The war dragged into madness. Wolves fell one after another. The pack, once united, staggered. Betrayal spread like rot—wolves with eyes glowing red turned against kin, striking claws into brothers and sisters.
Aradia's fire wavered. Kael's body bled. Their bond, once unbreakable, faltered beneath exhaustion and grief.
"Kael…" she whispered, her hands trembling. "We can't win."
He gripped her face, his blood staining her skin, his green eyes fierce even as his body broke. "We can. We must. You are mine. I am yours. That is enough."
But even as he spoke, the Shadow's whispers filled the air.
He will fall. He always falls. You will burn him again. And again. And again.
Aradia sobbed, her fire trembling wildly. For a heartbeat, she almost believed it.
And Ronan, his broken body looming above them, smiled. "This is always how it ends."