enormous body trembled.The collar around its neck pulsed violently.Blue fire erupted from the runes engraved into the ancient metal.The First King's face darkened."Obey."The command echoed through the corridor.The collar flashed.Dreadfang howled.Not with rage.With pain.Althea's chest tightened.Because she understood now.Every attack.Every act of violence.Every century of servitude.The creature had never chosen any of it.The First King raised his hand again.Power flooded the corridor.The collar glowed brighter.The beast's body convulsed.Lucien immediately stepped between Althea and the creature.Ready to protect her if Dreadfang lost control.The First King's smile returned.Slow.Cold.Confident."You cannot save everything."Althea met his gaze."No."The First King's eyes narrowed.She continued."But I can try."The answer clearly annoyed hi







