KaelThe first wolf shifts before I give the command.It’s not disobedience.It’s instinct.The moment my boot hits the slope and we descend toward Moonhallow, the air changes—thicker, heavier, charged with something that doesn’t belong in the living world.The Veil hums.Low.Hungry.And every wolf behind me feels it.“Hold formation,” I say, voice steady even as my wolf claws against my ribs.Elara is still at my side.Good.Exactly where she needs to be.My hand finds hers again, grounding both of us as we move down into the valley. The runes carved into the earth pulse faintly beneath our feet, reacting to her presence more than mine.I don’t like that.I don’t like anything about this place.The Witch stands at the center of the ruined circle, unmoving.Waiting.Of course she is.“You’re late,” her voice carries—soft, calm, wrong.I don’t answer.I don’t negotiate.I don’t give her anything.“Now,” I snap.Everything explodes.⸻The wolves surge forward as one.Shifting mid-strid
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