★Nuel's POV★
The old woman knew exactly who Eryndor was. She hadn't flinched when I mentioned his name; instead, her wrinkled lips had curled into a knowing smile, one that made the air around us feel heavy and strange. She'd handed me a bowl of thick, bitter-smelling herbs, her voice low and deliberate as she told me to drink.
Those herbs… they weren't meant to heal me. They were meant to bind.
To fuse Eryndor's soul—the ancient Alpha spirit that had been haunting the corners of my consciousness—with mine. To make him one with me.
Now, he wasn't just a voice whispering in the shadows of my mind. He was me. Breathing through my lungs. Beating in my chest. Sharing every flicker of thought, every pulse of rage.
"Welcome back, Alpha," the old woman had said when she was done explaining, her eyes glinting as though she'd just completed some sacred ritual. Her tone carried reverence, submission… but also fear.
She thought Eryndor had taken over completely. She thought I was gone.
