Chapter Twenty-Two: The Red-Eyed Shadow
The smell of blood hit before the howl did.
Rina was in council with the elders when the cry ripped through the sky — high-pitched, sharp, unmistakably young.
A child.
She bolted from the room, Kael on her heels, both shifting mid-run into their wolves. They were out the door and through the trees within moments, paws churning through damp soil, their bond snapping into sharp alignment despite everything between them.
They found the child — the same young pup from the circle — clutched in the arms of a trembling scout. Blood soaked the boy's shoulder.
"Three figures," the scout rasped. "Moving like wind. One had eyes like fire. We couldn't smell them. Couldn't track them."
Kael bared his teeth.
Rina crouched, pressing her hand to the pup's wound. Her fire pulsed gently — not to burn, but to mend. She sealed the torn flesh, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
They came inside the border. Undetected. Unnatural.
Her mother's words echoed back from the grave.
The fire will rise. And it will choose between love and dominion.
That night, Rina stood at the perimeter, flanked by warriors.
Kael approached, wolf again, fur dark and bristling with unease. He didn't shift back — not until he was beside her.
"I want to hunt them," he said. "Tonight."
"No," Rina replied.
Kael stiffened. "You don't command me."
"I do if it saves you."
They locked eyes. For the first time, they didn't speak as mates — they spoke as leaders.
Kael's voice lowered. "You still don't trust I can stand beside you."
Rina didn't look away. "No. I don't trust that you'll still be there when I stop making choices that serve your pride."
That landed like a blow.
Kael turned, almost walked away.
Almost.
Then he stopped. "They weren't rogues. Whatever they were… they didn't come for the child."
He faced her again, gaze cold. Certain.
"They came for you."
Far beyond the forest, beneath the roots of the black mountain, the red-eyed creature crouched before a flame.
"She's awakened," it whispered. "And still, she hesitates."
A dozen shadows knelt behind it.
The creature's voice slithered through the dark. "Prepare the blade. Bring me the Ravenspell heart."