I was still staring at my reflection when the cold returned.
This time it wasn't just cold. It was wrongness. A presence that made every instinct I had scream danger. My wolf surged inside me, fully alert, teeth bared even though we were still in human form.
The shadow materialized behind me again, but different now. Larger. More solid. Not just Luna's projection, but something physical. Something real.
Something dangerous.
I spun around, finally able to move now that Luna's paralyzing gaze was gone.
The creature that stood in the White Den was massive. It looked like a wolf, but twisted. Corrupted. Made of shadow so dense it seemed to pull light into itself. Its eyes burned with silver fire. Its teeth were too long, too sharp, made of something that looked like crystallized moonlight.
And it was staring directly at me.
"Failed one," it spoke, its voice like breaking glass. "Luna-touched but unworthy. You died and returned but carry no scent. No soul. You are incomplete."
