The peace lasted only days.
Ronan returned, not alone, but with wolves at his back. They were not Kael's kind—wild, scarred, eyes filled with rebellion. Outcasts. Rogues.
The pack stirred, growls echoing through the den as the rogues approached the clearing. Kael stood tall, his broad shoulders squared, his green eyes burning with fury.
"Ronan," he snarled. "You dare come here?"
Ronan smirked, his copper hair catching the weak winter light, his amber eyes sharp with triumph. "You didn't think I'd vanish, did you? You rejected me, witch. And him?" His gaze cut to Kael. "He cages you. He makes you small. But I will make you a Queen."
His rogue wolves howled in unison, their eyes glowing red with something unnatural.
Aradia's chest tightened, dread coiling inside her. These were not just rogues. They were changed. Twisted by shadow.
Kael stepped forward, his presence filling the clearing like a storm. "If you've allied with the darkness, Ronan, then you are already dead."
Ronan's smile sharpened. "No, Alpha. I am reborn."
And the war began.