Lahat ng Kabanata ng Marked by the enemy alpha: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

The pyre still burned by morning reduced to glowing embers whispering faint smoke into the gray dawn sky. The scent of scorched cloth and wood lingered in the crisp air, mixing with the faint metallic tinge of blood from the battlefield below.The war was over—for now.But wars always leave their scars.Mira stood at the edge of the ridge, staring at what remained of Jerrin’s pyre. Around her, the valley was quiet. Wolves from all clans worked together to recover the dead, tend to the wounded, and begin the grim work of burning the corrupted bodies. Hollow Fang’s blight had twisted too many souls into monsters. Not all could be buried with honor.Aria approached silently, her footsteps nearly soundless even on the frost-laced stones. She stopped beside Mira and remained quiet for a moment before speaking.“You stood with him till the end.”Mira nodded. “He remembered… for a moment. The boy he used to be. It was enough.”“Sometimes,” Aria said, “it’s in the last breath that we find the

The wind howled like a mourning spirit through the ancient trees, their skeletal limbs rattling against each other in a discordant symphony. A storm was coming—not one of weather, but of war, of blood, and of shadows long buried. Aria stood at the threshold of the Council Lodge, her arms crossed tightly over her chest as she watched the clouds churn above the Frostfang Mountains.The lodge behind her was no ordinary structure. It was a sacred meeting place, built at the convergence of the four great packs—Ashfang, Emberclaw, Frosthowl, and Nightveil. Made of ancient ashwood, reinforced with silver laced in moonstone, the round hall had once held the Great Moon Tribunal that ended the Blood Feud a century ago. And now, for the first time in generations, it stood again as a war room.Footsteps echoed behind her. Kael approached, his tall form cloaked in a shadowy fur-lined robe, freshly returned from the western watch. He glanced at her grimly.“She’s on her way,” he said. “Marwen.”Ari

The morning after the gathering at Moon’s Echo dawned with golden light, but Aria barely noticed the beauty. She stood at the edge of the glade, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her brows knit in thought. A fresh breeze ruffled her cloak, carrying the crisp scent of pine and frost—but underneath it lingered something foul. Faint. Almost imaginary.Decay.The Deep Root wasn’t finished. Not by a long stretch.Behind her, Mira approached with soft steps, carrying two steaming cups of bitterroot tea. Aria accepted one with a nod of thanks but didn’t drink.“They’re waking,” Mira said. “Some of them are already forming patrol groups. Kael is organizing a mixed pack to scout the Hollow Vale.”Aria gave a faint smile. “Of course he is.”Mira hesitated. “You should sleep.”“I can’t.”“I figured.” She sipped her tea, eyes flicking to the horizon. “Last night wasn’t a victory. Not yet. But it was a beginning.”Aria finally took a drink. The bitter liquid grounded her. “That’s the part t

Smoke curled like serpents into the dusk-lit sky, rising from the broken remains of the Heart Root’s lair. The Mouth had collapsed into itself, leaving behind a deep, ashen scar on the land—a gaping wound that pulsed with residual magic and death. The echoes of the battle haunted the air, where whispers once spoke madness and now silence roared.Aria stood at the edge of the ruin, her eyes hollow and rimmed with fatigue. Dust coated her face and matted her hair. Blood—some hers, most not—streaked her arms and neck. The others were behind her, silent, waiting.The stench of death hung in the air, thick and inescapable.They had won.But at what cost?Kael moved beside her, his face pale but composed. The golden hue of his eyes, always so vibrant, was dulled.“Marwen is gone,” he said softly.Aria closed her eyes. The ache in her chest twisted deeper. Marwen’s sacrifice had not been in vain—his flames had brought the cavern down and taken the Guardian with it—but that knowledge didn’t d

The silence that followed Nythis’s words was deeper than any Aria had known.Around her, even the trees held their breath. Shadows stilled. Winds curled inward as if awaiting permission to move again. The light around Nythis shimmered faintly, not from any visible source, but from within her — a soft, celestial glow that made it feel as if the stars had come to earth and stitched themselves into her being."You must understand," Nythis said, her voice threading into the marrow of those who listened. “What you fight is not simply evil. It is an imbalance. It is silence in place of song, decay in place of bloom, ruin instead of rebirth.”Aria stepped forward. “The Forsaken... They serve Velmora. The Root grows stronger. We’ve seen it.”Nythis nodded. “Because it is time. This world moves in cycles, and Velmora is part of that ancient circle. But something is broken. It should not rise now. Not like this.”“Why is it rising early?” Kael asked, jaw tense. “What was disrupted?”“The last O