The monster's fated prey
The dawn did not break with the soft promise of a new day; it shattered. The sky over the fortress was bruised with heavy, charcoal clouds, and the air hummed with the electric dissonance of approaching steel. The enemies had not come as disorganized raids; they had come as a tide—warriors from three rival packs, their banners snapping in the wind, their eyes wide with the desperate, superstitious fear of men who knew they were hunting gods.
Aziel and Lior stood back-to-back in the center of the main field. The ground was already stained with the early casualties of the siege. Aziel’s breathing was heavy, the rhythmic, guttural sound of an Alpha preparing to tear the world apart to keep his