THE LAST SHIFT: A Werewolf without a Wolf
A sacrifice to something deeper.
Beneath my feet, the earth pulsed once, twice. Then a steady rhythm began, like the beating of a colossal heart buried under the ridge. Each thrum rattled the hollow walls, each pulse pulling air from my lungs until it felt as though I were breathing inside someone else’s chest.
The girl’s cry pierced through the smoke. “No… no, it’s waking it. The Root-Heart.”
My throat tightened. “The what?”
Her voice cracked. “The core. The soul of the forest, every tree, every shadow, every guardian… it’s only a limb. The Root-Heart commands them all. And now it knows you’re here.”