The arena did not erupt into noise after Elara's voice cut through the violence, and instead an eerie quiet spread across the blood-stained sand while two monstrous wolves froze mid-motion as though an invisible force had pressed their instincts into stillness.
Two lines of stunned silence followed.
No claws moved.
No jaws snapped.
Darius Kane's massive black wolf stood rigid, his shoulders still trembling with the fading echo of rage while the fury burning in his eyes struggled against a deeper instinct that none of the gathered wolves could ignore.
Three lines of raw confusion followed.
"Grrr…"
His claws scraped lightly against the earth.
The snarl in his throat faltered.
Victor Salazar, still crouched low with blood streaking the gray fur along his ribs, lifted his head slowly toward the woman standing between them as though his mind required several long seconds to understand what had just happened.
