The battlefield reeked of smoke and iron. Silver Pine's warriors fought with everything they had — claws dripping, eyes blazing — yet the moment the figure emerged from the shadows, the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
The Demon Alpha.
It was taller than any wolf, taller even than the stones of the sacred circle. Its form shifted constantly ; one moment a beast with burning horns, the next a skeletal shadow with a hundred grasping hands. Its eyes were pits of darkness, swallowing the firelight, and when it spoke, the sound was a low growl that scraped against bone.
"Little wolves," it said, voice booming through the clearing. "You fight with teeth and earth, but you cannot kill hunger. Hunger devours all."
Lily's paws dug into the ground. Her heart thundered in her chest, but she did not flinch. "Silver Pine will not bow."
The Demon Alpha tilted its head, studying her as though she were no more than an insect daring to bite. Then it raised its claws and the shadows surged.
The pack howled as one, meeting the charge. Wolves flung themselves at the tide of darkness, bodies colliding with shapes half-real and fully monstrous. Alec was at Lily's side, teeth flashing, his growl carrying her name like a vow.
But the Demon Alpha didn't move like the others. It flowed, shifting form with every strike, claws slicing air and stone alike. Lily lunged, her wolf form blazing with fury, but her fangs met smoke. A blow slammed her sideways, the force rattling her ribs. She hit the ground hard, air knocked from her lungs.
Get up.
The voice wasn't Alec's. It wasn't even Caleb's. It was the bond. The forest. The spirit of every Alpha before her.
She staggered to her paws, the earth thrumming beneath her. The fire from the binding circle still lived in her veins, and she reached for it now, deeper than before. The forest answered. Roots tore upward from the soil, wrapping around the demon's limbs. The trees groaned as if alive, bending toward the fight.
The Demon Alpha snarled, shadows lashing out, slicing through the roots like blades. But Lily pressed harder. Her howl tore through the night -a sound so raw, so primal, the very ground shook.
Wolves rallied to her call. The pack circled, snapping and slashing, driving the demon back step by step. Alec leapt high, sinking his claws into one of its many shifting shoulders, tearing through shadow-stuff with brute force. For a moment, it stumbled, its form flickering like fire in the wind.
But then it roared.
The sound shattered the air. Wolves dropped where they stood, ears bleeding. The trees themselves seemed to wilt. Alec was flung across the clearing like a ragdoll, slamming into the stones with a sickening thud.
"Alec!" Lily screamed, fury flooding her veins. The sight of him broken, motionless, snapped something deep within her.
The bond erupted.
Silver light spilled from her body, lacing her fur, her claws, her very breath. She no longer felt like flesh alone she was wolf, forest, flame, and sky. The spirits of her ancestors rose behind her like shadows of fire, their howls echoing hers.
The Demon Alpha paused, its abyssal gaze fixed on her. For the first time, it hesitated.
Lily bared her teeth, eyes blazing like molten silver. "You want hunger? Then choke on this."
She lunged.
Light collided with darkness. The forest itself screamed. Shadows writhed and fire burst as wolf and demon Alpha met in a clash that split the night in two.
For a heartbeat, neither moved -then the clearing erupted into chaos as their battle began.