The forest clearing had changed.
Not in shape—
but in atmosphere.
The air felt tighter.
Sharper.
Quicker.
As if Beastworld itself sensed the Devourer King shifting.
Owain stood at the center, back straight, eyes gold and burning.
The guardian beast loomed behind him like a mountain of bone and muscle.
Kanah sat on a boulder beside them, the Devourer-born she saved clustered around her feet like frightened but loyal shadows.
Gerrin scribbled notes.
Yllas paced with rising flame.
Helion sharpened his claws on a fallen log, pretending not to be tense.
Across the clearing, Beast Tribe leaders gathered:
Rhaegor for the wolves
Vaeryn for the dragons
Lythar and his mages for the elves
The Eldress for the leopards
Several additional envoys Kanah hadn't seen before—
gray-furred wolf lieutenants, scarred dragons, hooded elves, a panther with eyes like molten amber.
It felt like a war council.
And she was sitting in the center of it.
OWAIN STEPS INTO HIS KINGSHIP
Rhaegor stepped forward.
"Wolf King," he said formally.
"What are your orders?"
Kanah blinked.
Owain did not.
His jaw tightened—
then he didn't hesitate.
"Secure the northeastern forest.
No wolf strays more than ten lengths from their patrol partner.
Send scouts high.
I want every tremor reported."
Rhaegor nodded sharply.
"Yes, King."
Kanah's breath hitched.
She'd heard him called "Owain."
"Alpha."
"Wolf King" by title.
But this—
This was the first time someone said it with absolute allegiance.
The dragons approached next.
Vaeryn bowed—not deeply, but respectfully.
"Wolf King.
Your territory is closest to Veylor.
We defer to your command of the ground."
Owain nodded once.
"I want dragons above every major route.
If the Devourer King moves in numbers, we need sky warnings."
Vaeryn smirked.
"You'll get them."
Kanah leaned closer to Gerrin.
"He's… good at this."
Gerrin smiled faintly.
"He was raised for it.
He just never wanted the crown."
"And now… he's wearing it."
Gerrin looked at her with soft, knowing eyes.
"He's wearing it for you."
Kanah swallowed hard.
KANAH'S PACK IS RECOGNIZED
The Eldress of the Leopard Clan leapt from a tree branch, landing with a flick of her tail.
"And the little queen?
What does she command?"
Kanah jolted.
"Me?"
Owain growled instantly.
"She's not a commander."
The Eldress arched a brow.
"No?
Then why do twenty Devourer-born hide behind her skirts?"
Kanah glanced down.
They had moved closer without her noticing.
One pressed its forehead to her knee for comfort.
Owain stiffened.
"Because she saved them.
She's their anchor."
The Eldress snorted.
"Anchor, commander, queen—it's all the same thing in instinct politics."
Kanah's cheeks flushed.
"I'm not— I don't— I'm not trying to lead anything."
The Eldress smirked.
"Leadership is never 'tried.'
It is either resisted… or accepted."
Kanah opened her mouth to argue—
But one of the Devourer-born, the young male she had held first, timidly tugged her sleeve.
"Mother…"
Owain nearly choked.
"I—WHAT—?? No. Absolutely not—"
Kanah flushed scarlet.
"I'm NOT—"
But the young male lowered his head, trembling.
"You saved us.
You gave warmth.
You gave name."
Kanah felt her throat tighten painfully.
"Name?"
"Yes. You named us safe."
The Eldress grinned wide.
"Well. That's that.
They're hers."
Kanah buried her face in her hands.
"Oh my god—"
Owain paced like a panicking wolf.
"I did NOT sign up for suddenly adopting twenty half-awakened Devourer children—"
Helion smirked.
"Too late, daddy wolf."
Owain punched him.
THE WAR PLAN
Lythar cleared his throat.
"Enough.
We must coordinate before the Devourer King strikes."
Vaeryn summoned a hovering flame-map above the clearing, outlining the territories.
"He'll march from Veylor, likely through the ravines.
Dragons will cover the skies, wolves the ground, leopards the flanks."
Rhaegor added:
"We can intercept small squads.
But if he brings the full brood—"
Owain cut in sharply:
"He will."
Lythar continued:
"Then our focus becomes Kanah."
Kanah blinked.
"Me?"
"Yes."
The mage nodded solemnly.
"If he takes you, the war is lost."
Owain's snarl vibrated the air.
"That will not happen."
Helion leaned forward, tail flicking.
"Question. If he gets too close, will her seed react?"
Gerrin answered:
"Yes.
And violently."
Yllas crossed his arms.
"Which means keeping her anchored is our top priority."
Owain turned to Kanah.
"Stay close.
Stay with us.
Don't go anywhere alone."
Kanah frowned.
"That's… impractical."
Owain growled.
"That's non-negotiable."
She opened her mouth to protest—
but stopped.
Because he was right.
Her father's aura could tear her stability apart in seconds if she was unprotected.
She nodded quietly.
"Okay.
I'll stay close."
Owain's entire body softened.
In relief.
In fear.
In love.
EVIDENCE OF THE DEVOURER KING'S ADVANCE
A sudden rustle in the trees—
Three wolf scouts burst into the clearing, panting.
"King Owain!"
"Wolf King!"
"Emergency!"
Owain stood instantly.
"What is it?"
The scouts kneeled.
"There's movement in the ravines."
"How much movement?"
The scout swallowed.
"The earth is shaking."
Kanah's heart froze.
Owain snarled.
"How many?"
The scout hesitated—
then whispered:
"All of them."
Silence rippled through the council.
Vaeryn's flames flared.
Gerrin's face drained of color.
Helion stopped breathing for a full second.
Even the Eldress's tail stiffened.
Kanah whispered:
"All of them… what?"
The scout looked up, eyes filled with terror.
"Every Devourer-born in Veylor.
Every incomplete one.
Every half-made one.
Every soldier.
Every death-breed."
Kanah's blood ran cold.
Owain's eyes darkened.
"That's impossible.
He wouldn't move them all—he'd weaken himself—"
"He doesn't care," Kanah whispered, trembling.
Everyone turned.
She stood—
small
barefoot
shaking—
but certain.
"My father doesn't care about weakening.
He doesn't care about his soldiers.
He doesn't care about territory."
Her voice cracked.
"He only cares about me."
Owain grabbed her shoulders, eyes burning.
"Then he's coming straight through the forest."
Gerrin whispered:
"With an army."
Yllas closed his eyes.
"So this is it."
Helion grinned darkly.
"Finally."
Kanah swallowed.
"I'm not ready."
Owain pressed his forehead to hers.
"I know."
"But we are."
OWAIN'S COMMAND
Owain lifted his head—
and unleashed a roar that shook the trees.
A king's roar.
A declaration.
A command.
"Wolves—TO ME!"
"Dragons—TO THE SKY!"
"Elves—RAISE THE BARRIERS!"
"Leopards—TAKE THE TREES!"
"Guardians—PROTECT THE QUEEN!"
The forest trembled—
not with the Devourer King's hunger—
but with Beastworld's answer.
Kanah stood in the middle of the storm forming around her.
Owain took her hand, squeezing hard.
"You're not facing him alone."
Kanah whispered:
"I know."
Her voice steadied.
"Let's win this."
Owain's eyes glowed gold.
"That's the plan."