KAEL – POV
When I saw the third Luna, I thought my heart had stopped.
She walked through the chaos like she owned the end of the world.
Not masked. Not cloaked.
But bearing my crest.
Etched into her collarbone.
And glowing.
Wolves backed away from her without realizing. The Echo's wolves. Even ours.
Because she didn't radiate power.
She radiated command.
A bond none of us had felt—until now.
Rylan was the first to move.
He stepped into her path, spellstone lit.
"Who are you?"
She tilted her head.
"I'm the answer your bond tried to erase."
My wolf surged.
I stepped forward. "That crest—how did you get it?"
She turned to me.
Smiled. "Because I was made from you."
And suddenly I couldn't breathe.
The arena was still burning.
Ayla and the Echo lay at its center, both unconscious. Both breathing.
But the bond that tied them had grown unstable.
Rylan reached for the pulse mark.
His fingers hissed.
"They're not separated," he gasped. "They're braided."
