The howls in the forest did not stop.
They multiplied.
From every direction, wolves cried out—not in celebration, not in mourning.
In confusion.
In pain.
Dominic stood at the edge of the clearing beside Leila, his senses stretched far into the night. The bond between them had grown deeper after the convergence, and now he could feel disturbances across territories like ripples through water.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"The bloodlines are correcting," Leila said quietly.
Her voice was calm, but Dominic could feel the tension beneath it.
"When the fracture sealed," she continued, "wolves that were born with unstable power are suddenly… stabilizing."
"That should be a good thing," Dominic replied.
"It would be," she said slowly, "if everyone accepted it."
Another scout burst through the tree line, panting heavily.
"Alpha!"
Dominic turned sharply. "Report."
The scout dropped to one knee.
"Black Hollow Pack and Riverfang Pack have started fighting. They're blaming each other for the sudden power shifts."
Another scout arrived seconds later.
"And Moonfall Pack declared you an abomination," he added nervously.
Dominic's eyes hardened.
"They say the 'cursed bloodline' is trying to dominate all packs."
Leila sighed softly.
"That didn't take long."
Dominic looked toward the horizon.
"They're afraid."
"Yes," she said. "But fear makes wolves dangerous."
The eldest Council elder stepped forward.
"This is exactly what the Order of Fracture wanted," he said grimly.
"They knew restoring the bloodline would cause instability before balance could settle."
Dominic's fists clenched.
"So they created a situation where the packs would destroy each other."
"Correct."
Leila frowned slightly.
"But something else is wrong."
Dominic looked at her.
"What?"
She closed her eyes briefly.
The First Bloodline stirred within her chest like a slow heartbeat.
"There are wolves whose power is stabilizing…" she said.
"And there are wolves whose power is… mutating."
The elder stiffened.
"That shouldn't happen."
But before anyone could speak further—
A scream tore through the forest.
Not far away.
Dominic shifted instantly, his wolf exploding out with a violent ripple of shadow and silver.
Leila followed, shifting just as quickly.
They raced through the trees.
Branches snapped beneath their paws.
The scent hit Dominic first.
Blood.
And something rotten.
They burst into a small clearing.
Two wolves lay dead.
A third wolf crawled desperately across the ground, bleeding heavily.
Standing over him was another wolf—
But it didn't look normal.
Its fur was patchy.
Dark veins pulsed beneath its skin.
Its eyes burned unnatural crimson.
Leila froze.
"That's not correction," she whispered.
The corrupted wolf lifted its head slowly.
And smiled.
Not like a wolf.
Like something wearing a wolf's body.
Dominic's growl shook the clearing.
"Step away from him."
The creature tilted its head.
"You're the cursed alpha," it rasped.
Its voice sounded wrong—like two voices speaking at once.
Dominic stepped forward.
"I'm the one telling you to back away."
Instead, the creature lunged.
It moved fast.
Too fast.
Dominic intercepted it midair, slamming it into the ground.
But the moment his claws tore into its flesh—
Black smoke burst from the wound.
The creature laughed.
"You fixed the fracture," it said mockingly.
"But you opened the gate."
Leila's heart pounded.
"What gate?"
The creature's body twisted violently.
Bones cracking.
Flesh stretching.
It was growing.
Mutating.
Dominic slammed it against the ground again.
"Talk!"
The creature grinned through blood.
"The First Bloodline doesn't just stabilize wolves," it whispered.
"It awakens things buried in them."
Then it exploded.
Dark energy burst outward.
Dominic shielded Leila instinctively as the blast tore through the clearing.
When the smoke cleared—
The creature was gone.
Only black ash remained.
Leila stared at the ground.
"That wasn't a wolf anymore."
Dominic shifted back to human form, his breathing heavy.
"No."
The injured wolf groaned weakly nearby.
Leila rushed to him.
"Easy," she said softly.
His eyes were wide with terror.
"It wasn't like us," he whispered.
"It changed after the eclipse."
Dominic helped him sit up.
"What changed?"
The wolf swallowed.
"It said… the Order gave them something."
Leila and Dominic exchanged a look.
"A potion?" Dominic guessed.
The wolf shook his head weakly.
"No."
"Something… older."
Leila felt the First Bloodline stir again.
And this time—
It wasn't calm.
It was warning.
The elder wolves caught up moments later.
"What happened?" one asked.
Dominic gestured to the ash.
"Mutation."
The eldest elder crouched, examining the ground.
His face darkened.
"This is warlock craft."
Leila shook her head slowly.
"No."
They all looked at her.
"This is older than the warlocks."
The forest fell silent again.
Dominic studied her.
"You're sure?"
She nodded.
"Yes."
Then she said the one thing that made every wolf in the clearing go still.
"The Order of Fracture didn't just split the bloodline."
Her silver-and-black eyes darkened.
"They've been experimenting on wolves for generations."
The elder's voice dropped to a whisper.
"You mean creating weapons."
Leila looked toward the distant mountains.
The First Bloodline pulsed again inside her.
This time it showed her something.
Not a vision.
A direction.
"There's a place," she said quietly.
Dominic immediately understood.
"Their base."
She nodded.
"Yes."
And whatever they were doing there—
Was far worse than manipulating packs.
Because if those mutated wolves kept spreading—
Balance wouldn't matter anymore.
Dominic turned toward the forest.
"Then we stop reacting."
Leila's eyes hardened.
"We hunt them."
Behind them, thunder rolled across the sky.
A storm was coming.
Not just weather.
War.