Xander’s POVLoud gasps filled the air. I looked at Zeth and we looked at the arrow. It was planted in the sand directly between us, fletched with black feathers that drank the light instead of reflecting it. My chest was still heaving from the Goddess, from the light, from watching Ashton not burn. I bent and picked it up. It was cold. Heavier than wood should be. The shaft was black, and the head was not steel. It was bone, carved into a point and stained dark. It was not a Noctaryn arrow. It was not an Aurion arrow either. I turned it in my hand and that was when the sound came. It didn't sound like a howl or a scream. It was something worse. A low, wet, dragging sound, like stone being pulled across bone, and it came from the other side of the arena. The crowd broke. Panic rolled through the stands in a wave. Wolves that had been kneeling to the Goddess were suddenly on their feet, shoving, turning, looking for the exit. “Get them down,” someone shouted. “Get the ch
Last Updated : 2026-09-09 Read more