In a grand chamber at the heart of an ancient stone castle, Alpha Krugan sat upon his high throne—black stone veined with silver, towering above the room like a monument to power. Before him stood three large chairs, prepared for guests who were far from ordinary.
Tonight, Krugan hosted Alphas of the three largest packs from beyond the Umbra borders:
Alpha Maeron of Woodstorm Pack, Alpha Selrik of Nightshade Pack, and Alpha Thorne of Shadowbrook Pack.The firelight crackled in the hearth, casting sinister shadows across the granite walls. Krugan rose slowly, his massive form cloaked in wolfskin fur that trailed along the floor like smoke. His eyes, hard as frozen steel, swept across his guests as they arrived.
“Brothers,” Krugan said, his voice low and cold like tempered iron. “Thank you for coming in these urgent times.”
Alpha Maeron—tall and proud, his thick silv
Inside the grand, echoing hall of Stormsurge Castle, voices clashed against cold stone walls. Alpha Krugan sat upon his high throne—carved from black stone veined with silver. In front of him, three massive chairs were occupied by Alpha Maeron of the Woodstorm Pack, Alpha Selrik of the Nightshade Pack, and Alpha Thorne of the Shadowbrook Pack.A sprawling map of the territories lay atop the central stone table, surrounded by pulsing magic crystals. On the map, each pack’s insignia was marked. At the heart of the meeting, their final plan was being forged: a full-scale assault on Umbra.“We all know victory is within reach,” Krugan said loudly, his voice brimming with conviction. “Once Umbra falls, we not only end the threat of Mina, but we open the path to lasting order.”“But wh
The path to Nadir wasn’t a mere road. It felt like a wound carved between dimensions—gaping wide, pulsing with whispers not of this world. Mina walked slowly, tracing a path almost invisible to the eye, marked only by dark fractures of light crawling along the ground. Beside her, Halvar moved in silence, his axe strapped to his back, his gaze fixed straight ahead. No more jokes. No room left for sentiment.The air within Nadir’s corridor was thick and cold, tinged with the scent of metal... and something older than time itself. Even Thora, in the back of Mina’s mind, didn’t try to crack a joke.“I don’t like this place,” she whispered. “Everything here… feels wrong.”“I know,” Mina replied. “But we have to keep going.”Step by step, they delved deeper. The walls around them shifted—from roots and dirt to solid shadows, like
The wind in the Umbra region stirred uneasily. Fog rolled like the breath of an ancient creature, shrouding the dead forests and giant roots that reached upward like claws from the earth. Yet beneath the hanging gloom, the wheels of fate had begun to turn.Armies from distant regions—once separated by vengeance and ambition—were now marching toward a single target: Mina Everyn.To the north, the heavy steps of Woodstorm Pack’s guards shook the frozen ground. Alpha Maeron, his silver hair loose and his eyes like shards of ice, stood atop a high stone overlooking the blackened forest ahead.“You know who we’re hunting,” his voice was sharp. “And you know why this is more than just a chase. If the girl falls… if the Knot explodes… there’ll be no land left for us to protect.”No one answered. But the warriors gripped their weapons tighter. Their auras were te
In a grand chamber at the heart of an ancient stone castle, Alpha Krugan sat upon his high throne—black stone veined with silver, towering above the room like a monument to power. Before him stood three large chairs, prepared for guests who were far from ordinary.Tonight, Krugan hosted Alphas of the three largest packs from beyond the Umbra borders:Alpha Maeron of Woodstorm Pack, Alpha Selrik of Nightshade Pack, and Alpha Thorne of Shadowbrook Pack.The firelight crackled in the hearth, casting sinister shadows across the granite walls. Krugan rose slowly, his massive form cloaked in wolfskin fur that trailed along the floor like smoke. His eyes, hard as frozen steel, swept across his guests as they arrived.“Brothers,” Krugan said, his voice low and cold like tempered iron. “Thank you for coming in these urgent times.”Alpha Maeron—tall and proud, his thick silv
We found shelter in a small cave not far from where we’d rescued Lyreth—its walls veined with silvery moss that shimmered faintly under firelight. A flickering flame glowed in the center, casting fragile warmth across the stone floor. Zehra was still fast asleep, her body wrapped in salve-soaked bandages Halvar had crafted to speed up the healing of the lash wounds on her shoulder.I sat across from my aunt. The firelight danced across her face—exhausted, yes, but peaceful. For the first time, I saw Lyreth without the veil of darkness chaining her. Her face was wrinkled but beautiful, and her eyes held far too many memories.“You want to know about your mother,” she said, before I could even ask.I nodded. My throat tightened too much to speak.Lyreth took a deep breath. “Lyaria… she isn’t dead, Mina. But she’s not truly alive, either. When they tried to use me as a bridge, I felt her presence. She’s trapped—caught between this world and the Umbra. They s
Dawn greeted us with a biting chill and air so heavy it felt like it hung with unsaid warnings. Fog still clung to the cliffs of Umbra, loyal and thick—but somewhere within that frozen mist, our resolve began to burn.We sat around the dying remains of last night’s fire. No one spoke for several minutes. Then Halvar broke the silence, his voice deep and steady.“Waiting isn’t a strategy,” he said. “Last night, they sent a resurrected former Alpha. That was just a warning. The real strike is coming.”Zehra nodded, brushing some of her hair back as she stared toward the fog-veiled trail. “We know where they’re keeping Lyreth. We’ve mapped parts of their patrol routes. This is our opening.”I stared at the fire’s last flickers. “Then we strike first. Not as fugitives—but as a force. I won’t wait until they bind me to an altar the way they bound my aunt.”Ha