The first sign was the silence.
Silver Pine was never silent. The forest was alive even in its stillest hours ;owls calling, wind sighing, the rustle of paws in undergrowth. But one night, as Lily patrolled the southern ridge, the world seemed to hold its breath. No birds. No insects. Even the river below flowed without song.
Her hackles rose. The bond tugged at her, uneasy, pulling her deeper into the trees. Alec followed close, his eyes narrowed, hand brushing the hilt of the blade he carried even though steel had little use against the supernatural.
They moved carefully, their wolves within restless, straining at the edge of their skin. The deeper they went, the heavier the air became, thick with a scent Lily knew but had prayed she'd never smell again — sulfur, rot, and ash.
A flicker of movement caught her eye. Between the trees, a figure crouched. Too still. Too sharp. Its eyes snapped open, gleaming black, bottomless as void.
"Demon," Alec breathed.
The creature uncurled, its limbs wrong, stretched and jagged like broken branches. Its claws dripped with something that hissed against the soil, burning patches of earth where it landed. Its mouth split wide, and from it poured a sound that was not a roar, not a howl, but something older, darker — the echo of hunger itself.
Lily's wolf lunged inside her chest, demanding release. She shifted in a heartbeat, fur bristling, teeth bared. Alec's wolf followed, silver in the moonlight. Together they leapt, but the demon was fast. Too fast. It darted through shadows like smoke, striking with venomous claws.
Her fangs sank into its arm, but the taste was wrong — bitter, searing, a poison on her tongue. Pain shot through her jaw as the creature shrieked, throwing her back with inhuman strength.
More movement. More shadows. More eyes.
The trees around them came alive with black flame as two, three, five more demons slithered into the clearing. Each one carried the same hunger, the same burning presence. Alec snarled, his fur bristling. "They're multiplying."
Panic clawed at Lily's chest, but beneath it, the bond surged. The land responded to her fear, her fury. Roots quivered beneath the soil, the stones of the ridge groaning. She remembered the circle, the chants, the fire. She called on it with every shred of will she had.
"Help me," she whispered to the forest.
And the forest answered.
Roots tore free from the ground, snaking upward to wrap around demon limbs, dragging them down. The trees bent, their branches lashing like whips. Even the air thickened, pushing against the shadows.
The demons shrieked, writhing, but they did not burn away. They only retreated, retreating into the night, their black eyes never leaving hers. One paused at the treeline, its mouth curling into something disturbingly like a smile.
A promise. A threat.
And then they were gone, leaving only the stench of ash and the hiss of poisoned soil.
Lily shifted back, chest heaving, blood streaking her arm where claws had raked her. Alec pressed close, his wolf's nose nudging at her wound, worry etched in every line of his posture.
"They're back," she whispered, her voice raw. "Caleb was right. The demons were waiting."
Alec shifted too, his skin slick with sweat, his face pale but determined. "Then they've made a mistake," he said, voice steady. "Because this time, they'll face you."
Lily wanted to believe him. But the truth weighed heavy. The bond had given her power, yes — but the demons had grown too. They weren't just shadows in stories anymore. They were real. They were many. And they would not stop.
As dawn broke through the trees, painting the forest gold, Lily knew the peace Silver Pine had cherished was over.
The war had begun.