The den erupted.
The Alpha led its pack, golden eyes blazing as it prowled into Kael's territory. The air reeked of blood and domination.
Kael's traps triggered — bones snapping closed on legs, spikes piercing hides. Wolves yelped, thrashing, but more poured in, snarling.
"Moro!" Kael shouted.
The slime leapt forward, swelling monstrously, engulfing a wolf's head and dissolving it alive. Acid hissed. Fur and flesh melted.
Ilyra raised her bound hands, whispering a curse. A blast of spectral frost erupted, freezing a wolf mid-leap. She coughed blood, her body trembling from the backlash.
Kael dashed into the chaos, shard flashing. His movements were sharper, more instinctual. Each kill fed the mark on his chest, making him faster, stronger, wilder.
But then the Alpha came.
It slammed into him with bone-crushing force, throwing him against the stone wall. His ribs cracked. Blood filled his mouth.
The Alpha loomed over him, fangs bared.
Kael spat blood, glaring back with burning eyes.
"…I'm not… prey."
He lunged, bone shard in hand—
The Alpha swatted him aside like a ragdoll.
Pain screamed through his body. He crawled, ribs grinding. Moro screeched, leaping to shield him, but the Alpha tore into the slime, scattering chunks across the floor.
"MORO!" Kael's voice broke. His vision blurred with rage and despair.
The dungeon mark seared white-hot. His chest felt like it was burning from the inside out.
And the whisper returned.
—Accept me. Devour. Become mine—
Kael clenched his teeth. His nails dug into the stone, blood running from his mouth.
"…Yes."