The scream tore through the trees like a jagged blade.

Ren.

Panic shot through me like fire. My breath caught in my throat, and before I even realized it, my legs were moving fast. Trees whipped past, branches slicing across my arms and face, but I didn’t stop.

“Ren!” I shouted into the forest. “I’m coming!”

My wolf surged forward inside me, claws scraping against my bones, senses sharpening. Her panic matched mine,raw, wild, protective.

Behind me, I heard Lyall’s command bark through the air. “Fan out! Search every direction!”

The warriors moved quickly, their feet pounding the forest floor, but I didn’t stop to listen. I trusted no one with him. Not even Lyall.

My feet carried me through the thick trees, across a narrow stream, and up a mossy slope. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Then I saw him.

Slumped at the base of a gnarled tree in a small clearing, his tiny frame still, chest barely rising.

“Ren!”

I collapsed beside him, shaking his shoulders, brushing hair out of his damp face. His skin was cool and clammy. Too cool.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I whispered. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

He stirred with a weak groan, eyes fluttering open. “Erica… They touched me.”

I froze.

His eyes were wide, pupils dilated.

“They said… I’m not ready,” he whispered.

Then, suddenly, a flicker of light pulsed in his chest, faint, bluish-white, and gone in a blink.

“What was that?” I gasped.

But he had already passed out again.

Lyall appeared minutes later, breathless. Her sword gleamed with dew, her hair a tangled mess. She dropped to her knees beside me.

“Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” I snapped, pulling Ren closer. “But he said someone touched him. Someone with no scent.”

She paled. “No scent?”

I nodded. “His chest glowed, Lyall. This isn’t normal.”

She looked over her shoulder into the woods. “We have to get back. Now.”

Back at camp, Ren fell into a deep sleep. No fever. No pain. Just silence, as if nothing had happened.

Too silent.

He didn’t toss or turn. He didn’t even murmur. I sat beside him all night, my thoughts tangled with dread.

Lyall took the first watch across the fire, silent, withdrawn.

“What happened to him?” I finally asked.

She didn’t look at me. “I think he’s a Seer.”

I blinked. “That’s not possible.”

She gave me a tight glance. “It’s rare. But not impossible. Seers are born from death. Orphans. Survivors. Touched by something beyond our world. Sometimes the Moon Goddess. Sometimes…”

“Sometimes what?”

She hesitated. “Something older.”

A chill snaked down my spine. “What do they want with him?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the symbol carved into the tree...”

I nodded. “You recognized it.”

She looked me in the eye. “It’s the mark of the Hollow Order.”

I sucked in a breath. “You’re lying.”

“They were believed to be extinct,” she said. “But the rumors... secret rituals, wolves who reject the Moon Goddess, who practice forbidden magic…”

“I thought they were just legends.”

“They were real, Erica. And they’re back.”

I stood, pacing the edge of the camp. My hands trembled.

“Why would they come after Ren?”

“Because Seers can see them,” Lyall whispered. “Even when they have no scent.”

Later that night, I sat alone beside the fire.

The flames danced. Ren still didn’t stir.

My thoughts spiraled.

What if the Order had framed me?

What if someone had used wolfsbane not to kill the Alphas, but to cover something up?

And what if Ren was the key to exposing it?

A whisper echoed through the trees, faint and strange. I turned but saw nothing.

Then a voice familiar, warm, broken, filled my mind.

“He’s waiting.”

I fell into an uneasy sleep.

In my dreams, I stood in a grand hall of mirrors.

Each reflection of me was different.

In one, I wore a crown. In another, I bled from the chest. In another, I stood behind bars, hands clawed and eyes glowing silver.

And in the very last mirror… Lyall stood behind me, her hand on my shoulder, a dagger at my back.

I woke up gasping.

The fire had gone cold.

And Lyall and Ren were gone.

I tore through the camp, calling their names.

No answer.

My heart thundered as I scanned the trees.

Then I saw it fresh footprints, side by side. Not dragging. Willing.

“What did you do, Lyall?” I growled.

I followed them.

The trail led deeper into the forest, past the boundaries I swore never to cross again. I walked for over an hour before the trees parted into a hollowed clearing.

And that’s when I saw them.

Standing together.

Ren in the center, looking dazed. And beside him

Derek.

I stopped cold.

His back was to me, shoulders broad, his scent familiar even after all this time.

He turned slowly at the sound of my steps.

My breath caught.

He looked older. Tired. His eyes were shadowed. Haunted.

“Erica,” he said, voice rough. “You’re alive.”

I didn’t respond. My body locked up, emotions clashing in my chest rage, hurt, longing.

And then

Lyall stepped forward from behind him.

Smiling.

My stomach twisted.

She wore a silver pendant.

My mother’s pendant.

I remembered it well. She never took it off. It had been buried with her.

“How do you have that?” I demanded.

Lyall’s smile sharpened.

“You said you wanted the truth,” she said. “Here it is.”

She reached into her pocket.

And pulled out a small vial.

Glass.

Half full of silver-tinted liquid.

I staggered back.

Wolfsbane.

The same kind they’d found in the tea that killed Derek’s parents.

The evidence that had damned me.

My eyes locked with hers.

“You set me up.”

She tilted her head mockingly. “Did I?”

Derek watched silently, unreadable.

Ren looked confused, swaying slightly.

Lyall twirled the vial between her fingers like a toy.

“The Order needed a sacrifice,” she said calmly. “A distraction. And you… were perfect.”

“Why?” I asked, voice shaking. “Why betray me?”

“You were weak,” she said simply. “And too close to him.”

She glanced at Derek, and something flickered in her eyes.

Envy.

Possession.

Obsession.

“You’re lying,” I said.

She took a step toward me. “Am I? Who was there the night his parents died? Who brewed the tea? Who had access to the poison?”

My throat dried.

“You… You killed them.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I saved him. From wolves who were going to name you as Luna. Do you think you were worthy of him? Of the Shadow Pack? Of the throne?”

My body trembled.

“Derek,” I whispered, turning to him. “You believe me, don’t you?”

He didn’t move.

His jaw clenched.

But his eyesoh, Goddess, his eyes were full of war.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said softly.

The pain was worse than claws.

Worse than exile.

Lyall smiled like she’d won.

“Don’t worry,” she purred. “You’ll have time to figure it out.”

Then she threw the vial at my feet.

It shattered.

And silver mist exploded into the air.

I choked as my wolf screamed in agony, my limbs going weak.

Lyall raised her hand.

And behind her, dark shapes moved through the trees.

Rogues.

No.

Not rogues.

Order wolves.

Their eyes glowed crimson.

And they surrounded us in silence.

CHAPTER 5: The Mark of Betrayal

The scream tore through the trees like a jagged blade.

Ren.

Panic shot through me like fire. My breath caught in my throat, and before I even realized it, my legs were moving fast. Trees whipped past, branches slicing across my arms and face, but I didn’t stop.

“Ren!” I shouted into the forest. “I’m coming!”

My wolf surged forward inside me, claws scraping against my bones, senses sharpening. Her panic matched mine,raw, wild, protective.

Behind me, I heard Lyall’s command bark through the air. “Fan out! Search every direction!”

The warriors moved quickly, their feet pounding the forest floor, but I didn’t stop to listen. I trusted no one with him. Not even Lyall.

My feet carried me through the thick trees, across a narrow stream, and up a mossy slope. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

Then I saw him.

Slumped at the base of a gnarled tree in a small clearing, his tiny frame still, chest barely rising.

“Ren!”

I collapsed beside him, shaking his shoulders, brushing hair out of his damp face. His skin was cool and clammy. Too cool.

“Come on, sweetheart,” I whispered. “Wake up. Please wake up.”

He stirred with a weak groan, eyes fluttering open. “Erica… They touched me.”

I froze.

His eyes were wide, pupils dilated.

“They said… I’m not ready,” he whispered.

Then, suddenly, a flicker of light pulsed in his chest, faint, bluish-white, and gone in a blink.

“What was that?” I gasped.

But he had already passed out again.

Lyall appeared minutes later, breathless. Her sword gleamed with dew, her hair a tangled mess. She dropped to her knees beside me.

“Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” I snapped, pulling Ren closer. “But he said someone touched him. Someone with no scent.”

She paled. “No scent?”

I nodded. “His chest glowed, Lyall. This isn’t normal.”

She looked over her shoulder into the woods. “We have to get back. Now.”

Back at camp, Ren fell into a deep sleep. No fever. No pain. Just silence, as if nothing had happened.

Too silent.

He didn’t toss or turn. He didn’t even murmur. I sat beside him all night, my thoughts tangled with dread.

Lyall took the first watch across the fire, silent, withdrawn.

“What happened to him?” I finally asked.

She didn’t look at me. “I think he’s a Seer.”

I blinked. “That’s not possible.”

She gave me a tight glance. “It’s rare. But not impossible. Seers are born from death. Orphans. Survivors. Touched by something beyond our world. Sometimes the Moon Goddess. Sometimes…”

“Sometimes what?”

She hesitated. “Something older.”

A chill snaked down my spine. “What do they want with him?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But the symbol carved into the tree...”

I nodded. “You recognized it.”

She looked me in the eye. “It’s the mark of the Hollow Order.”

I sucked in a breath. “You’re lying.”

“They were believed to be extinct,” she said. “But the rumors... secret rituals, wolves who reject the Moon Goddess, who practice forbidden magic…”

“I thought they were just legends.”

“They were real, Erica. And they’re back.”

I stood, pacing the edge of the camp. My hands trembled.

“Why would they come after Ren?”

“Because Seers can see them,” Lyall whispered. “Even when they have no scent.”

Later that night, I sat alone beside the fire.

The flames danced. Ren still didn’t stir.

My thoughts spiraled.

What if the Order had framed me?

What if someone had used wolfsbane not to kill the Alphas, but to cover something up?

And what if Ren was the key to exposing it?

A whisper echoed through the trees, faint and strange. I turned but saw nothing.

Then a voice familiar, warm, broken, filled my mind.

“He’s waiting.”

I fell into an uneasy sleep.

In my dreams, I stood in a grand hall of mirrors.

Each reflection of me was different.

In one, I wore a crown. In another, I bled from the chest. In another, I stood behind bars, hands clawed and eyes glowing silver.

And in the very last mirror… Lyall stood behind me, her hand on my shoulder, a dagger at my back.

I woke up gasping.

The fire had gone cold.

And Lyall and Ren were gone.

I tore through the camp, calling their names.

No answer.

My heart thundered as I scanned the trees.

Then I saw it fresh footprints, side by side. Not dragging. Willing.

“What did you do, Lyall?” I growled.

I followed them.

The trail led deeper into the forest, past the boundaries I swore never to cross again. I walked for over an hour before the trees parted into a hollowed clearing.

And that’s when I saw them.

Standing together.

Ren in the center, looking dazed. And beside him

Derek.

I stopped cold.

His back was to me, shoulders broad, his scent familiar even after all this time.

He turned slowly at the sound of my steps.

My breath caught.

He looked older. Tired. His eyes were shadowed. Haunted.

“Erica,” he said, voice rough. “You’re alive.”

I didn’t respond. My body locked up, emotions clashing in my chest rage, hurt, longing.

And then

Lyall stepped forward from behind him.

Smiling.

My stomach twisted.

She wore a silver pendant.

My mother’s pendant.

I remembered it well. She never took it off. It had been buried with her.

“How do you have that?” I demanded.

Lyall’s smile sharpened.

“You said you wanted the truth,” she said. “Here it is.”

She reached into her pocket.

And pulled out a small vial.

Glass.

Half full of silver-tinted liquid.

I staggered back.

Wolfsbane.

The same kind they’d found in the tea that killed Derek’s parents.

The evidence that had damned me.

My eyes locked with hers.

“You set me up.”

She tilted her head mockingly. “Did I?”

Derek watched silently, unreadable.

Ren looked confused, swaying slightly.

Lyall twirled the vial between her fingers like a toy.

“The Order needed a sacrifice,” she said calmly. “A distraction. And you… were perfect.”

“Why?” I asked, voice shaking. “Why betray me?”

“You were weak,” she said simply. “And too close to him.”

She glanced at Derek, and something flickered in her eyes.

Envy.

Possession.

Obsession.

“You’re lying,” I said.

She took a step toward me. “Am I? Who was there the night his parents died? Who brewed the tea? Who had access to the poison?”

My throat dried.

“You… You killed them.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I saved him. From wolves who were going to name you as Luna. Do you think you were worthy of him? Of the Shadow Pack? Of the throne?”

My body trembled.

“Derek,” I whispered, turning to him. “You believe me, don’t you?”

He didn’t move.

His jaw clenched.

But his eyesoh, Goddess, his eyes were full of war.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he said softly.

The pain was worse than claws.

Worse than exile.

Lyall smiled like she’d won.

“Don’t worry,” she purred. “You’ll have time to figure it out.”

Then she threw the vial at my feet.

It shattered.

And silver mist exploded into the air.

I choked as my wolf screamed in agony, my limbs going weak.

Lyall raised her hand.

And behind her, dark shapes moved through the trees.

Rogues.

No.

Not rogues.

Order wolves.

Their eyes glowed crimson.

And they surrounded us in silence.

I couldn’t breathe.

The silver mist clawed down my throat, setting my lungs on fire. My knees buckled, and I hit the forest floor hard. The world spun, colors twisting in and out of focus. My wolf thrashed inside me, wild with pain.

All I could hear was Lyall’s voice, calm and cruel.

“You were never supposed to come back, Erica.”

The Order wolves circled closer,silent, eerie, their crimson eyes watching me like I was prey. Ren clung to Derek, dazed and swaying. Derek didn’t move. His jaw clenched, eyes torn between fury and confusion.

And Lyall…

She looked triumphant.

“I was always meant to be Luna,” she hissed. “Not you. Never you.”

“You killed his parents,” I coughed, dragging myself upright.

Lyall smirked. “I saved the pack. You were a threat to his throne,weak, naive, too soft-hearted. You were easy to frame.”

“You poisoned them.”

“I sacrificed them,” she corrected, stepping closer. “For power. For him. But you… you never stay dead, do you?”

I met her eyes. “Maybe because the Goddess still has plans for me.”

Lyall froze, her lips twitching with something close to fear, just for a second.

Then she laughed. “Then let her save you now.”

She raised her hand.

The Order wolves lunged.

My wolf screamed again, barely breaking free of the wolfsbane’s grip. I twisted at the last second, claws slashing across the face of the first wolf. Blood splattered the leaves, dark and hot.

The others closed in.

I fought like a storm, every breath fire, every movement pain. But they were too many. Claws raked my back. Teeth snapped at my shoulder. One leapt and pinned me to the ground.

“Erica!” Ren cried.

Something inside me broke.

Not from pain.

From the sound of his voice, so full of fear. Of desperation.

And then, everything changed.

Time slowed.

A heartbeat.

A hum deep in my chest, warm and ancient.

The silver in the air shimmered, then… shattered like glass.

A wind exploded outward from my body.

The Order wolves were flung back like rag dolls, howling in pain. Lyall stumbled, shielding her face. Even Derek staggered.

I rose to my feet.

Every inch of my body glowed faintly pale gold.

My wolf stepped forward inside me. Her eyes burned white. Her fur shimmered like moonlight.

We are not weak.

We are chosen.

We are the Moon’s wrath.

The wolves stayed down.

Even Lyall.

I turned to her.

She backed away. “What are you?”

I walked closer, voice steady. “What you feared I’d become.”

She snarled, reaching for her dagger.

But Derek stepped between us.

“Enough.”

We both froze.

His voice was steel. His eyes were locked on Lyall.

“You lied to me.”

She went pale. “Derek…”

“You used me. Framed her. Killed my parents.”

“I did it for us!”

“There is no us,” he said.

He turned to me.

And gods, the way he looked at me, like he was seeing me for the first time.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

It was almost enough.

Almost.

But I didn’t have time to answer because Ren suddenly screamed.

We turned.

He had fallen to his knees, clutching his head.

“No!” I rushed toward him, dropping beside him. “Ren, what’s happening?”

His body trembled violently. His eyes glowed silver now, brighter than before.

A voice,not his spoke from his lips.

“The veil is torn. The beast is coming. He walks with blood and wears a crown of lies.”

The clearing went silent.

And then

Ren collapsed.

Unconscious.

Derek was at my side in a flash. “Is he…?”

“He’s alive,” I said, checking his pulse. “But something’s wrong.”

I turned to Lyall.

“Tell me what you did to him.”

She laughed bitterly. “You think I did this? No. You did.”

“What are you talking about?”

She tilted her head. “He’s your blood, Erica. The child of the cursed line. The Hollow Order didn’t come for him… They came for you.”

I stared at her.

“What do you mean, my blood?”

She smirked. “Didn’t your mother ever tell you who your father was?”

I blinked. “My father died before I was born.”

“Is that what she told you?” Lyall’s grin widened. “Poor thing. You really don’t know.”

Derek stepped forward. “Say it.”

Lyall’s eyes glittered. “Her father was one of us.”

I froze.

“No,” I whispered.

“Oh yes,” she hissed. “A defector. A traitor to the Hollow Order. He ran with your mother and tried to live a ‘normal’ life. But blood doesn’t lie.”

She pointed at Ren. “That boy is the living proof. A Seer. Born from the forbidden bloodline. That’s why the Order wants him, wants you.”

My head spun.

It couldn’t be true.

Could it?

I looked at Derek, but he said nothing. His silence was heavy.

I clutched Ren tighter.

Lyall’s voice was soft now, almost kind. “You don’t belong with them, Erica. You never did. You were born for more. You were born for power.”

I looked her dead in the eye. “I was born for truth. For justice. You were born for lies.”

She smiled one last time.

And then she ran.

Derek moved to chase her, but I stopped him.

“No,” I said. “Let her go.”

He hesitated. “She’ll come back.”

I nodded. “Let her.”

We returned to camp that night, silent and bruised.

Ren still hadn’t woken up.

I sat beside his bedroll, staring at the stars.

Derek sat across the fire, watching me.

“I owe you an apology,” he said at last.

I didn’t answer.

“I should have believed you.”

“You didn’t,” I said. “And people died because of it.”

He nodded slowly. “I know. And I will carry that forever.”

A pause.

Then he stood, walked to me, and sat beside me in the dirt.

“I didn’t know how to love you,” he admitted. “Not then.”

“You didn’t try.”

“I was afraid of what I felt,” he whispered. “You weren’t what I expected in a Luna. You were too kind. Too quiet. Too real.”

He turned to face me.

“But now I see what you are. You are strong. Fierce. And you’re still everything I don’t deserve.”

I blinked hard.

Part of me wanted to lean into him.

Another part still ached with betrayal.

“Don’t say those words unless you mean them, Derek,” I whispered.

He looked at me, and I saw it, regret. Pain. Longing.

“I mean every one.”

But before I could respond

Ren screamed again.

We rushed to his side.

He sat up, eyes wide.

“I saw it,” he gasped.

“Ren?”

His hands trembled as he clutched mine. “The Hollow Order, they’re not just coming.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“They’re already here,” he whispered.

His voice dropped, barely a breath.

“They’re inside the Shadow Pack.”

I hadn't set foot in Shadow Pack lands in months, but nothing about my return felt like coming home.

The forest was quieter than I remembered. The air heavier. The familiar howls and barks that once echoed between the trees had vanished, replaced by an unnatural silence that pressed down on my chest like a warning. Something had changed. And I could feel it in my bones.

Ren walked beside me, wrapped in a heavy cloak, hood up, his shoulders tight with tension. Ever since the vision, he'd barely spoken. His eyes were haunted, his hands trembling when he thought no one was looking. Whatever he’d seen Kael, the Hollow Order, the fire, the eyes, it had shaken him to his core.

Derek led the way ahead of us, silent as always. His back was straight, his gait steady, but the stiffness in his movements betrayed him. He’d heard the name too.

Kael.

Neither of us said it aloud again.

When the gates of the Shadow Pack came into view, I hesitated.

My last memory of this place wasn’t one I cherished. Chains on my wrists. Mud in my hair. Wolves I’d called family turning their backs on me, whispering words like poisoner and traitor.

And now I was walking in through the front gate beside the Alpha. No explanation. No apology.

Eyes snapped to us instantly.

I heard them before I saw them murmurs that swelled like waves crashing against stone. Curious. Apprehensive. Disbelieving.

“That’s her…”

“She’s supposed to be banished.”

“Is she back as Luna?”

“No, Derek would never…”

Their words didn’t sting as they once would’ve. Not after everything I’d endured. But they still made me grip the edges of my cloak tighter, like armor against the storm.

Derek ignored them. He always had a talent for blocking out what didn’t serve him.

I, on the other hand, saw everything. The way the pack moved. Their eyes, their silence. This wasn’t the same place I’d left. It felt colder, like the soul of it had withered in my absence.

Or maybe it had started dying long before.

We reached the Alpha house, and Derek pushed open the doors without a word. No one tried to stop us. No one greeted him, either. That, more than anything, told me how deep the rot had spread.

Inside, I broke away from the group and drifted toward the Luna wing. My old room.

The door was closed, the handle covered in a thin layer of dust. My hand hovered over it, heart hammering for reasons I couldn’t explain. I hadn’t expected to return here. Not ever. Yet part of me wanted to see if anything remained of who I used to be.

I pushed the door open.

The air inside was still, unmoved for weeks, maybe months. My bed was made, the sheets tucked in neatly. A vase with dried roses stood on the table, their petals brown and curled. But it wasn’t the untouched cleanliness that chilled me.

It was what lay on the pillow.

A single black feather.

I stared at it. Not daring to move.

“Erica?” Derek’s voice came from behind me.

I stepped back so he could see. His expression darkened the moment his gaze landed on the feather.

“The Hollow Order,” he muttered.

“So they’ve already been here,” I said, swallowing the knot rising in my throat.

“They’re not just watching,” Ren murmured from behind us. “They’re leaving messages.”

Messages, or warnings?

The following days were a blur of unease.

Derek met with a few trusted warriors in secret. The rest of the pack stayed distant, cautious. There were no casual conversations, no laughter in the training fields. Every movement was calculated. Controlled.

Someone had turned the pack against itself.

Ren didn’t stray far from me. I caught him staring at wolves as they passed examining their expressions, their gait, their scent. He was searching for something. Or someone.

On the third day, he gripped my arm as we stood near the armory.

“That’s him,” he whispered. “Kael.”

My gaze followed his, landing on a tall figure standing in the training circle.

He was talking to one of the lieutenants, but his posture was too casual. Too confident. His hair was dark, tied back in a loose knot. His clothing simple. But what struck me were his eyes.

Amber. Unnaturally bright.

They met mine across the distance. And he smiled.

Not warmly. Not kindly.

Like he knew something I didn’t.

“Who let him in?” I asked.

“Lyall,” Derek said grimly. “She vouched for him. Said he was a rogue who needed a place to heal.”

“Lyall vouched for a spy?” I hissed. “She must’ve known.”

“She did,” Derek said. “But he slipped through the cracks. Or maybe… the cracks were made for him to slip through.”

I glanced back toward Kael. But he was already walking away.

That night, I found myself in the forest beyond the borders again.

I couldn’t sleep. The silence inside the Alpha house was suffocating. Every creak of the floorboards made me flinch. I didn’t trust anyone inside those walls. Not even the ones Derek still called allies.

I sat by the stream I used to sneak off to as a child, listening to the gentle rush of water over stones.

Then I heard footsteps behind me.

I turned sharply.

Derek.

He stopped a few feet away, hands in his coat pockets. His eyes found mine, and for once, they weren’t guarded.

“You always came out here when you were angry,” he said.

“I’m not angry,” I replied.

He nodded slowly. “Then why are you trembling?”

I looked down at my hands. I hadn’t even noticed.

“Maybe I’m just tired.”

Silence stretched between us.

“I didn’t believe you back then,” he said suddenly. “I wanted to. But Lyall made it so easy not to.”

I didn’t respond. What was there to say?

“I failed you.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

The honesty in his eyes was painful. There was no pride left in him tonight. No Alpha posture. Just a man who’d made the wrong choice and realized it too late.

“I’m trying to fix it,” he said softly.

“Then do it,” I said. “Start by protecting the ones who can’t protect themselves. Like Ren.”

He nodded once.

We sat in silence for a long time.

And then..

A howl ripped through the night.

High. Piercing. Fearful.

Ren.

Derek was on his feet before I could stand. We ran through the trees, past the silent campfires, toward the eastern watchtower where Ren had gone to meditate earlier.

We found the cloak first. Shredded, bloodied, lying in the dirt like a warning.

Then the claw marks. Deep. Fresh. Leading toward the woods.

I knelt, heart pounding. The blood was still warm.

And carved into the nearest tree, a symbol I recognized from the old books.

A spiral wrapped in thorns.

The mark of the Hollow Order.

Derek’s voice was low. Cold. “They’ve taken him.”

I rose slowly, my hands shaking. The wind howled through the trees, echoing the fear blooming in my chest.

This wasn’t just about revenge anymore.

It was war.