The Clearing — Dawn BreaksBy the time the sky began to lighten, the forest no longer felt like a forest.The snow had melted in huge circles around the clearing from the sheer heat of the awakenings.Trees leaned at unnatural angles.Branches dripped with condensed energy instead of frost.The ground pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat lingering in the soil.The Alpha had gone still, a towering statue of molten metal and silent threat.Z-03 stood guard near Lena and Alexander.Z-04 scanned the horizon, its cold lights flickering.Elias rubbed his numb fingers together, exhausted.Jay sat hunched on the ground, half-human, half-something else—his breathing shallow, his spine still glowing with that awful golden fracture.Alexander tightened his hold around Lena as she tried to sit upright.“Easy,” he murmured.“You’re still weak.”She frowned, frustrated.“I need to stand. We can’t stay here. Not with that—”Her gaze drifted to the Alpha, and her voice broke.“—watching us.”Jay made a s
Last Updated : 2025-11-17 Read more