Dawn rose slowly over the Cursed Pack, but the usual sounds of morning life were absent.
There were no playful wolves chasing each other across the clearing.
No laughter from the younger members of the pack.
Only preparation.
War preparation.
Dominic stood at the center of the courtyard, watching his warriors gather supplies. Armor was being strapped on, blades sharpened, and scouts sent out in every direction.
The forest around the camp felt tense, as if even nature knew something massive was about to happen.
Leila walked toward him quietly.
"You didn't sleep."
Dominic glanced at her briefly.
"Neither did you."
She stopped beside him, folding her arms as she watched the pack.
"They're ready."
Dominic nodded.
"They've been ready for years."
Leila knew what he meant.
The Cursed Pack wasn't like other packs. These wolves had been rejected, abandoned, and cast out long before Dominic brought them together.
They had already survived the worst.
Marcus approached them, carrying a map carved into a piece of wood.
"Scouts returned an hour ago," he said.
Dominic took the map.
The rough outline of the Iron Mountains stretched across the surface.
Marcus pointed to a narrow valley between two peaks.
"This is the fastest path."
Leila studied the map carefully.
"That's exactly where Malachar would expect us to go."
Marcus smirked.
"So we don't go that way."
Dominic nodded slightly.
"Correct."
He turned the map sideways and tapped another route.
A narrow trail that cut through a dense forest along the base of the mountains.
"It's slower," Marcus said.
"But we won't walk straight into a trap."
Leila felt the First Bloodline stir faintly again.
"It's not just traps we need to worry about."
Dominic looked at her.
"The Alpha Killers."
"Yes," she said quietly.
"Twelve of them."
Marcus whistled softly.
"That warlock really doesn't like you."
Dominic's expression didn't change.
"He doesn't like what we represent."
Leila nodded.
"The balance he can't control."
Marcus folded his arms.
"Well… good thing we're stubborn."
Dominic stepped onto the platform overlooking the courtyard.
The pack immediately fell silent.
Every wolf turned toward him.
Dominic's voice carried across the camp.
"You all saw Malachar."
Growls spread through the crowd.
"He calls us weak."
The growls grew louder.
"He believes wolves should be controlled… experimented on… replaced."
A few wolves snarled openly now.
Dominic's eyes burned faintly silver.
"Today we prove him wrong."
The courtyard erupted in howls of agreement.
Leila stepped beside him.
"The Order of Fracture created monsters."
She looked across the warriors.
"But those wolves… those Alpha Killers…"
Her voice softened slightly.
"They were once wolves like us."
The pack quieted.
"We will fight them," she continued.
"But if there is even a chance to free them… we will try."
Marcus leaned toward Dominic.
"She's already becoming the kind of Luna legends are written about."
Dominic allowed a faint smile.
"That was inevitable."
Leila raised her hand.
The First Bloodline glowed softly.
"Today we march to the Iron Mountains."
Silver and shadow energy rippled through the courtyard.
"We end this war."
The entire pack howled.
The sound echoed across the forest like thunder.
An hour later—
The Cursed Pack began moving.
Over a hundred warriors traveled through the forest in tight formations.
Dominic led at the front.
Leila beside him.
Marcus and several elite fighters guarded the flanks.
Kael traveled near the center of the formation, still recovering but refusing to stay behind.
The forest grew darker the deeper they traveled.
The towering peaks of the Iron Mountains slowly rose in the distance.
Jagged.
Cold.
Unwelcoming.
Leila felt the First Bloodline reacting again.
Stronger this time.
"We're close," she said quietly.
Dominic nodded.
"I feel it too."
Marcus sniffed the air.
"Something else is here."
Dominic raised a hand.
The pack stopped instantly.
The forest went silent.
Then—
A slow clap echoed from the trees.
"Impressive."
A familiar voice.
Malachar stepped out from behind a tree.
He looked calm.
Amused.
Like this entire war was simply entertainment.
Marcus groaned.
"You again."
Malachar smiled politely.
"Hello, Marcus."
Marcus blinked.
"Wait—how do you know my name?"
Malachar ignored him and looked directly at Dominic and Leila.
"You came faster than expected."
Dominic's voice was cold.
"Move."
Malachar chuckled.
"Oh Dominic… if it were that easy, I wouldn't be standing here."
Leila stepped forward slightly.
"You're stalling."
Malachar nodded approvingly.
"Very good."
Then he snapped his fingers.
The forest exploded with movement.
Two enormous figures dropped from the cliffs above.
The ground shook when they landed.
Two Alpha Killers.
Each one larger than the first they had fought.
Silver veins glowing violently beneath their skin.
Marcus stared at them.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Malachar clasped his hands behind his back.
"Consider this… a test."
Dominic shifted instantly, his massive shadow wolf emerging with a roar.
Leila's Eclipse Form flared to life beside him.
Malachar smiled.
"Let's see if the prophecy was right about you."
The two Alpha Killers lunged forward at the same time.
And the war for the Iron Mountains began.
End of Chapter Twenty-Three