All Chapters of Marked by the enemy alpha: Chapter 181 - Chapter 183

The air in the Hollow had grown colder overnight, a biting chill that seeped into bone and soul. Even the fires, once vibrant with the sacred Flame, flickered with unease. Something had shifted. Beneath the celebration of unity, beneath the brief sense of triumph, a shadow stretched, ancient and hungry. Aria rose before dawn, the dream still fresh in her mind. A single, withered tree rooted in scorched soil. Its bark pulsing, like a living heartbeat. From its branches hung lanterns filled not with light, but whispers. And in the distance, a pair of golden eyes watched her. She stepped into the council chamber as the last candles burned low. Kael and Nyra were already there, maps and scrolls spread across the stone table, their faces drawn with concern. "Three more sentries reported missing," Kael said without preamble. "Northwestern ridge. Same signs. No tracks. Just the burn spiral." Aria stiffened. "How close to the sanctum?" Nyra answered. "Too close. If this is the Ashen Root

The Hollow no longer trembled. Silence filled its ancient chambers, not with fear or sorrow, but with the stillness of a land finally at peace. Where once the Ashen Root writhed, pulsing with darkness, now only glowing embers remained, flickering gently across the soot-stained stone. Aria stood at the center of the Heartroot’s chamber, her breath shallow, shoulders heavy with the weight of what had been done. The divine Flame, once a raging force, now whispered quietly beneath her skin. Its fire had consumed the rot, but not with destruction—with renewal. Life would bloom here again. Kael stepped beside her, his hand slipping into hers, grounding her. His gaze swept over the chamber—the collapsed roots, the fractured floor, the bodies of those who had fought, and fallen. Some would never rise again. But for their sacrifice, the curse of the Hollow had been broken. "Did we really stop it?" Kael asked softly. "We did," Aria replied, her voice hoarse. "But stopping it was only th