The ridge had never felt so crowded.
Moonshadow wolves lined the northern edge, tense and bristling. Bloodfang wolves stood opposite them, wary but obedient, their eyes flicking between Rylan and Rowan like they were waiting for one of them to snap.
Two packs.
One clearing.
One fragile alliance.
And at the center of it all — Rylan.
He stood tall, shoulders squared, golden eyes sharp as he surveyed both sides. The moonlight caught the faint glow beneath his skin, the mark pulsing like a heartbeat.
Moon‑marked.
Cursed.
Chosen.
He looked like a wolf carved from moonlight and fury.
Rowan stepped beside him, arms crossed. "We need to move quickly. Lucien won't wait."
Rylan nodded. "Agreed."
Kade approached, bowing his head. "Alpha, our scouts tracked Hollow movement near the eastern ridge. They're gathering."
Rowan frowned. "How many?"
"Too many," Kade said. "And they're not hiding anymore."
Rylan's jaw tightened. "He's preparing for a full assault."
Rowan exhaled. "Then we need to fortify the ridge."
Rylan shook his head. "No. We need to leave it."
Rowan blinked. "What?"
Rylan turned to him. "Lucien wants us here. He wants us cornered. He wants to trap us."
Rowan frowned. "This ridge is defensible."
"Against wolves," Rylan said. "Not against shadows."
A chill ran through me.
He was right.
Lucien didn't fight like a wolf.
He fought like a nightmare.
Rowan hesitated. "Where do you suggest we go?"
Rylan looked at me.
The bond pulsed — warm, steady, certain.
"Somewhere he can't reach her," Rylan said quietly.
My breath caught. "Where is that?"
Rylan hesitated. "There's a place. Deep in the northern woods. A sanctuary."
Rowan raised a brow. "A sanctuary?"
Rylan nodded. "It's ancient. Older than any pack. The moon's power is strongest there. Shadows can't enter."
Kade stiffened. "Alpha… that place is forbidden."
Rowan frowned. "Forbidden by who?"
"By tradition," Kade said. "By superstition. By fear."
Rylan's voice hardened. "By ignorance."
Rowan crossed his arms. "And you think this sanctuary will protect us?"
"No," Rylan said. "It will protect her."
The bond pulsed — sharp, protective, overwhelming.
I stepped forward. "Rylan… I'm not hiding while everyone else fights."
He turned to me, eyes softening. "Lyra—"
"No," I said firmly. "I'm not running."
He exhaled shakily. "I'm not asking you to run. I'm asking you to survive."
My chest tightened.
Rowan stepped between us. "We're not splitting the packs. We stay together."
Rylan shook his head. "If Lucien gets to Lyra, he wins. Everything else becomes irrelevant."
Rowan growled. "I'm not sacrificing my wolves for one person."
Rylan's eyes flashed. "She's not one person. She's the key."
Rowan's jaw clenched. "To what?"
Rylan hesitated.
Kade answered for him. "To breaking the moon‑mark."
Silence fell.
I stared at Rylan. "Breaking it?"
Rylan didn't look at me.
Rowan frowned. "Explain."
Kade swallowed. "Lucien believes that if he takes her — if he corrupts her — he can break the bond. Break the mark. Break Rylan."
Rylan's voice was low. "He wants my power."
"And he wants her," Kade added. "Because she's the only thing he can use against you."
My stomach twisted.
Rowan exhaled. "So what's the plan?"
Rylan looked at me. "We go to the sanctuary."
Rowan shook his head. "We're not dragging two packs into some ancient ruin because you're scared of your brother."
Rylan stepped forward, voice sharp. "I'm not scared of him. I'm scared of what he'll do to her."
The bond pulsed — warm, fierce, protective.
Rowan hesitated.
Kade spoke quietly. "Alpha Rowan… if Lucien gets to her, he'll destroy both packs. This isn't about Bloodfang or Moonshadow anymore. It's about survival."
Rowan looked at me.
"Lyra… what do you want?"
The question hit harder than any shadow.
I looked at Rylan — at the fear he tried to hide, at the weight he carried alone, at the curse he never asked for.
I looked at Rowan — at the pack I'd grown up in, the wolves who trusted me, the Alpha who'd always protected me.
I looked at the forest — dark, dangerous, waiting.
And I made my choice.
"We go to the sanctuary."
Rylan exhaled — relief, fear, gratitude all tangled together.
Rowan nodded slowly. "Then we move at dawn."
Kade bowed. "Bloodfang will follow."
Rowan turned to his wolves. "Moonshadow will too."
The packs murmured, uneasy but obedient.
Rylan stepped closer to me, voice low. "Lyra… thank you."
I shook my head. "Don't thank me yet."
He frowned. "Why?"
"Because I'm not doing this for you."
His breath caught.
"I'm doing it for all of us."
The bond pulsed — warm, steady, proud.
Rylan swallowed hard. "Still… thank you."
Before I could respond, a howl echoed from the forest — sharp, panicked, terrified.
A scout sprinted into the clearing, fur bristling, eyes wide.
"Alpha Rowan! Alpha Rylan!"
Rowan stepped forward. "What is it?"
The scout trembled. "The Hollow… they're moving."
Rylan stiffened. "Where?"
The scout swallowed. "Here."
The forest erupted with shadows.
Dozens of them.
Hundreds.
Lucien's army.
Rylan grabbed my arm. "Lyra — behind me."
Rowan shouted orders. "Form a line! Protect the ridge!"
Kade snarled. "Bloodfang — shift!"
Wolves shifted all around us, fur exploding, claws scraping stone.
Rylan's eyes glowed gold. "Lucien's here."
My heart pounded. "Now?"
"Yes."
The shadows surged forward.
Rylan stepped in front of me, claws blazing with moonlight.
"Stay behind me," he growled.
And the war began.