Blood and moonlight
Fur rippled across his skin but didn’t fully consume him—he wasn’t just turning into a wolf.
He was becoming something older.
The air itself bent around them. The fire rose higher. The ground rumbled beneath their feet.
Marcus and Darius stood nearby, watching in stunned silence.
And then—Darius dropped to his knees.
Marcus followed, bowing his head. “It’s happening,” he whispered. “The prophecy… The blood pact. They are the keys.”
Ava let out one last gasp and fell to her knees beside Achi, breathing hard. Her hair flowed like it was underwater, her skin glowing faintly in the darkness. When she looked up, her irises were no longer red—but a deep, luminescent purple.